The 5-foot-10, 145-pound junior raced to the Division 2 individual state championship this past season with a time of 15:27.9. Merchant took sixth at the Nike Cross Nationals Northwest Regional championships and finished 13th nationally at the NXN Final, earning All-American honors. He also broke the tape at the Region 3 championships, the Wasilla Trailblazer Invitational, the Palmer Invitational and the Frank Dieckgraeff Invitational.
Merchant has maintained a 3.77 GPA in the classroom. He will begin his senior year of high school this fall.
Merchant has volunteered locally on behalf of Anchorage Rescue Mission as well as youth running programs.
