COLLEGIATE PERSONAL BESTS: 1000m – 2:54.80, Mile – 4:45.70, 3000m - 9:00.94, 5000m – 15:44.98, Steeplechase – 9:59.54, 4K (XC) – 13:39.6, 5K (XC) – 16:50.7, 6K (XC) – 20:34.9
CAREER RECORDS, AWARDS, AND NOTES
RECORDS
1x Penn State school record holder
- Indoor 3K (9:00.94)
No. 4 in school history in the outdoor 5K (15:44.98)
No. 3 in school history in the steeplechase (9:59.54)
AWARDS
1x USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Region Women’s Track Athlete of the Year (’23 outdoor)
2x Big Ten Champion (’23 outdoor 5K, ’23 indoor 5K)
1x Second Team All-Big Ten (’23 indoor 3K)
1x Big Ten Bronze Medalist (’23 outdoor steeplechase)
1x NCAA Mid-Atlantic All-Region (’22 XC)
1x Academic All-Big Ten (Sp. ’24)
NOTES
Qualified for her first NCAA Championships in 2023…Two-time NCAA East Preliminaries qualifier…Is the only woman in school history to complete the Big Ten 5K sweep in a single season (2023 indoor/outdoor champion)…In 2023, DeMars became the first woman in Penn State history to earn a Big Ten title in the outdoor 5,000-meter run.
2024 Outdoor
Season: Competed in three meets before an injury derailed the rest of her outdoor campaign.
Bison Outdoor Classic (4/12-14): Won the 5K with a 16:23.36. Virginia Challenge (4/19-20): Took the steeplechase title with a strong 10:06.92 effort.
2024 Indoor
Season: Finished just outside of scoring in two events at the Big Ten Indoor Championships.
Penn State National Open (1/26-27): Recorded a season-best 9:16.68 in the 3K to take third place. Big Ten Indoor Championships (2/23-24): Finished ninth in both the 3K (9:24.00) and 5K (16:26.70).
2023 Cross Country
Season: Won the first two meets of the season before suffering an injury that kept her out until the postseason where she returned to bolster the Nittany Lion group that finished second at the Mid-Atlantic Regionals and qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Dolan Duals (9/1): Clocked a 13:39.6 4K PR to win the Dolan Duals, the fourth-fastest time ever recorded at the annual meet. Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational (9/8): Clocked a 20:50.3 to win the Spiked Shoe Invitational, her second-straight win…DeMars’ first overall finish helped her team win the meet outright. NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals (11/10): Ran a 21:02.3, finishing 43rd overall as Penn State’s sixth finisher. NCAA Cross Country Championships (11/18): Placed 197th in the country in her first NCAA Cross Country Championship appearance, finishing fourth on the Nittany Lions.
2023 Outdoor
Season: Set the No. 2 time in school history in the 5K, going 15:44.98 at the Raleigh Relays (3/23-25)…Completed the Big Ten sweep in the 5K, winning the outdoor event to successfully defend her indoor title…Qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 5K, finishing 17th in Division I in the event in her first trip to the finals.
Raleigh Relays (3/23-25): In her first outdoor competition of the season, DeMars set the No. 2 5K time in school history in a seventh-place finish…Clocked a 15:44.98 in Raleigh in her historic season debut. Bison Outdoor Classic (4/14-16): In her next competition, she won the steeplechase at Bucknell, becoming the third Penn State woman to ever break 10:00 in the event and setting the third-best mark in school history in the event…DeMars clocked a 9:59.54 for the win. Virginia Challenge (4/20-22): Finished second in the 5K with a 16:02.04. Penn Relays (4/27-29): Was a member of the eighth-fastest DMR team in school history at the Penn Relays…Along with Kileigh Kane, Zoey Goldstein, and Victoria Vanriele, clocked an 11:18.98 in the event. Big Ten Outdoor Championships (5/12-14): Finished first in the 5K to complete the indoor/outdoor sweep of the event, going 16:11.81 to claim gold…The night before, she finished third overall in the steeplechase with a 10:14.01, claiming 16 team points by herself at the outdoor championships. NCAA East Prelims (5/25-27): Placed tenth in the region in the 5K, going 16:04.06 to qualify for nationals for the first time in her career. NCAA Championships (6/7-10): Placed 17th in Division I in the 5K with a 16:09.61.
