Track & Field Adds Massive Recruiting Class for 2023 Season
BERKELEY – California track & field has announced the addition of almost 40 phenomenal new athletes to the team, looking to build upon the historic 2022 season that went down as arguably the best in the history of the program.
"I'm really excited about the class that we have coming in," Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Robyne Johnson said. "They'll make an immediate impact in the Pac-12, as well as regionally and nationally. We have a very strong team this year, and I'm looking forward to big things."
Last year, the Bears finished in a tie for 18th (men) and a tie for 21st (women) nationally after sending 13 qualifiers to the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Six of them ended the year with All-American honors, including four First Team members and a national championship (Camryn Rogers, hammer throw). Both Rogers and shot putter Josh Johnson also qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships, where they each earned indoor All-American status.
Here are the incoming athletes that will compete for the Bears in the 2022-23 cross country and track & field seasons:
Sprints/Hurdles/Relays
"What I want to establish with this group is continued success from our great season last year," said assistant coach Ronnye Harrison, who leads the sprints, hurdles and relays group. "I wanted to bring in people who could either maintain the standard that we've set or be complete game-changers. This is a driven group that is excited to get to work."
Jayden Hill – San Juan Capistrano, CA/San Juan Hills
A multi-sport athlete from San Jan Hills, Hill reached the 2022 California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) South Section (SS) Finals in the 400m dash after finishing second at that year's Sea View League Finals. In that same season, she also earned Sea View League runner-up status in the 200m dash, the 4x100m relay and the 4x400m relay.
Madison Jeffries – Frisco, TX/Reedy
A rising star from Texas, Jeffries was one of the top sprinters in the University Interscholastic League (UIL) throughout her high school career. She reached the 5A State Championships in multiple years, with her standout campaign occurring in 2021 as she appeared in both the 100m and 200m finals, taking third place in the latter. Jeffries also reached the State Championships in her previous year as a sophomore, finishing fourth in the 200m dash.
Grace Lanouette – Devon, PA/Conestoga/Princeton
A transfer from Princeton, Lanouette is the reigning Ivy League champion in both the 100m dash and the 4x100m relay after previously earning an Ivy League runner-up title in the indoor 60m. She owns four times on Princeton's all-time Top-5 lists and an additional Top-10 time, including a school record in the outdoor 4x100m relay.
Makhaila Mills – Jacksonville, FL/Creekside/USC
A transfer from USC, Mills' collegiate 60m personal best of 7.51 (set at the Red Raider Open on Jan. 21, 2022) would put her at a tie for sixth in Cal history. As a Creekside High School track star, she was the 2019 Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 4A State champion in the 100m and State runner-up in the 200m. She followed her standout sophomore season with an undefeated 2020 campaign before the season's shutdown, then posted another podium finish at the 2021 State Championships after finishing third with her 4x100m relay squad.
Saqqara Ruffin – El Cerrito, CA/El Cerrito
Ruffin excelled in the 100m hurdles at El Cerrito High School, finishing second in the CIF-North Coast Section (NCS) Meet of Champions in the event after taking second place at the Bayshore Area Championships and first place at the Tri City Athletic League (TCAL) Championships. At the latter, she also earned a league title in the 4x100m relay.
Gavin Schurr – Boulder, CO/Fairview/USC
Another transfer from USC, Schurr recently finished third in the 200m and fifth in the 100m at the 2022 USA Track & Field (USATF) U20 Outdoor Championships. During his freshman year, he ran a collegiate personal best of 10.47 in the Beach Opener (Mar. 5), which would put him at just 0.01 seconds away from cracking Cal's all-time Top 10 list. Schurr competed in the 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials prior to attending USC, as well as posting the fourth-fastest 200m time in U.S. high school history. That year, he was ranked as the nation's No. 3 outdoor 200m runner, No. 6 100m runner and No. 3 60m runner at the high school level.
Christian Trapps – Pittsburg, CA/Pittsburg HS/Merritt
A transfer from Merritt Community College, Trapps joined new teammate Schurr in the 100m dash at the 2022 USATF U20 Outdoor Championships. His collegiate 100m best of 10.43, set at the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Championships earlier this year, would sit at seventh on Cal's all-time list; he also excels in the 200m dash, winning the Big 8 Conference title in April. As a high school senior in 2021, Trapps won the Blossom Valley Athletic League (BVAL) 100m, 200m and 4x100m championships before taking home the 100m crown at the prestigious Golden West Invitational.
