Pride track and field brings in Johnson's largest Signing Class for 2022-23 season
DUBUQUE, Iowa - Entering their 2022-23 season, Clarke University track and field head coach Bradley Johnson are excited to announce a signing class of 26 new student-athletes to the program combined between both of the men's and women's teams.
The distribution of those 26 individuals includes 15 additions to the men's roster, 11 additions to the women's roster, as six of the 26 share roles between Janelle Branch's cross country teams and Johnson's track and field roster as distance runners on the track.
"I'm extremely excited about the incoming class of 2022 and the talent, work ethic, and depth that it's bringing to the team," Johnson said. "This class is the start of much bigger things for the cross country and track and field programs here at Clarke."
The entirety of the class includes River Alvarado, Malia Beich, Gwen Bottom, Brody Deitering, Elijah Douglas, Camden Foesch, Jaycie Franco, Royal Hart, Tyler Kell, Trinity Kessler, Bryce Kondos, Jabron Lee, Isabelle Matthews, Autumn McLaughlin, Josh Musonda, Emily Onken, Omar Owens-Utley, Drew Pate, Anyah Ranson, Ryan Rykalsky, Carson Sansenbach, Gavayne Smith, Kain Sourbeer, Grace Squires, Emma Terwische, Wyatt Wilkins.
Lee and Owens-Utley are slated to join the Pride in the spring term through the Bridge to Success program as they will spend the fall term taking courses at Northeast Iowa Community College.
Below is a breakdown of each individual's accolades as they enter Clarke:
River Alvarado (East Dubuque, Ill./River Ridge HS)
PRs: 100m - 11.65
200m - 23.98
Accolades: Conference Champion (2021, 2022), All-Conference team (2022)
Malia Beich (East Grand Forks, Minn./East Grand Forks HS)
PRs: Pole Vault - 9'6"
Accolades: Fourth, third, and first in subsections. Seventh, fifth, and tied for second at sections.
Gwen Bottom (Minooka, Ill./Minooka Community HS)
PRs: High Jump - 4'11"
200m - 30.46
Accolades: Eighth place in conference in high jump, scholar athlete award
Brody Deitering (Schaller, Iowa/Ridge View HS)
PRs: 100m- 11.13
200m- 23.35
400m- 52.01
Shot Put - 45' 10"
Discus- 138' 5"
Accolades: Went to Iowa State meet in the 4x100m and the open 100m as a junior and went to the open 400m in state as a senior.
Elijah Douglas (Las Vegas, Nev./Legacy HS)
PRs: Triple Jump - 41'1"
High Jump - 5'8"
Long Jump - 19'2"
400m - 59.44
Accolades: Competed in Invitationals, Regionals, and State
Camden Foesch (Davis, Ill./Dakota HS)
PRs: 55m - 6.56
60m - 7.04
100m - 10.91
200m - 22.80
Accolades: 100m, 200m, 4x1, 4x2 State Qualifier in 2022, 100m 3rd place at IHSA 1A State Finals 2022
Jaycie Franco (Skyview HS, Billings, Mont.)
PRs: 400m - 1:04.33
800m - 2:42.91
Accolades: Went to state as a freshman as an alternate for the 4x100 relay team, qualified again for state as a junior as an alternate for the 4x400 relay and ended up running for 3rd leg, placed 11th, was a 3-time varsity letterwinner on the track, also a four-year letterwinner and state qualifier on the cross country team.
Royal Hart (Antioch, Calif./Antioch HS)
PRs: Discuss - 100'4"
Shot Put - 38'8"
Accolades: Marsh Creek Invitational 1st in Shot 4th in Discus, BVAL Championship Finals: 2nd, NCS Tri-Valley Championship: 2nd, CIF North Coast Section Meet of Champs: 2nd, Qualified for State Championships
Tyler Kell (Clyde, N.Y./ Clyde-Savannah HS)
PRs: High Jump - 6'7"
Accolades: Won 3 years in a row at sectionals, placed first in 2 state qualifiers, placed 3rd for indoor states, placed 1st for outdoor states, had the highest jump in the state for my whole senior year, broke indoor and outdoor school records
Trinity Kessler (Dubuque, Iowa/Hempstead HS)
PRs: Mile - 5:45
800m - 2:38
400m - 1:12
5000m - 21:47
Accolades: State alternate in 2020 in cross country
Bryce Kondos (Bemiji, Minn./Bemiji HS)
PRs: 5k - 16:56
1600 - 4:46
800 - 2:03
400 - 53.8
Jabron Lee (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsee Valley HS)
PRs: Triple Jump - 40'7"
Long Jump - 20'2"
Accolades: Three-time sectional qualifier
Isabelle Matthews (Cuba City, Wis./Cuba City HS)
PRs: High Jump - 5'2"
800m - 2:42.72
400m - 1:08.71
200m - 30.10
100m - 14.60
Accolades: Four-year varsity letterwinner, 2nd team all conference in high jump in 2021 and 3rd team in 2022, 3rd in 4x200, 2nd in high jump, and 1st in 4x100 at regionals, state qualifier in 4x200 and 4x100, 2022 WISTCA Academic Award Winner.
