COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – University of Colorado Colorado Springs head men's and women's track & field coach Ross Fellows announced his 2024-25 recruiting class on Tuesday morning with a total of 51 incoming student-athletes being added to the roster for the upcoming indoor and outdoor track & field seasons.
 
"As always, it is a great time to be a part of the Mountain Lion track and field program as we just won our 16th RMAC title in the span of seven years," exclaimed Fellows. "Our staff has worked extremely hard to sign not only a large class with depth in all event areas but also an extremely talented class that strategically fills some gaps that we had. As we work to stay on top of the podium at the RMAC, we are pushing to bring home bigger hardware at the national level. Student-athletes come here with the intention of winning both on and off the track, and that makes me extremely proud. As we continue to raise the bar in recruiting, I know we will see the results on the track as well."
 
With his conference and national goals in mind, Fellows is set to add 31 fresh faces to the men's track & field roster for the 2024-25 season, including 21 incoming freshman and 10 transfers.
 
Dillon Arvayo joins the Mountain Lions as a transfer from Pima Community College, where he graduated with his Associate Degree in Business Administration and competed as a combined athlete for the Aztecs' track & field program for two years. With personal best marks of 4,666 in the heptathlon and 5,975 in the decathlon, Arvayo was a two-time NJCAA All-American, earning the accolade one time each in the heptathlon and decathlon. The native of Tucson, Ariz., also helped his squad collect back-to-back NJCAA Region 1 Championships during his two years at PCC. Prior to joining the collegiate ranks, Arvayo was a three-sport athlete at Mountain View High School competing in football, basketball, and track & field. During his prep track & field career, he posted personal best marks of 11.34s in the 100m, 1.85m in the high jump, 13.51m in the triple jump, and 40.49m in the javelin throw.
 
The Mountain Lions are set to add another combined athlete to their roster in the form of Craig, Colo., native Evan Atkin, who comes to Colorado Springs as a transfer from RMAC-foe Colorado Mesa University. In one season as a member of the Maverick's track & field program, Atkin posted personal best marks of 4,463 points in the heptathlon and 6,019 points in the decathlon while earning All-RMAC Second Team honors with a fourth-place finish in the decathlon at the 2024 RMAC Outdoor Championships. A 2023 graduate from Moffat County High School, Atkin put together an outstanding prep career as he was a three-time All-Conference honoree, State Runner-Up, and State Champion during his time as a Bulldog.
 
A thrower from Colorado Springs, Colo., Joseph Bjegovich joins the Mountain Lions after graduating from Banning Lewis Preparatory Academy this past spring. A three-sport student-athlete with the Stallions, Bjegovich will focus on track & field at UCCS after posting personal best marks of 14.76m in the shot put and 42.67m in the discus throw during his prep career. In addition to being a two-time Tri Peaks League Individual Champion and three-time state qualifier in the shot put, Bjegovich also excelled in the classroom as a Gold Honor Roll recipient and member of the National Honors Society.
 
Broden Cahoon makes his way to the UCCS men's track & field program as another transfer from Pima Community College, where he earned his Associate Degree following the spring of 2024 and competed as a combined athlete for the Aztec's track & field team for two years. While a member of the Pima CC track & field program, Cahoon secured NJCAA All-America honors in the decathlon along with earning NJCAA Region 1 titles in the 4x100m and 4x400m. He finished his two-year career ranked inside the top seven all-time in Pima CC history for the decathlon in addition to holding the school record in the indoor 4x400m. Prior to beginning his collegiate career, the Farmington, N.M., native had a strong prep career at Farmington High School in which he qualified for the state meet five times, earned three individual conference championships in the 400m dash, and contributed to a school record 4x100m time. The Scorpions also had strong team success during Cahoon's time with the program, winning a total of five conference championships and finishing third overall in the state during his senior season.
 
A native of Denver, Colo., Sean Donelson joins the Mountain Lions as a 2024 graduate of East High School. A 6-foot-4 sprinter, Donelson was a four-year varsity letterwinner with the Angels' track & field team as he went on to post personal best marks of 22.40s in the 200m and 49.30s in the 400m along with collecting First Team All-State accolades in the 4x200m.
 
Hailing from West Valley High School in Fairbanks, Alaska, Alex Emers will bolster the Mountain Lion's high jump depth for the 2024-25 campaign. A two-time Alaska 4A State Champion in the high jump, Emers finished his high school career holding the Wolfpack school record for the event with a personal best bar clearance of 2.01m.
 