2023 Indoor
Season: Broke the program record for the indoor 3,000-meter run at the Valentine Invite on Feb. 10…Won the Big Ten Championship in the 5,000 meters and finished second in the 3,000 meters.
Nittany Lion Challenge (1/14): Won the mile with a 4:47.19. Penn State National Open (1/27-28): Placed first in the 3,000m with a 9:10.45, which at the time, was the third-fastest mark in school history. Valentine Invite (2/10-11): Broke the school record by nearly seven seconds with a 9:00.94 to finish 11th in a field of hundreds of runners. Big Ten Indoor Championships (2/24-25): Ran a 16:07.65 to claim the title in the indoor 5,000m run…Claimed her second medal of the championships as the runner-up in the 3,000m with a 9:17.71…Scored 18 of Penn State’s 61.5 team points by herself.
2022 Cross Country
Season: Ran personal bests in the 4K, 5K, and 6K distances across a full season of competition…Earned Mid-Atlantic All-Region honors at the NCAA Regional meet.
Dolan Duals (9/2): Finished first overall with a 13:45.9 in the 4K race. Joe Piane Invitational (9/30): Ran a personal-best 16:50.7 over 5,000 meters. Penn State National Open (10/14): Posted a 20:34.9 to finish fifth overall on Penn State’s home 6K course. Big Ten Championships (10/28): Finished 21st overall with a 20:46.3. NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional (11/11): Earned All-Region honors with a 21st-place finish in the 6K with a 20:55.7.
2022 Outdoor
Season: Qualified for 2022 Outdoor NCAA East Preliminaries in 3000m steeplechase...Placed top 6 in two events at Big Ten Outdoor Championships...Placed top 6 in three of four 3000m steeplechase events.
Virginia Challenge (4/22-23): Placed third in 3000S at personal-best time 10:06.27. Big Ten Championships (5/13-15): Placed 6th in 3000S and 5th in 5000m. NCAA East Preliminary (5/25-28): Ran in 3000S preliminaries.
2022 Indoor
Season: Competed across 1000m, mile, 3000m, and 5000m and finished top-six in all regular-season appearances...Finished 11th at Big Ten Indoor Championships in 5000m.
Penn State National Open (1/21-22): Finished first in 3000m behind personal-best time of 9:26.24. Big Ten Indoor Championships: Finished 11th in 5000m.
2021 Cross Country
Season: Competed in second Big Ten Cross Country Championship...Set personal best in 6k at NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional.
NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional (11/12): Finished 37th behind personal-best 6k time of 21:31.1.
2021 Indoor
Season: Competed in two meets for the Nittany Lions.
Nittany Lion Opener (1/16): Won her collegiate debut in the 3000m run.
2020 Cross Country
Season: Ran in Big Ten Championships after 2020 season was pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
BEFORE PENN STATE
HIGH SCHOOL PRs: 5K (XC) - 18:03.27, 2000mSC - 6:51.67, 3000m - 9:47.92, 1500m - 4:35.18
Earned five varsity letters in indoor and outdoor track & field...Earned four varsity letters in cross country...Named team MVP three times in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track at Ballston Spa High School...Won seven state medals...Set seven Ballston Spa school records...Named to Suburban Council All-Star squad five times...Selected New York Sportswriters All-State in cross country...Won USATF JO national championship in 2000mSC.
PERSONAL
Daughter of Jamie and Betsy DeMars...Has one brother, Matthew...Studying Kinesiology...Born in Kansas.