Tuhia he haere tonu mo tenei irava - I whanau mai i Phoenix, Arizona, i tiimata ia ki te oma hei kaitakaro kura tuarua i te Kura Tuarua o Mountain Pointe, ana ko ana angitu tuatahi i te Foot Locker Cross Country Championships, i reira ia te kaihauturu i te huihuinga a te kawanatanga i te tau 1997 me te 1998 i mua i te wikitoria i te taitara i te tau 1999. I whiriwhiria ia mo te kapa rangatahi o te United States i te 1999 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
I tana haerenga tuatahi ki te ao, i eke ia ki te 73 o nga taumata katoa. I muri mai i taua tau ka oma ia i te 3000 mita i te 1999 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships ka hinga i a Madai Pérez ki te wikitoria i te taitara.