Cal Track & Field Recruiting Class Ranked 5th Nationally

Group of Impressive Newcomers Set to Make Debut Next Month


Director of Track & Field Tony Sandoval and his staff signed an outstanding recruiting class for 2013.

Dec. 7, 2012


BERKELEY - Cal's current class of women's track & field newcomers, which includes an American junior record-holder in the hammer, a national leader in the shot put and a two-time state JC champion in the triple jump, has been ranked as fifth best in the country by Track & Field News.

Leading the group is Shelby Ashe of Stone Mountain, Ga., a two-time Georgia state champion in the shot put who set an American junior record in the hammer (223-6) when she captured the USA Junior title this past June. Ashe later placed 10th in the event at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Barcelona over the summer.

Fellow Georgian Victoria Owers, who hails from Athens, led the country with an effort of 52-6 in the shot put. A three-time state Class A champion in the shot put and a two time winner in the discus, she was a member of the USA Today All-USA track & field team.

Rukayah Bent-Mikail won a pair of state JC triple jump titles for El Camino College and owns a best of 40-5 in the event. She also won the CIF Division IV state crown in the triple jump as a high school junior in 2009 for St. Mary's Academy.

Another transfer, Anna Corrigan joins the Bears from Virginia as senior this year. She placed second at the ACC Indoor Championships in the 5000 meters (16:25.81) and was a third-team CoSIDA Academic All-American for the Cavaliers.

Other members of the class include Xochi Navarrete, the state high school runner-up in the 3200 meters (10:25.85) and Victoria Rische, who placed third in California in the pole vault (12-4.00) and had a best of 13-0.25.



Cal opens is 2013 season Jan 18 at the Cherry & Silver Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M.
Track & Field News Women's Recruiting Rankings
1. Texas A&M
2. Stanford
3. Florida
4. Georgia
5. California
6. Kansas State
7. Florida State
8. North Carolina
9. Wake Forest
10. BYU

Courtesy Cal