Zanae Woods – Calabasas, CA/Calabasas
Track fans know that running as part of a relay squad is no easy feat, and the addition of Woods provides valuable depth to the Bears' relay options. In 2022, Woods reached great heights in both the 4x100m and 4x400m relays, making the CIF State Finals in the latter and outright winning the CIF-SS Division 3 Finals in the former, following a second-place 4x100m finish in the CIF-SS Division 2 Finals a year earlier. Woods is also no slouch running independently, having placed second in the 100m at the 2022 CIF-SS Finals after a stellar 2021 100m campaign that saw her take third at the CIF-SS Finals, first at the Ventura County Championships and second in both the 100m and 200m at the famous Arcadia Invitational.
Distance
Emilie Barrett – Los Angeles, CA/Palos Verdes
Barrett participated in both cross country and track & field in her high school years, spending her senior year competing for Palos Verdes High School after three years at Notre Dame Academy. In the 2021-22 season, she took 12th place out of 116 competitors at the CIF-SS Division 3 Cross Country Finals, later finishing in the top fourth of the field at State. She also finished in the top fourth of the CIF-SS Division 4 Cross Country Finals in 2020.
Dylan Bissell – Los Angeles, CA/Loyola
A competitor in both cross country and track & field, Bissell made his mark in the Mission League, finishing third in the 1600m and fifth in the 3200m in the 2022 League Championships after appearing in the Arcadia Invitational distance medley relay and 4x1600m relay competitions. The 2021 cross country season saw him reach the CIF State Championships, where he finished in the top fifth of the field after a top-fifth appearance at the CIF-SS Division 1 Finals.
Ellie Black – Piedmont, CA/Piedmont
A frequent CIF State Championships competitor, Black most recently appeared in the 2022 iteration of the CIF Track & Field State Championships in the 3200m after finishing third at the CIF-NCS Meet of Champions. She placed 17th out of 204 competitors at the 2021 CIF State Cross Country Championships after a 4th-place finish at the CIF-NCS Finals, improving upon a 2020 cross country campaign in which she earned the West Alameda County title.
Caden Carney – Mill Valley, CA/Tamalpais
Carney, who ran both track and cross country at Tamalpais, is the reigning Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) 1600m champion after a stellar cross country season in which he earned a CIF State title, North Coast Section title and MCAL title. He is also the reigning MCAL champion in the 1600m run and the 3200m run.
Lina Dawson – Sebastopol, CA/Analy
Dawson competed in both track and cross country at Analy, most recently competing in the 800m CIF State finals after taking second at the 2022 CIF-NCS Finals. She also finished in the top fourth in her field at the CIF-NCS Division 3 Cross Country Finals in 2022 after taking 15th out of 130 competitors in the previous season's Division 4 NCS Finals.
Rowan FitzGerald – La Crescenta, CA/Crescenta Valley
As a competitor in both track and cross country at Crescenta Valley, FitzGerald put together an impressive senior season in each. The 2022 CIF-SS 1600m runner-up and 800m Pacific League champion, he posted a top-fourth finish at the Division 1 State Cross Country Championships after finishing ninth out of 119 total competitors at the CIF-SS Finals.
Iyan Godwin – Oakley, CA/Freedom/Diablo Valley
A transfer from Diablo Valley College, Godwin comes to Cal off of a stellar 2022 track & field season that saw him win CCCAA championships in both the 800m and the 4x400m relay. He was also named Northern California Champion in the 800m run that year, as well as the Big 8 Champion in the 400m dash and the 4x400m relay. As a senior in high school, Godwin won the 400m race at the BVAL Championships.
Lucy Hurt – Port Washington, NY/Paul D Schrieber/Cornell
Hurt comes to Cal after four years of experience in both track and cross country at Cornell. Her career there included 15 top-5 finishes, as well as a trip to the Division I Northeast Regionals in her senior cross country season. Hurt's indoor 800m personal record of 2:13.97, set in 2022m, is just 2.44 seconds off Cal's all-time top 10 list.
Georgia McCorkle – Agoura, CA/Agoura
McCorkle put together successful senior campaigns for both track and cross country at Agoura, finishing third at the CIF State Cross Country Championships and later winning the 800m title at the Ventura County Track & Field Championships. As a junior, McCorkle took third in the 3200m run at the CIF-SS Division 1 Finals following a second-place Marmonte League finish.
