Daniel De La Torre, who was a star track and field member with the UCLA Bruins has passed away at the age of 29 years old. While at UCLA, he was a NCAA qualifier in both cross country and track and field.
He was named a second-team All-American in the 5000M in 2017. He still holds the 6th best time in the 5000M in UCLA history at 13:46.14.
De La Torre was a teacher at Almansor Academy, which is a special education school in South Pasadena. He also continued to run, as he was a professional distance runner, and he qualified for the 2024 US Olympic team.
UCLA mourns the loss of Daniel De La Torre, class of 2018. The cross country and distance runner left an indelible mark on everyone who knew him. We will miss him dearly.
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— UCLA Track & Field (@UCLATrack_Field) July 16, 2024
Joanna Hayes, the director of Track & Field and Cross Country at UCLA had this to say about the passing:
Β “He had such contagious energy, and I will forever cherish every moment that I was fortunate enough to spend with him. We mourn his loss with the UCLA community, our hearts go out to his family and friends at this difficult time.”
There has been no official word on the cause of death for the running star. De La Torre’s funeral is set for Friday, July 26th at Holy Family Church in South Pasadena. Services will begin at 10 am.