A local product from Colorado Springs, Colo., Alton Fletcher will join the UCCS throws group for the upcoming season after graduating from Liberty High School in the spring of 2024. While a member of the Lancers, Fletcher was a three-sport athlete, earning four varsity letters in track & field, three varsity letters in basketball, and one varsity letter in football. Fletcher finished his prep career on a high note as he qualified for the Colorado 5A State Meet during his senior season.
 
Jonathan Geschke joins the Mountain Lions as another local talent from Colorado Springs, Colo., after graduating from nearby Coronado High School this past spring. As a member of the Cougar's track & field program, Geschke posted personal best marks of 1.91m in the high jump and 15.63s in the 110m hurdles.
 
Alex Johnson comes to UCCS as a 2024 graduate of GFW High School in Winthrop, Minn. where he was a three-time letterwinner in football and basketball and a four-time letterwinner in track & field. A 6-foot-4 thrower, Johnson posted personal best marks of 49.40m in the discus throw and 15.51m in the shot put on his way to collecting all-conference honors in each of his four years as a member of the GFW track & field team. The seventh-place finisher at the Class A State Meet during his junior season, Johnson also excelled in the classroom as he garnered Academic All-Conference accolades following his senior year.
 
A standout sprinter from Lake Elsinore, Calif., Andrew Knudson makes his way to Colorado Springs after graduating from Lakeside High School in the spring of 2024. In four years with the Lancers track & field program, Knudson posted personal best times of 10.90s in the 100m dash and 22.37s in the 200m dash. During his senior season in 2024, he was the Inland Valley League individual champion in the 100m and the runner-up in the 200m while also being tabbed as the Lakeside High School Athlete of the Year. On the academic side, Knudson was a member of the 3.50-3.99 GPA Honor Roll in the fall of 2023 and was named the LHS Student of the Month in November of 2023.
 
After an incredible four-year career as a member of the track & field program at the United States Air Force Academy, Caiden Macktinger will bring his talents to UCCS as a graduate transfer while he awaits Air Force Pilot Training. A four-time All-Mountain West First Team honoree, three-time Mountain West Conference Runner-Up, and two-time NCAA Division I National Qualifier in the pole vault, Macktinger helped the Air Force men's track & field program win a total of five Mountain West Conference Championships between 2022-24. During his senior season at Air Force, the Loomis, Calif., native opened the season with a personal best mark of 5.36m in the pole vault at the Air Force Holiday Open. Prior to joining the Air Force, Macktinger had a standout prep career at Del Oro High School, where he was a four-year member of the varsity track & field team and earned First Team All-Conference accolades every year. In 2019, he competed at the Division 1 California State Championship Meet and went on to finish second overall in the competition.
 
A familiar face within the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), KJ McInnis will remain in the conference and join the UCCS men's track & field program after spending the first two seasons of his collegiate career at Colorado State University Pueblo. McInnis, who primarily competes in the high jump, long jump, and triple jump, put together a strong resume while he was with the ThunderWolves as he earned All-RMAC First Team honors in the high jump during the 2022-23 indoor season and All-RMAC Second Team honors in the high jump for the 2023-24 indoor season. In his collegiate career, the Denver, Colo., native has posted personal best marks of 2.07m in the high jump, 7.56m in the long jump, and 14.46m in the triple jump. Before he joined the collegiate ranks, McInnis starred for the track & field team at North High School, where he earned Denver Prep Individual Championships three times in the high jump and one time each in the long and triple jump along with a pair of First Team All-State honors in the high jump.
 
Coming to Colorado Springs from V. Sue Cleveland High School in Jemez Pueblo, N.M., Jordan Mora is set to join the UCCS men's squad as a javelin thrower. In two years as a member of the Storm track & field team, Mora was a two-time individual district champion and state runner-up in the javelin throw as he helped the program collect back-to-back district and state championships.
 
From Capital High School in Helena, Mont., Peyton Nelson joins the Mountain Lions as a 6-foot-1 long sprinter. While he was a member of the Bruins' track & field team, Nelson collected First Team All-Conference accolades in the 400m and 4x400m while helping his squad to the 2023 Montana AA State Championship.
 
Another transfer from within the RMAC, Monument, Colo., native JJ Nsubuga is set to return to the Colorado Springs area after spending his first collegiate season as a redshirt at Western Colorado University. Prior to his one season with the Mountaineers, Nsubuga attended Lewis-Palmer High School, where he posted career-best marks of 6.71m in the long jump and 13.72m in the triple jump.
 
