UC Davis Track and Cross Country Announce Recruiting Class

Twelve outstanding student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent with UC Davis


July 12, 2010


DAVIS, Calif. -- Twelve outstanding student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent with UC Davis and will join the UC Davis track and field and/or cross country programs, it was announced by Byron Talley, Interim Director of Track and Field and Cross Country.

Joining the Aggie men's track and field team will be Corey Coates from Davis High School, Brandon Greenberg of Crespi High School in Encino, Kevin Griffith of San Ramon Valley High School, Marcus Johnson of Junipero Serra High School in Gardena, Karl Moran of Burroughs High School in Ridgecrest, Maurice Spikes, Jr., from St. Mary's High School in Berkeley, Nathan Strum from Pioneer High School in San Jose, and Hosea Tate III from Mount Miguel High School in Spring Valley.

The Aggie women's team will see the addition of Alycia Cridebring of College Park High School in Pleasant Hill, Courtney Crosta of Woodcreek High School in Roseville, Shannon Harcus from Placer High School, and Hayley Scott of Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills.

Coates, Griffith, Harcus, Strum, Cridebring, Crosta and Scott will also join the Aggie cross country squads.

The new Aggies will join a cross country program that earned second-place on the women's side at the 2009 Big West Championship while the men were third. The track programs - which combined to send 16 athletes to this year's NCAA West Regional - were third and fifth, respectively, in the men's and women's conference standings.

"The staff is excited to begin working with these incoming Aggies," said Talley of the signees. "This is a class of recruits who are developed well enough to immediately make an impact in the Big West."

Following are brief profiles of each of the signees.

MEN
COREY COATES (6-2, Davis, Calif./Davis HS)
Helped lead Davis High School to first-place finishes in the Delta Valley Conference in 2007, 2008 and 2009 as well as CIF-Sac-Joaquin Section Championships each year... The Blue Devils placed fourth at the state championships his senior season... Posted time of 15:55, while placing 41st at state meet... Named all-league for both track and cross country each of his three seasons at Davis HS... Section champion in 2008 in both the mile and 800... Had a 2009 season-best time of 1:55.77 in the 800 and 4:23 in the mile.... Also went 4:18.65 in 1,600 at 2009 Sacramento Meet of Champions... Placed third in 1,500 at AAU Junior Olympics.

BRANDON GREENBERG (6-3, Reseda, Calif./Crespi HS)
Participated in track and field for four seasons as well as football at Crespi High School... Had a 2010 season-best effort of 61-4.50 in the shot put, posting the mark in winning the CIF-Southern Section Divisional Finals on May 22... Went on to finish 12th at the state meet... Went 57-10.75 at the 2009 section masters meet for his best mark as a junior... Won section title last year and was named winner of team's most improved award... Member of football squad that was section runner-up his sophomore season... Member of student government at Crespi High School... Scholar-Athlete for football.

KEVIN GRIFFITH (6-1, Danville, Calif./San Ramon Valley HS)
Lettered four years in both track and field and soccer and was varsity letterwinner once in cross country... Finished third at CIF-North Coast Section Div. I Cross Country Championships and was named to All-East Bay Athletic League and All-North Coast Section first teams... Three-time league champion and 2010 section champion in the 800... Was section runner-up in 2008 and 2009 in the 800... Named to 2010 All-EBAL track squad... League champion in 1600 with a time of 4:15.5... Member of 1600m relay team that won section championship and placed sixth at 2010 state meet... Named team's most valuable all-around runner... Was named All-EBAL this year... Two-time all-league soccer player... Helped lead SRHS cross country squad to league and section titles in 2009 as well as top-10 finish at state meet... Had season-best time of 1:51.3 in 800 this spring, finishing fifth at the state meet... Went 1:53.85 in state meet prelims last year... Serves as an Eagle Scout.


MARCUS JOHNSON (5-10, Los Angeles, Calif./Junipero Serra HS)
Two-year member of track and field and football teams at Serra High School after transferring from Daniel Murphy High School... Two-time All-Santa Fe League member while at Daniel Murphy and a first-team winner for Del Rey League last season... Had 2010-best marks of 10.99 in 100 and wind-aided 21.84 in 200... Was fourth at the CIF-SS Divisional Meet.... Ran 10.83 in the 100 as a junior... Named MVP twice while at his previous school... Has been member of three league championship track teams and two in football... Football squad at Serra went 28-1 his two seasons including 15-0 mark and state title in 2009... Was running back and defensive back.

KARL MORAN (Ridgecrest, Calif./Burroughs HS)
Standout hurdler for Burroughs High School in both 2009 and 2010... Posted wind-aided 14.74 in 110HH at the CIF-Southern Section Division III Prelims on May 15 and has career-best 14.38 wind-aided mark from the section finals last year... Finished second at the section finals in 2009, advancing to the master's meet where he took sixth... Earned third place at this year's section finals in 300H with time of 38.58 seconds... Went a then career-best 39.21 and took 10th at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational... Also ran on sprint medley and distance medley teams.

