Cerritos College Men’s Cross Country (2023): At the 3C2A State Championships, he posted an 82nd place time of 22:04.3, while he came in 36th place at the Southern California Championships in a time of 20:52.7… Led the team at the South Coast Conference Championships with a 15th place time of 22:00.4 and came in 112th place at the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational with a clocking of 26:37.6… At the San Diego Mesa Invitational, his time of 22:00.9 put him in 43rd place, while he checked in with a second place time of 22:17.9 at the Coach Downey Classic… Came in 15th place at the Golden West Invitational with a time of 21:58.3 and was 38th at the SoCal Preview Meet in a time of 21:15.2… Posted a 39th place time of 22:19.0 at the Oxnard Invitational and opened the season with a 76th place time of 23:14.0 at the Fresno Invitational…..

St. Paul HS: While on the track and field team, he was named all-league in the 1600 meters (9:41) twice and in the 3200 meters (16:12) as a senior… Qualified for the CIF Prelims in the 3200 meters after coming in third place at the Del Rey League Championships… Was a two-time All-Del Rey League selection on the cross country team and his team’s Most Valuable Player three times… Posted a personal best time of 16:07 as a senior at the St Paul Invitational and helped the team win the league championship his senior season… Was also a two-time CIF Qualifier… As a member of the soccer team, he helped them win the league championship as a senior… Was a member of the cross country and track and field team for three years and on the soccer team for two seasons…..

Personal: Most memorable moments were when he posted his personal best times and running in the CIF Prelims as a junior… Would like to transfer to any college that offers a scholarship… His sister Ariel (28) was a cross country and track athlete at Cerritos and then at Cal State Los Angeles, while his twin brother Joseph (19) was his teammate on the cross country team… Hobbies include surfing and bodyboarding… Nicknamed “Josh”… Has another sister – Emily (12)… Is the son of Jose and Yvonne Melendez… Born in Whittier, CA on April 10, 2004…..

Favorite Food:  Soup                                      Favorite Movie: “Lord of the Rings”
Favorite Book: “The Screwtape Letters”            Favorite TV Show: “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”