Sydney Morrow – South Pasadena, CA/South Pasadena
Morrow arrives at Cal off of a cross country season that saw her finish in the top ninth of competitors at the CIF Division 4 State Championships following an eighth-place finish at the CIF-SS Finals. She was also the 2020-21 Rio Hondo League runner-up in the previous season – beating out 31 other runners – as well as a top-seventh finisher at the 2019 State Championships.
Chris Waligorski – Redondo Beach, CA/Redondo Union
Waligorski ran both cross country and track at Redondo Union, racing his way to a 1600m Bay League Championship in the 2022 season following a cross country campaign that saw him place 15th at the CIF-SS Division 1 Finals – faster than 104 other runners – and finish third at the Bay League Finals. His standout sophomore season featured a finish at the CIF State Cross Country Championships that was in the top fifth of the field after taking second at the CIF-SS Finals.
Jumps/Multi-Events
"I'm really excited about the athleticism and performance level of the incomers – I expect them to immediately make an impact," said assistant coach Dan Lefever, who leads the vertical jumps and multi-event squads. "This will be the deepest group that we've had in a while. It's a fun bunch with an exciting future."
Torre Anderson (Multis) – Pleasanton, CA/Foothill
A talented multi-event athlete, Anderson competed at the CIF State Championships in both the long jump and the 4x100m relay in 2022 after earning NCS Tri-Valley runner-up and East Bay Athletic League (EBAL) championship status in the former. The previous year, she competed in four events – the 100m, 4x100m, high jump and long jump – at the USA Track & Field (USATF) National Junior Olympic Championships following top-two Tri-Valley finishes in each.
David Brok (Pole Vault) – Los Alamitos, CA/Los Alamitos
Brok's senior season boasted six pole vault wins and an Orange County championship, coming off a season in which he was the CIF-SS Division 1 runner-up. That year, he also won the Sunset Surf League Championship for the second time, first winning the title as a freshman at Los Alamitos.
Luke Buddie (Multis) – Woodside, CA/Woodside
Buddie comes to Cal as the reigning CIF-Central Coast Section (CCS) champion in the high jump, following a championship performance in the Peninsula Athletic League (PAL). The previous year, he took third place in the event at the CCS Finals.
Kylie Hilton (Pole Vault) – Piedmont, CA/Piedmont/Harvard
A transfer from Harvard, Hilton comes to Cal with a strong pole vaulting background; her current outdoor PR of 4.05m (13-3.5) would put her in a tie for fifth on Cal's all-time list, while her indoor PR of 4.00m (13-1.5) would land her at sixth on the program's all-time list. She is the reigning New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association (NEICAAA) Pole Vault Champion.
Seth Johnson (Multis) – San Bernardino, CA/Cajon
The reigning CIF State high jump champion and Nike Indoor Nationals pentathlon champion, Johnson also earned 2021 and 2022 Citrus Belt League titles in the high jump, long jump, 300m hurdles and 110m hurdles (the first athlete to ever do so), as well as earning runner-up status at the CIF-SS Masters meet in the 4x100m relay. As a senior, he also ran on the school-record 4x100m and 4x400m relays to qualify for the CIF State Championship Meet in four events after claiming the California Winter State pentathlon title and Mt. SAC Relays high jump crown.
Mara Lampsas (Multis) – San Ramon, CA/California
Lampsas shined in the high jump at California High School, earning runner-up status at the 2022 CIF State Championships after being crowned CIF-NCS Champion as well as her second straight Tri-Valley championship. She is a talented hurdler as well, having earned Tri-Valley runner-up titles in the 2022 100m hurdles, 2021 100m hurdles and 2021 300m hurdles.
Luke Millam (Pole Vault) – Fairbanks, AK/Lathrop
A multi-sport athlete in high school who is pursuing an engineering degree at Cal, Millam arrived on campus in 2021 and redshirted for one season. Millam competed for Alaska Pole Vault Club in 2021, accumulating a win and a second-place finish.
Jono Pelusi (Multis) – Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny/Brown
A transfer from Brown, Pelusi most recently finished second in the decathlon at the 2022 Ivy League Championships. Throughout his career, he has 18 event wins and a heptathlon PR of 5017, set at the Ivy League Indoor Championships, that would rank No. 9 on Cal's all-time list. Pelusi also finished second in the heptathlon at the 2020 NEICAAA Championships.