A 2024 graduate of nearby Florence High School, Luguse Nuss will join the Mountain Lions as a sprinter and jumper. Nuss, who was a four-time varsity letterwinner in both football and track & field, posted high school personal bests of 11.05s in the 100m, 22.24s in the 200m, and 6.71m in the long jump while a member of the Huskies. In addition to being a four-time 3A state qualifier in track & field, Nuss was a standout in the classroom as he was a four-year academic letterwinner, four-year member of the honor roll, and graduated ranked inside the top ten of his class.
 
Jacob Silvis makes his way to the UCCS men's cross country and track & field programs as a 2024 graduate of Pine Creek High School. While at the prep level, Silvis posted personal best times of 23.69s in the 200m, 51.89s in the 400m, 1:54.70 in the 800m, 4:41.19 in the 1600m, 10:12.32 in the 3200m, and 16:38.40 in the 5k. A qualifier in the 800m and 4x400m for the 2024 5A Colorado State Championship Meet, the Peyton, Colo., native was named the Pine Creek Track MVP in 2023 and earned the 2024 Eagle Award.
 
A teammate of fellow incoming freshman Jonathan Geschke at Coronado High School for the past four years, Realiti Smith will join the Mountain Lions for the 2024-25 season to compete primarily in the long and triple jump. A team captain of the boys' track & field team during each of his four seasons at CHS, Smith found success at the Colorado 4A level as he finished 14^th in the high jump at the 2022 state meet, fifth in the triple jump and ninth in the 4x400m at the 2023 state meet, and third in the triple jump and 10^th in the long jump at the 2024 state meet.
 
Willie Tran joins the Mountain Lions as a transfer from Mt. Hood Community College, where he competed as a member of the Saint Bernard's track & field team for two seasons. In 2019, he garnered All-Conference and All-America honors in the long jump and All-Conference accolades in the triple jump with season-best marks of 6.88m (long jump) and 14.10m (triple jump). He returned to competition in 2023, posting season-best marks of 6.60m in the long jump and 13.92m in the triple jump. Prior to the start of his collegiate career, Tran was a 2018 graduate from Union High School in Vancouver, Wash., where he recorded high school best marks of 6.60m in the long jump and 14.00m in the triple jump.
 
A 2024 graduate of Roosevelt High School in Johnstown, Colo., Harvey Trevino-Patton is set to add to an already talented group of Mountain Lion sprinters for the 2024-25 season. Trevino-Patton put together a strong prep career at RHS, earning First Team All-Conference accolades in the 4x200m and 4x400m along with being tabbed as the program's track MVP in 2023. He is also the school record holder in the 400m dash and the 4x200m relay.
 
The UCCS men's squad is also set to add an additional 11 student-athletes to the roster to compete in the distance events.
 
On the women's side, Fellows revealed the addition of 20 student-athletes to the roster for the 2024-25 seasons, including 13 incoming freshman and seven transfers.
 
Hailing from Mead High School in Mead, Colo., Addison Babcock will join the high jump ranks of the Mountain Lions for the 2024-25 campaign. A three-year varsity letterwinner with the Mavericks, Babcock posted a high school career-best mark of 1.61m in the high jump while being named to the NCAC All-Conference team on two occasions. Outside of her sport, she was a member of the student advisory team, an FCA leader, and a journalism content editor.
 
A product of Fruita Monument High School in Grand Junction, Colo., freshman Mackenzie Black is a four-time cross country and track and field letterwinner.  A three-time all-conference first team honoree for cross country and two-time honoree in track and field, Black has earned cross country Academic All-State First Team and track and field All-State First Team honors three times each, while also qualifying as an individual for the state cross country championship meet twice.  She owns personal best times in the 5k (18:55.5), 3200m (11:53.89), 1600m (5:29.71) and the 800m (2:25.23).  A four-time academic letterwinner, Black helped her teams win the 2023 Southwestern League championships in cross country and track and field.
 
Making the move south from Denver, Colo., to join the UCCS track & field program will be Sophia Bowser, a 2024 graduate of Valor Christian High School. As a four-year varsity letterwinner competing in the sprints and jumps events at VCHS, Bowser recorded high school career best marks of 11.30m in the triple jump, 5.18m in the long jump, and 26.41s in the 200m. In her four years as an Eagle, Bowser helped her team collect a pair of 5A league and state championships.
 