MAURICE SPIKES, JR. (5-11, Berkeley, Calif./St. Mary's HS)
Member of both basketball team and track and field squad at Berkeley High School... Named All-East Bay Athletic League , All-North Coast Section and MVP in 2009... Named to all-league track team this spring and was league's Athlete of the Year... Three times went at least 6-7 in high jump this season, including career-best mark of 6-9 to finish third at the California State Meet... Member of basketball team that finished section at state championships this past winter and had 26-10 record.

NATHAN STRUM (5-11, San Jose, Calif./Pioneer HS)
Three-year member of both cross country and track and field teams at Pioneer High School... Captured CIF-Central Coast Section title in 800 in 2009 with season-best time of 1:54.84... Won the 800 (1:53.00) at section finals, lowered time to 1:51.62 and was second at state prelims, and then capped season with career-best 1:50.43 and third-place finish in the state finals... Also ran at state meet as a junior... Has also run 4:14.98 in the 1,600 and 4:15.28 in the mile, the latter coming at the Stanford Invitational in March... Ran 15:46 for a 17th-place finish at the CIF State High School Division III Cross Country Championships last fall... Finished fourth in the 800 at the New Balance Nationals in mid-June in 1:50.45... National Honor Society member (2010).

HOSEA TATE III (5-8, San Diego, Calif./Mount Miguel HS)
Four-time letterwinner in track and field at Mount Miguel High School and two-time letterwinner in football... Has gone 49.86 seconds in 400 at indoor state meet qualifier this year... Last year, had season-best marks of 48.27 in the 400, finishing second at the section meet, 10.95 in the 100, and 21.34 in the 200... Finished first at the section meet in the 200 and 13th at the state meet... Was section-runner-up in the 400 and 15th in the state... All-Grossmont Conference honoree... 2007 team MVP and 2008 team Co-MVP... Union-Tribune All-Academic...Also lettered in football... Volunteer for both Poinsettia and Holiday Bowl football games.

WOMEN
ALYCIA CRIDEBRING (5-5, Pleasant Hill, Calif./College Park HS)
Multi-sport athlete at College Park HS, participating in cross country and track as well as soccer... Twice qualified for state meet in track and field, including this spring when she advanced to the 1,600 finals, finishing ninth in 5:02.38... Has a PR of 4:56.90 in the 1,600 from the NCS Meet of Champions.... Named her team's MVP as well as league MVP... Finished in 18:28 for 26th in 5,000-meter Div. II race at CIF State Cross Country Championships... Helped lead College Park HS to two cross country league titles and another in track... Maintained at least a 4.0 GPA throughout high school.

COURTNEY CROSTA (5-4, Roseville, Calif./Woodcreek HS)
Member of both cross country and track and field teams at Woodcreek High School... All-Sierra Foothill League second-team selection in cross country last season... Also named All-NorCal, finished 19th in 18:23 at the Div. II state meet, was team captain and the team's Runner of the Year... League runner-up in cross country in 2007 and second-team all-section... Finished sixth in 3,200 in 11:14.30 at Sac-Joaquin Master's Finals on May 28... League champion and state meet qualifier in 3,200 last track season... Qualified for masters meet in both the 1,600 and 3,200 in 2007... Has career-best time of 5:12.87 in the 1,600... Mountain bike state champion... CSF Vice-President (2007).

SHANNON HARCUS (Auburn, Placer HS)
Has enjoyed standout track career at Placer High School, winning the CIF-Sac-Joaquin section title this year in the 3,200 after capturing the Pioneer League title... Was second in the section meet in the 1,600 in 5:12.14 but has gone as fast as 5:09.10 this year... Ran a career-best 10:58.05 in the 3,200 at the Arcadia Invitational earlier this spring... Has career-best mark of in 1,500 of 4:52.48... Captured first place at the league meet in the 1,600... Earned runner-up finish at the section meet during the 2009 cross country season then posted career-best time of 18:25 while finishing 12th at the state meet.

HAYLEY SCOTT (5-7, El Dorado Hills, Calif./Oak Ridge HS)
Three-sport athlete at Oak Ridge High School in cross country, track and field and basketball, earning a combined eight varsity letters... Two-time CIF-Sac-Joaquin section champion in the 1,600 and also 2008 titlist in the 800... Has run 2:15.36 in 800, 4:59.37 in 1,600 and 10:54.49 in 3,200 this season... Team MVP, All-Metro selection and All-Sierra Valley Conference honoree in 2008 and 2009... Ran 2:15.36 in 800 at Sacramento Meet of Champions... Has 3,200-meter time of 10:54.49 this spring... Has also run 400, 1,600, 3,000, 4x400 and 4x800 this season.... 2009 section cross country champion while earning all-league, All-Metro and team MVP accolades.... Finished 23rd at state championship last fall... Had career-best 5K time of 18:19 at the Clovis Invitational... Helped lead Oak Ridge to four combined section championships... National Honor Society member.