Cal's Recruit Class

Courtesy Cal
http://www.calbears.com/sports/c-otrack/spec-rel/081511aaa.html



Track & Field Adds Talented Recruit Class

Aug. 15, 2011



BERKELEY - California track & field welcomes a 31-member recruiting class to campus this fall, a group that features a number of state high school meet finalists, including four champions, plus last year's state junior college winner in the discus.



Although haul is heavy in middle and long distance runners, with 19 runners specializing the 800 meters and higher, Director of Track & Field Tony Sandoval and his staff brought in a class proficient in a wide array of events.



Leading the crowd of freshmen is Jantzen Oshier of Trabuco Hills HS in Mission Viejo, Calif., who was named to the USA Today All-America team after capturing the California title in the 1600 meters with a national-best time of 4:00.83. He was also a two-time top-10 finisher at the state cross country meet and placed 22nd at Foot Locker Nationals.



Chris Walden, who hails from Carmel, Ind., ranked among the top 10 in the country and was the Indiana runner-up in both the 1600 (4:08.26) and 3200 (8:51.59) his senior year. He claimed the state crown in the 1600 as a junior. During this past cross country season, he placed fifth at the Foot Locker meet.



Among the new Golden Bear women, Grace Beaudoin from Kernville, Texas, won the Texas 2A crown in the high jump after clearing 5-8, while Carisma Lyday from Lakewood, Calif., was a member of the Long Beach Poly HS foursome that took the California title in the 4x100 relay.



In the field events, Derek White captured the 2011 California JC championship in the discus while competing for De Anza College. A graduate of San Jose's Oak Grove HS, he owns a PR of 178-0 in the discus and 176-0 in the hammer.



Mackenzi Landry out of Newcastle, Calif., and Del Oro HS has cleared 13-1 in the pole vault, a mark that ranked No. 2 in the state and No. 6 in the country during her junior season in 2010. She is the younger sister of former Cal pole vaulter Connor Landry.



Another signee with family ties to the Bears is Rebecka Oberg, sister of junior Sofia Oberg. Rebecka was a medalist at the national Swedish cross country team and owns a PR of 4:41.50 in the 1600 meters.



Others to watch include Bryan Jordan (Reno, Nev./Galena HS), who was second at the Nevada state meet in both the 1600 and 3200; Chris Kigar (Sacramento, Calif./El Camino HS), who took sixth at the California cross country championships and was 38th at Foot Locker Nationals; Kat Delany (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Junipero Serra HS), whose PR of 4:42.95 ranked sixth nationally last year; and Dynasty Gammage (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach Poly HS), who ran the No. 3 time in the state and No. 12 time in the country when she finished the 800 meters in 2:08.72.



A complete rundown of Cal's incoming recruiting class can be found below:



California's 2011-12 Track & Field/Cross Country Recruiting Class



Men

Evan Barr

Whittier, Calif. / Loyola HS

Posted a PR of 16-2 as a senior, which ranked third in the state and 29th nationally among high school pole vaulters ... pole vault champion at the Mt. Carmel Invitational, the California Relays and Nike Nationals ... the state runner-up as a junior in 2010 with a clearance of 15-9 ...cleared 16-0 for the first time to win the '10 Mission League title ... took third in the pole vault in the invitational high school division at the Mt. SAC Relays.



Jonathan Berry-Smith

Cypress, Calif. / Oxnard Academy

A 200-400 specialist in high school ... best marks were 21.89 in the 200 meters as a junior and 47.92 in the 400 as a senior ... seventh in the state meet in the 400 as a junior with a time of 48.65 ... the Orange County champion in the 200 his sophomore year (22.24).



Michael Bullard

Rocklin, Calif. / Rocklin HS

Helped his high school team qualify for the state meet in the 4x100-meter relay ... also ran 10.88 in the 100 in the preliminary round but did not advance to the final ... owns a best of 10.79 in the 100 ... took third in the Sac Joaquin Masters meet.



