In a season of many firsts, Elise Cooper continues to push the boundaries of what is possible.

Three months ago, the McDonogh sprinter signed a Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deal with Puma, becoming the company’s first American high school track and field ambassador. Cooper joins the likes of Tommie Smith, Linford Christie and Merlene Ottey and Usain Bolt as sprinters who have been sponsored by Puma.

“It’s really special to me because it’s not just any brand deal,” she said. “I’m also the first American high school athlete. So I think that’s really special. I’ve been working towards this. So it’s just really exciting to have this happen. And it’s surreal because I didn’t know this would be happening.”Jose van der Veen, global head of product line management at Puma USA, said Cooper — who committed to continue her career at the University of Texas, which has captured five NCAA outdoor championships including most recently in 2023 — aligns with the company’s motto, “Forever Faster.”

“Elise being one of the fastest girls in high school and is going to join the University of Texas where (2024 Olympic gold medalist in the 100 and Saint Lucian sprinter) Julien Alfred is training under the same coach, it’s a very natural fit for us,” van der Veen said. “We want to have the fastest athletes with the fastest brand.”

Cooper would seem to be the ideal representative for Puma. Already a three-time All-Metro Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year, she qualified for the 2024 U.S. Olympic trials in the 200.

On Feb. 28, Cooper reset the national indoor high school record in the 300 when her time of 36.3 seconds at the Circuit in Philadelphia eclipsed Shawnti Jackson’s mark of 36.63. Cooper ran the second-fastest indoor high school time in the 200 when she clocked a 22.64-second effort at the New Balance Nationals Indoor in Boston on March 16.

And Cooper shattered the 400 record at the All American Track Classic in Columbia, South Carolina, on April 12 with a time of 52.33 seconds that cleared the previous meet mark of 53.71 seconds.

Julie Sommer, a Seattle-based attorney and former All-American swimmer at the University of Texas who has advocated for student-athlete rights, said Cooper’s agreement with Puma is a momentous development in the NIL landscape.

“It’s a significant moment for high school athletics when you see a local track star recognized in this way by a major brand like Puma,” she said. “I think that speaks volumes of the athlete’s potential and the evolving landscape of Name, Image and Likeness opportunities for young athletes. And I think it’s really fantastic to see Puma taking this step as a major brand investing in young talent, even at the high school level. It provides valuable resources and support for the young athlete’s development, and it serves as inspiration for other young, inspiring athletes in her community and all around the country.”

Cooper said Puma reached out in the fall, and the two sides began discussions. At midnight on Feb. 7 when she turned 18, Cooper signed with Puma, calling it the best birthday gift she could have received.

Danielle “Danni” Cooper, Elise’s mother, said Nike and New Balance offered what she described as “mini” NIL deals where the companies paid for travel and lodging for athletes to attend and compete in their specifically branded meets.

“Those were options for her over the past couple of years,” Cooper said. “But we figured we would wait. We together thought, ‘Let’s wait for something that’s more substantial, something bigger. There’s no rush to jump into those.’”

After visiting Puma’s U.S. headquarters in Boston, Elise Cooper said she felt comfortable with her decision.

“I really like their values of individuality and performance,” she said. “That really resonated with me. I also feel like as I interacted with the brand, they saw me as more than a track athlete. They saw me as an individual with personality and other aspects of myself that aren’t strictly with track. And I actually enjoy the products and the gear, and I’m actually excited to be able to rep it.”

Puma took its time before pursuing Cooper, according to van der Veen.

“There were some other brands that went really early on into NIL high school deals, but for us, we didn’t really jump in right away,” she said. “We really wanted to wait for that special person and for the time to be right, and we were very excited to have her.”

While the number of college athletes with NIL deals continues to dwarf the number of sponsored high school athletes, Sommer, the attorney, said athletes on both levels face potential pitfalls.

“They need great advice, legal advice so that they’re not signing away their NIL in perpetuity or that it prevents them from engaging in deals beyond high school and making sure that it doesn’t conflict with NCAA rules if they want to compete at that level,” she said. “They’re going to want to make sure that they cross their T’s and dot their I’s in protecting their rights going forward.”

Cooper said she is proud to represent Baltimore and wants to open the door for other area athletes. To that end, she disputed the notion that the contract with Puma will leave her feeling complacent.

“I feel like there’s always something that will keep me going,” she said. “There’s always a new goal. I never feel like I’m finished. Just keep moving.”

When Cooper leaves for Texas in the fall, she will go alone. Her twin sister Elena will go to Stanford, and older sister Ella will be a sophomore at Harvard.

As eager as Cooper is to blaze her own path, van der Veen said Puma is equally confident that it chose the right ambassador.

“She has it all together,” she said. “It’s not just that she’s running fast times in track. She carries herself really well. She has a lot of talent. … She is — in our eyes — the total package.”

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