University of Sioux Falls Athletics

Career

Mara Nelson has been a consistent contributor since arriving on campus, playing in 53 career games with 33 starts. She has totaled three goals, two assists, and eight points, while logging over 3,200 minutes on the field. With 38 shot attempts and 22 on goal, Mara continues to be an active presence in the attack.

2025 (Junior)

Started all 18 matches for the Cougars, logging 1,554 minutes. Recorded one assist while adding a shot on goal, serving as a full-time presence in the lineup.

2024 (Sophomore)

As a sophomore, Mara appeared in 18 games with 5 starts and recorded 732 minutes of playing time. She scored 2 goals for 4 points and remained a key offensive threat, attempting 20 shots with 10 on goal.

2023 (Freshman)

In her freshman season, Mara played in 17 games and started 10, logging 925 minutes. She scored 1 goal and added 1 assist for a total of 3 points. She was efficient in front of goal, registering 11 shots on target out of 17 total attempts.

High School

Mara was a standout multi-sport athlete, competing in both soccer and golf. A five-time varsity letter winner in soccer, she served as a two-time team captain and earned All-State and Academic All-State honors in 2022. She was also named to the Metro Conference Team and twice earned ESD All-Conference recognition. During her high school career, she helped her team capture the 2020 State, Metro, and ESD Championships.

Personal

Mara is the daughter of Mat and Sara Nelson and has one sibling, Austine.