Anthony Castro

Glendora, Calif. / Glendora HS

Ranked 21st in the state in the 1600 meters with a best of 4:13.77 set at the Mt. SAC Relays ... fourth in both the 800 and 1600 at the San Gabriel Valley championships... best time in the 800 is 1:55.51 run as a junior ... ran 9:18.99 for 3200 meters at the Azusa Distance Meet of Champions and 9:21.09 at Arcadia Invitational ... voted team MVP as a junior and senior ... also a two-time cross country team MVP ... Southern Section Division II cross country runner-up his senior year ... placed 14th at the state Division II meet in 2010.



Isaac Dan

Downey, Calif. / Downey HS

Named third-team all-state in the discus ... PR effort is 171-2 ... also played football at Downey HS.



Jonte Grant

Hayward, Calif. / Hayward HS

CIF state meet qualifier in three events - long jump, triple jump and high jump - and took ninth in the triple jump with a mark of 44-3.75 ... did not record a height in the high jump and was 21st in the long jump prelims (20-11.50) ... PR in the triple jump is 48-11.25, while he as a best of 24-6 in the long jump and 6-8 in the high jump ... the Bay Shore champion in all three events as a senior ... also won the Bay Shore title in the long jump his junior year.



Colin Holtson

Indianapolis, Ind. / Ben Davis HS

Ranked third in the state of Indiana in the 800 meters with a PR time of 1:53.62 ... time came during a victory at the Nike Track Nationals ... placed fifth in the state meet in 1:54.25 ... claimed the Southport Sectional crown in the 800.



Dylan Isaacson

Philadelphia, Pa. / Columbia / William Penn Charter School

A transfer from Columbia who has senior eligibility and will compete as a graduate student for the Bears this year ... earned bachelor's his degree in neuroscience ... a two-time All-Ivy League selection and twice named Academic All-Ivy League ... part of a school-record foursome in the 4x800-meter relay ... owns a PR of 1:50.71 in the 800 meters set in 2011 ... attended William Penn Charter School, where he won team MVP honors in track & field.



Bryan Jordan

Reno, Nev. / Galena HS

Finished second in the state in the 1600 (4:11.34) and 3200 (9:21.17) meters as a senior ... as a junior, took second in the Northern Regional final in the 1600 (4:20.45).



Chris Kigar

Sacramento, Calif. / El Camino HS

Placed sixth in the California state cross country meet among Division II schools ... finished 38th at Foot Locker Nationals ... won the Oak Ridge Trojan Invitational ... on the track, took 10th in the 3200 meters at the state meet with a time of 8:59.22 ... mark was a PR and ranked 12th in California ... also has a best of 1:58.40 in the 800 and 4:15.68 in the 1600 ... fifth in the state cross country meet his junior year.



Jason McGhee

Atherton, Calif. / Menlo-Atherton HS

MVP of his high school team ... set a school record in the 800 meters (1:52.73) at the Junior Olympics Area 17 meet ... placed first in the 800 at the Sacramento Meet of Champions (1:53.70) ... eighth at the state championships (1:54.06) ... won the league title in the 800 ... also played football and lacrosse in high school.



Trent Newquist

Encinitas, Calif. / Torrey Pines HS

Claimed the Palomar League title in the 800 meters in 1:53.05 ... qualified for the state meet ... finished third in the San Diego Section final in 1:54.29 ... placed ninth in the prelims at the state meet as a junior in 1:55.85 and had a season-best that year with a time of 1:54.29 ... also ran cross country in high school.



Jantzen Oshier

Mission Viejo, Calif. / Trabuco Hills HS

Named to the USA Today All-USA boys' track & field team ... captured the state title in the 1600 meters with a national-leading time of 4:00.83 ... also won the Orange County and Southern Section crowns in the event ... clocked in 4:07.52 in the mile during a victory at the New Balance Indoor Nationals ... finished seventh in the 2010 California state cross country meet, covering 5000 meters in 15:02.00 ... placed 22nd at Foot Locker Nationals ... as a junior, took seventh at the state cross country championships ... also owns PR marks of 1:51.29 in the 800 meters and 48.1 in the 400.



