The Santa Clara University men's and women's cross country teams will welcome four runners this fall as part of the Class of 2017, with all four coming from the state of California. There are a pair of women in Kaitlyn Kuehn and Anika Renken and a pair of men in Joey Berriatua and Brynn Sargent.
"Pete and I are thrilled to welcome the latest group of student athletes to join the program," said Bronco head coach Felipe Montoro. "All four are outstanding students with bright futures as distance runners. I can't wait to get everyone back on campus and training together in a few weeks."
Listed alphabetically
High School: Junipero Serra
High School Coaches: Ron Dimaggio and Willis McCarthy
Hometown: San Mateo, Calif.
CA State meet qualifier in the 4x400m
Coach Montoro on Berriatua:
"Joey is a talented runner with a great deal of range and is a tough competitor. He performs his best in the championship races and has a very bright future at Santa Clara. His coach at Serra, Ron Dimaggio has prepared him well for the next phase of his running career."
High School: Bella Vista
High School Coaches: Dave Unterholzner, Harold Kuphaldt and Melanie Cleland
Hometown: Fair Oaks, Calif.
Top Accomplishments:
800m best of 1:58.56 and 1600m best of 4:24.46
Coach Montoro on Sargent:
"Brynn is a stellar student with a great deal of potential as a distance runner. I am excited to see how he develops over the next few years as he has the tools to be a scorer for us down the road."
Kaitlyn Kuehn
High School: San Marcos
High School Coach: Kevin Chindlund
Hometown: Santa Barbara, CA
Top Accomplishments:
800m: 2:26.36, 1500m: 4:57.95, 1600m 5:13.08
Coach Montoro on Kuehn:
"Kaitlyn improved a great deal her senior year and showed that with some consistent training under her belt she could be a very effective runner at this level. Pete and I are looking forward to seeing her develop."
Anika Renken
High School: South Pasadena
High School Coaches: Pat McGrail and PJ Hernandez
Hometown: South Pasadena, CA
Top Accomplishments:
5000m best of 18:58 at Woodward Park
3mile best of 18:17 at Woodbridge
400m: 59.40, 800m: 2:19.45, 1500m: 4:58.14,
1600m: 5:23.36, 3200m: 11:42.68
Qualified for the CA state meet in the 4x400m (3:49.23)
Coach Montoro on Renken:
"Anika, who competed in the CA state finals this past spring, brings experience and speed to our roster. She has good range and in time she should be a contributor in both the fall and spring."