Autumn McLaughlin (Stockton, Calif./San Joaquin Delta College)
PRs: Pole Vault - 9'10"
Accolades: Norcal championship qualifier, state championship qualifier, 10th at state, 6th in Norcal championship, 3rd at the California Big 8 Conference
Josh Musonda (Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa/University of Johannesburg)
PRs: 100m - 11.10
200m - 22.51
Accolades: Won the Victrix Ledorums for three-straight years in the 100 and 200, competed in regional and national trials for the U20 youth while at University of Johannesburg.
Emily Onken (Asbury, Iowa/Hempstead HS)
PRs: 1500m - 5:38
3000m - 12:34
XC - 5k - 21:47
Accolades: 2020 4A State Alternate
Omar Owens-Utley (Chapel Hill, N.C./Chapel Hill HS)
PRs: Discuss - 154'6"
Shot Put - 46'4"
100m - 11.90
Drew Pate (Anamosa, Iowa/Anamosa HS)
PRs: 1600 - 4:49
3200 - 10:26
5k - 17:37
Accolades: Cross Country All Conference, 2-time Cross Country State Qualifier, Track Conference Medalist, 2-time Track State Qualifier in the 1600m and 4x800
Anya Ranson (Moline, Ill./East Moline HS)
PRs: High Jump - 4'10"
800m - 2:40.23
400m - 1:07.11
Long Jump - 15'3.5"
300m Hurdles - 52.62
Accolades: Team MVP as a senior.
Ryan Rykalski (Orange Park, Fla./Orange Park HS)
PRs: Javelin - 42.90
Shot Put - 10.6
Long Jump - 6.03
High Jump - 1.71
Pole Vault - 2.70
Accolades: Regional Qualifier
Carson Sansenbach (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Mt. Vernon HS)
PRs: 400m - 52.46
800m - 1:58.97
1600m - 4:54
3200m -11:04
5K - 17:14
Accolades: 74th place state finish senior year cross country, 1st 4x8 junior year conference, 2nd place open 800 senior year conference, 2nd place distance medley senior year conference, 1st place 4x8 junior year districts, 1st place distance medley senior year districts, 2nd place open 800 senior year districts, 8th place 4x8 junior year state, 5th place 4x8 senior year state, 8th place open 800 senior year state.
Gavayne Smith (Darliston, Westmoreland, Jamaica)
PRs: 100m - 10.92
Accolades: Competed at Jamaica national stadium, Issa boys and girls championship, and also ran with Jamaica senior men in the Destiny olympique series meet.
Kain Sourbeer (Olathe, Kan./Olathe South HS)
PRs: 100m - 11.33
200m - 23.34
4x100m - 43.10
Accolades: 1st in region for 4x100 2022
Grace Squires (White Bear Lake, Minn./White Bear Lake Area HS)
PRs: Pole Vault - 9'6"
Accolades: Fourth place finishes in both conference and sectionals
Emma Terwische (South Jacksonville, Ill./Routt Catholic HS)
PRs: 100m Hurdles - 16.9
300m Hurdles - 48.01
Triple Jump - 10.69m
Pole Vault - 8'6"
Long Jump - 4.78m
Accolades: School records all events listed previously except Pole Vault, Team MVP in 2021 and 2022, All Conference in 300 hurdles, triple jump and long jump, state qualifier in 300 hurdles, and triple jump.
Wyatt Wilkins (Eagle Grove, Iowa/Iowa Central CC)
PRs: Hammer Throw - 43.64
Shot Put - 13.00
Weight Throw - 12.26
Discuss - 34.92
Accolades: All Region Indoor and Outdoor in the Shot Put in 2021.
"Words cannot describe how lucky the coaching staff and I are to work with this group," Johnson said. "We're excited to see all of them progress as student-athletes and as people over their careers at Clarke."