Sullivan Parker

Lake Forest, Calif. / El Toro HS

Sixth in the state meet in the shot put with a mark of 57-9.25 ... set a PR of 58-11.75 at the Irvine Invitational, a mark that ranked 11th among California preps ... top discus throw his senior year was 173-4 ... as a junior, recorded bests of 52-7 in the shot put and 173-10 in the discus.



Andrew Ramay

Bakersfield, Calif. / Liberty HS

Captured the Sanger Easter Classic with a PR of 16-0.25 as a senior ... height ranked sixth in the state ... the CIF Central Section runner-up ... a state meet qualifier in the pole vault ... took second at the state indoor meet (15-1) ... top mark as a junior was 15-7.



Kamron Shahbahrami

Irvine, Calif. / Irvine HS

PR in the 100 meters is a wind-aided 10.76, while his best legal mark is 10:82 from the Orange County Championships where he took second ... a Southern Section finalist in the 100 and 200 ... top 200 time is 22.26.



Chris Walden

Carmel, Ind. / Carmel HS

Ranked among the top 10 in the United States in both the 1600 and 3200 meters his senior year ... 10th in the country in the 1600 (4:08.26) and sixth in the 3200 (8:51.59) ... 3200 time was also No. 1 in Indiana ... second in the Indiana state meet in both the 1600 (4:08.52) and 3200 (9:02.83) ... also an outstanding cross country runner, who was fifth at Foot Locker Nationals, fourth at the state championships and the sectional winner in 2010 ... as a junior, was the top-rated 1500, 1600, 3000, 3200 and two-mile runner in Indiana ... captured the state title in the 1600 (4:10.70) ... second at the Indiana state meet and 11th at Foot Locker Nationals in cross country in the fall of '09.



Derek White

San Jose, Calif. / De Anza College

Captured the California JC title in the discus, becoming just the third De Anza College male to claim a state crown ... also placed seventh in the hammer to earn all-state honors ... took second and third, respectively, in the hammer and discus at the Northern California Championships ... also won both events at the Coast Conference meet ... best marks are 178-0 in the discus and 176-0 in the hammer ... discus mark is a De Anza record, while the hammer distance rates No. 2 in school history ... as a high schooler at San Jose's Oak Grove HS, had a best of 173-1 in the discus ... also won the BVAL and Central Coast Section crowns.



Women

Grace Beaudoin

Kernville, Texas / Ingram Tom Moore HS

The Texas state class 2A champion in the high jump with a PR-tying mark of 5-8 ... also cleared 5-8 to win the Moore HS Relays ... captured the district title with a height of 5-6 ... as a junior, placed second in the state 3A meet and won the district crown with a then-PR of 5-7.25.



Katherine (Kat) Delaney

San Juan Capistrano, Calif. / Junipero Serra HS

Fourth in the 1600 meters at the state meet in 4:47.20 ... PR of 4:42.95 ranked third in California and sixth in the United States last year ... won both the Orange County and Trinity League crowns ... also captured the league title in the 800 with a time of 2:13.88 ... own a best of 2:10.76 in the event (#11 in California) set at the Trabuco Hills/Asics Invitationals in 2011... took second in the state Division IV cross country meet and was second at the Orange County championships.



Dynasty Gammage

Long Beach, Calif. / Long Beach Poly HS

Ran the No. 3 time in California and No. 12 mark in the U.S. in the 800 meters when she crossed the line in 2:08.72 at the Arcadia Invitational ... took sixth in the state meet in the 800 in 2:09.70 ... also the Southern Section champion in the event ... set a personal best in the 1600 meters as a sophomore, running 4:57.03 ... a qualifier to the 2009 (24th in Division I) and 2010 state cross country championships ... the first female for Long Beach Poly ever to qualify to the state meet ... won the Moore League title ... as a junior, placed third in the state in the 800 in 2:11.44 and posted a season-best mark of 2:10.80 ... 24th in the state cross country race.