Jason Plumb (Long Jump/Sprints) – Newport Beach, CA/Corona del Mar
The reigning CIF State Long Jump Champion, Plumb will contribute to a stellar horizontal jumps group that returns nearly everyone from the 2021 season, in addition to lending his talents to the sprints squad. Prior to his State victory, he placed third in the long jump at the 2022 California Winter State Championships, as well as second in the 2021 CIF-SS Division 3 Finals. His current long jump PR of 7.46m (24-5.75) is already less than a foot away from cracking Cal's all-time Top 10 list.
Ali Sahaida (Pole Vault) – El Dorado Hills, CA/Oak Ridge
A pole vault specialist, Sahaida finished third at the 2022 CIF State Championships after taking home the Sac-Joaquin Section (SJS) and the Sierra Foothill League (SFL) titles in the event. The latter was her second straight league title, having finished first in the SFL Championships a year prior.
Will Siemens (Pole Vault) – Davis, CA/Davis
Siemens arrives at Cal fresh off of a second-place finish in the pole vault at the 2022 Nike Outdoor Nationals and a third-place finish at the Golden West Invitational. His senior year campaign also earned him a spot at the Arcadia Invitational, where he finished fourth against many of the nation's best young vaulters.
Parker Terrill (Multis) – Piedmont, CA/Piedmont
Terrill will compete in multiple events at Cal but is strongest in the pole vault, coming off a senior campaign that saw him take fourth at the CIF State Championships and second at the North Coast Section Finals. He is the current Bayshore Area pole vault champion as well as the reigning West Alameda County Conference (WACC) pole vault and 110m hurdles champ, as well as the current WACC high jump runner-up.
Cole Whatley (Multis) – Loomis, CA/Del Oro/Texas Tech
A transfer from Texas Tech, Whatley boasts a heptathlon PR of 5164 – a total that would land him at No. 8 on Cal's all-time list. Throughout his career with the Red Raiders, he accumulated 13 top-3 finishes, his most recent being a win in the decathlon at the Jo Meaker Classic on April 8-9, 2022.
Throws
Nick Godbehere – Bakersfield, CA/Shafter HS
One of the state's best young throwing talents, Godbehere finished third in both the shot put and the discus throw at the 2022 Nike Outdoor Nationals after reaching the CIF State Finals in each. He is the reigning CIF-Central Section Masters Champion in the shot put and the discus, following up a 2021 campaign that saw him take home the Central Section shot put title.
Nik Iwankiw – South Pasadena, CA/South Pasadena HS
Another of the state's top young throwers, Iwankiw placed third in the shot put at the 2022 CIF State Championships, in addition to reaching the finals in the discus, and finished second in the shot put at the 2022 California Winter State Championships. As a junior, he reached the CIF-SS Division 3 Finals in both the shot put and the discus, earning the South Section title in the former.
Audrey Jacobs – Velden, Netherlands/Valuascollege
Fresh off a seventh-place hammer finish at the World U20 Championships, Jacobs is already an elite competitor at the international level. The globe's No. 7 junior women's hammer thrower this year earned both the overall Dutch Championship and the U20 Dutch Championship titles after a 2021 campaign that saw her win the Dutch U18 championship (hammer) and U18 runner-up (shot put) titles. Her current hammer PR of 63.52m (208-4) would put her at fifth all-time at Cal.
Tanveer Raza – Trussville, AL/Hewitt-Trussville
Raza, a talented young thrower from Alabama, owns the Hewitt-Trussville school record in the 12-pound shot put and is the reigning Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) Class 7A indoor and outdoor champion in the event. He has earned All-State status in both the shot put and discus for two straight years, also winning the 2021 AHSAA Class 7A Section 3 championship in each and finishing as the shot put runner-up in both the indoor and outdoor State Championships that year.
Kegan Schroeter – Narragansett, RI/Narragansett/Brown
A transfer from Brown, Schroeter will look to take his string of successes to the next level as part of Cal's throws program. His hammer PR of 68.79m (225-8) ranks third all-time at Brown and would also rank third all-time at Cal, while his weight throw PR of 20.22m (66-4.25) would set a new program record for the Golden Bears. Schroeter is the reigning Ivy League Champion in the weight throw and reached the Division I East Region Preliminary in each of the past two years.
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