The 5-foot-9, 140-pound senior won the Division 1 state meet this past season with a course-record time of 15:38, breaking the tape 21 seconds ahead of his next-closest competitor and leading the Tanners to a third-place finish as a team. Rocha went unbeaten in 2016, but his season ended after the state meet because of an injury. The 2016 Boston Globe Division 1 Runner of the Year, he is a three-time Boston Herald and Globe All-Scholastic.
Rocha has maintained an A average in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to run cross country on scholarship at Providence College this fall.
The secretary of the Peabody High senior class, Rocha has volunteered locally as a youth running coach and as part of multiple community service initiatives through his church. "It goes without saying that Marcelo is one of the best runners to ever come out of the North Shore of Massachusetts," said Brian Heenan, head coach of Marblehead High. "While his performance on the cross country course has impressed everyone, his humility has impressed me most."