Sydney Gray

Beverly Hills, Calif. / Beverly Hills HS

Placed fourth in the state meet in the 800 meters in 2:09.15 ... time ranked No. 5 in California and No. 19 in the country ... also won the Ocean League and Southern Section crowns ... timed in 5:00.45 in the mile.



Mackenzi Landry

Newcastle, Calif. / Del Oro HS

Owns a PR of 13-1 in the pole vault, a mark she set as a junior ... clearance ranked No. 2 in California and No. 6 in the U.S. for 2010 ... finished 10th at the state meet that season ... won five meets her junior year, including the Sacramento Meet of Champions and the Stanford Invitational ... during her senior year, took ninth in the pole vault at the state championships ... best mark of 12-3, which she set during her victory at the league meet ... younger sister of former Cal pole vaulter Connor Landry (2010-11).



Carisma Lyday

Lakewood, Calif. / Long Beach Poly HS

Sprints, 11.75 100m Owns a PR of 11.75 in the 100 meters ... as a senior, led off her school's 4x100-meter relay that captured the state title in 45.70 ... a two-time Moore League champion ... best time in the 200 was 24.80 ... was fourth at the Brooks Indoor Invitational in February with a time of 7.67 in the 60 meters.



Laura O'Neill

Redondo Beach, Calif. / Redondo Beach HS

Placed 43rd at the state cross country meet in the fall of 2010 ... runner-up in the 3200 meters at the Bay League meet with a PR of 10:53.16 ... took 18th in the state Division II cross country championships as a junior.



Rebecka Oberg

Lidingö, Sweden/Enskilda Gymnasiet

Younger sister of Cal junior Sofia Oberg ... captured a gold medal at the Swedish National Relay Championships (3x1500m) ... has also medaled at the national Swedish cross country meet ... set a PR of 4:41.50 in the 1600 at Swedish Nationals in August 2011.



Samantha (Sam) Ralstin

El Dorado Hills, Calif. / Oak Ridge HS

Owns a PR of 2:11.97 in the 800 meters ... qualified for the state meet in the 800 her junior and senior years ... league champion in the 800 and also claimed victories at the Halden Invitational and the Wood Wilson Invitational in 2011 ... placed 23rd in the state Division I cross country meet as a senior ... claimed her first league crown in the 800 as a junior ... took 42nd at the state cross country meet.



Kelsey Santisteban

Castro Valley, Calif. / Castro Valley HS

Qualified for the state meet in the 3200 meters ... owns a PR of 4:53.75 in the 1600 and 10:35.55 in the 3200 ... runner-up in both events at the NCS Meet of Champions ... placed fifth at the state Division I cross country meet (17:29 for 5,000 meters) and won both the Stanford Invitational and North Coast Section meet ... as a junior, took 30th at the state cross country championships after claiming her first Stanford Invite crown.



Arielle Stevenson

Long Beach, Calif. / Long Beach Poly HS

Ranked eighth in California and 29th in the country with a PR effort of 2:10.08 in the 800 meters ... finished eighth in the 800 at the state meet in 2:10.58 ... the Southern Section runner-up ... best time as a junior was 2:10.27, which came during a fourth-place showing at the state championships ... ran a PR 56.32 in the 400 at the Mt. SAC Relays ... also owns a PR of 5:09.12 in the 1600 from the Trabuco Hills/Asics Invitational.



Gia Trevisan

Santa Ana, Calif. / Mater Dei HS

Helped her team reach the state meet in the 4x400-meter relay ... owns PRs of 11.91 in the 100 meters and 24.33 in the 200 meters ... at the Southern Section championships, captured the 200 and was runner-up in the 100 ... also claimed the Orange County title in the 100 (12.28) ... a two-time Trinity League victor in the 100 and three-time winner in the 200.



Christine Zavesky

Granite Bay, Calif. / Granite Bay HS

A state meet qualifier in the 800 meters her senior year with a PR of 2:13.11 ... placed 55th at the state Division I cross country championships ... as a junior, top 800 time was 2:15.54 ... captured the Sierra Foothills Conference 800 title ... ran the 1600 in 4:58.56 at the 2010 Sacramento Meet of Champions.