A long jumper from Olathe, Kan., Paige Cordero heads to Colorado Springs as a transfer after starting her collegiate career at University of Missouri Kansas City. In one season at UMKC, Cordero posted an indoor season-best mark of 5.26m in the long jump and was named to the Dean's List. Before beginning her collegiate career, Cordero was a 2023 graduate of Olathe West High School, where she was a Second Team All-League selection and finished as the 6A Girls' State Runner-Up in the long jump.
 
An incoming freshman from Cherry Creek High School in Denver, Colo., Addison Edwards will join the Mountain Lions' group of throwers for the 2024-25 campaign. Throughout four years with the Bruins varsity track & field program, Edwards posted high school personal bests of 40.92m in the discus throw, 11.68m in the shot put, and 40.23m in the hammer throw. Edwards, who was a 5A Colorado State Champion in the discus throw, helped her team win the 5A Girls' Track & Field State Championship in 2022.
 
Sydney Fauske joins the Mountain Lions program from Sherwood, Wis. A 2024 graduate of Kaukauna High School, Fauske finished 13th at the 2023 state cross-country meet and sixth (3200m) and 11th (1600m) at the 2024 state track championships.  A three-time individual conference champion in track and field, Fauske has been named the Fox Valley Association Conference Cross Country Runner of the Year twice.  An eight-time varsity letterwinner and All-FVA First Team selection, she has recorded a personal best 5k time of 18:38 along with personal bests of 10:53.25 in the 3200m and 5:00.61 in the 1600m on the track.  She has been part of the Galloping Ghosts teams that won the 2020 Wisconsin Division I cross country championship and qualified for the state cross country championship meet all four years.  The three-time cross country MVP and an individual state qualifier in 10 events, Fauske will be joining her older sister, Anna, on the Mountain Lions team.
 
Abigail Frey comes to UCCS as a transfer from Iowa Central Community College where she competed for two years with the Tritons' track & field program. Throughout her time at ICCC, Frey helped the team win a regional championship while posting collegiate personal best marks of 14.50s in the 100m hurdles, 12.60s in the 100m dash, and 1:04.10 in the 400m hurdles. Prior to joining the collegiate ranks, Frey put her talents on display at Omaha Northwest High School in Omaha, Neb. During her prep career, she recorded high school personal best marks of 15.50s in the 100m hurdles and 45.90s in the 300m hurdles on her way to being named Athlete of the Month and Women's Athlete of the Year. A third-place finisher in the state in the 300m hurdles, Frey also excelled in the classroom as a four-time member of the honor roll.
 
A pole vaulter from Lake Villa, Ill., Josie Gates joins the Mountain Lions after graduating from Lakes Community High School in the spring of 2024. Gates comes to Colorado Springs as a three-time all-conference and all-sectional honoree with a high school personal best of 3.71m in her event. In addition, Gates was a three-time Illinois state qualifier and a one-time New Balance National Qualifier during her prep career. Gates also excelled in the classroom while at LCHS, being named to the honor roll on three occasions and serving as a member of the National Honor Society, Girl Scouts, and Link Crew.
 
Chelsea Howard makes her way to UCCS as a graduate transfer from Oregon State University, where she recently received her undergraduate degree. A native of North Bend, Ore., Howard was a four-year member of the Beavers' track & field program, posting collegiate personal bests of 7.96s in the 60m, 12.38s in the 100m, 26.17s in the 200m, and 5.70m in the long jump. Before joining the Oregon State track & field program, Howard was a standout at North Bend Hogh School, where she holds the school records in both the long jump and triple jump. Named the NBHS girls' track MVP from 2017-19, Howard collected a trio of individual Oregon State Championships, earning the title twice in the long jump and once in the triple jump.
 
Originally from Colorado Springs, Colo., Danaya Kinnard makes a return to her hometown area to join the UCCS track & field program after spending her first collegiate season at CSU Pueblo. In her freshman season with the ThunderWolves, Kinnard posted collegiate personal bests of 7.68s in the 60m dash, 12.18s in the 100m, 25.06s in the 200m, and 5.09m in the long jump. Kinnard competed at the prep level at Mesa Ridge High School where she was a four-year varsity letterwinner and went on to be a three-time CSML All-Conference honoree and a three-time 4A Colorado State Champion.
 
Jaedyn Kohn joins the Mountain Lions as a thrower from Woodland Park High School. In two years with the Panther's track & field program, Kohn was an All-State First Team honoree while earning a pair of 3A State Championships in the discus throw and a 3A State Championship in the shot put.
 
