Larisa joined the Valparaiso cross country program as a graduate assistant in the fall of 2009.  Manuel arrived at Valpo from the distance running mecca of Portland, Ore., where she lived, trained and worked in marketing/advertising for five years.

An active member in the west coast distance running scene, Manuel is a member of Team Red Lizard running club and races under the Fit Right Northwest racing team. Manuel excels in distances ranging from 5k to marathon. Her resume includes a third-place finish in the Eugene Marathon in 2007 (1:21:58) and a 2009 Chicago Marathon time of 2:57:57 (54th overall female).

An alumnus of Gonzaga University, Manuel was a two year member of the cross-country team and a one year member of the track team. Her accolades at Gonzaga include a West Coast Conference cross country meet finish of  44th in 2003 and  a 15th place finish in the 10,000 meter at the prestigious University of Oregon Track and Field Invitational that same year.

Manuel is a 2004 graduate of Gonzaga, earning a Bachelors of Business Administration with a concentration in marketing and human resources management.  She is currently working on her master’s degree in sports administration at Valparaiso.