Wylie, Texas native Liv Lambert won three 1600m and 3200m district championship titles while qualifying for the regional track championships three times in each event.  She helped the Wylie High School Pirates win two 6A cross country district championships and she qualified for the state cross country meet three times while earning the 2023 6A District 9 Track MVP.  She has clocked personal best times of 19:00 in the 5k, 11:26 in the 3200m, and 5:20 in the 1600m events.
 
A 2024 graduate of New London High School in Ohio, Reese Landis is the conference record holder in the 1600m, 3200m and 5k, and has run career best times of 5:10.85 in the 1600m, 10:50.09 in the 3200m, 10:46.56 for the full two-mile distance, and 17:35 in the 5k.  The four-time letter winner in cross country and back-to-back Firelands Conference Runner of the Year, Landis helped the Wildcats win the Conference Cross Country Championships in 2022 and 2023.  The 2022 Track and Field Conference MVP, she is a four-year academic letter winner and high honor roll recipient and a member of the National Honor Society.
 
A Shawnee Mission East High School product, Lida Padgett holds personal best times in the 5k (18:01.30), 3200m (11:03.34), 1600m (5:10.65), 800m (2:21.13), and the 2k Steeplechase (7:26.25).  From Prairie Village, Kansas, she is the state record holder for the 2k Steeplechase and the SMEHS record holder for the 5k.  A four-time cross country and track varsity letterwinner, Padgett garnered cross country All-Metro and All-State honors twice, was named All-State track in the 1600m and the track Outstanding Freshman of the Year, while earning KCTV Hyvee Athlete of the Week recognition.  The two-time cross country and track captain, Padgett and the Lancers qualified for the state cross country meet as a team all four years.  She has been named to the Dean Honor Roll four times and is a two-time NHS honor student, a two-time KCCTFCA cross country academic all-state honoree, and a member of the National Honors Society.
 
AbbeyRose Parker will join the UCCS track & field program after attending McMurry University during the 2023-24 academic year. A 2023 graduate of Grand Valley High School in Parachute, Colo., Parker is set to compete in the sprints and jumps events for the Mountain Lions after recording high school personal best marks of 14.34s in the 100m and 4.64m in the long jump.
 
A 2024 graduate of Cyprus High School in Magna, Utah, Dyanna Parra joins the UCCS track & field roster for the 2024-25 campaign as a thrower specializing in the javelin throw and discus throw. Parra was a four-year varsity letterwinner with the Pirates' track & field team, posting high school personal best marks of 37.24m in the javelin throw and 37.13m in the discus throw. An eight-time All-Region honoree and the CHS school record holder in the discus throw, Parra was ranked top ten in the state for the javelin throw during her junior year before ascending into the top three in the state for the event during her senior season. A 14-time member of the honor roll, Parra helped her team earn a regional championship in 2024.
 
After attending Pima Community College and Grand Canyon University for one year each, Brooke Peterson joins the Mountain Lions as a transfer to compete in the pole vault. After finishing the 2023 season as the NJCAA Division I Runner-Up in the pole vault while attending Pima CC, Peterson made the leap to Grand Canyon University at the NCAA Division I level and went on to post a personal best mark of 3.87m in the event. While at GCU, the Cottonwood, Ariz., native earned All-WAC Second Team honors in the pole vault for the 2023-24 indoor season, helping the Lopes women's program win the WAC Indoor Track & Field Championship. Before starting her collegiate career, Peterson was a 2022 graduate from Mingus High School where she was a back-to-back Arizona D3 Individual State Championship winner in the pole vault in 2021 and 2022.
 
A native of nearby Monument, Colo., Katelyn Philpot will join the UCCS women's track & field team after graduating from Palmer Ridge High School this past spring. Philpot was a three-year varsity letterwinner with the Bears' cross country and track & field teams and went on to qualify for the 4A Colorado State Meet in three consecutive seasons (2022-24).
 
Hailing from South Sumter High School in Webster, Fla., Payton Rodgers is set to join the Mountain Lions for the 2024-25 campaign as a jumper and hurdler. Rodgers put together an impressive junior season with the Raiders track & field program as she was the district champion in the 100m hurdles and triple jump and the district runner-up in the 400m hurdles before qualifying for state in each of the three events. During her senior season, Rodgers repeated as the district championship in the triple jump and was the runner-up in the 100m hurdles and 400m hurdles. She went on to earn state qualification in the triple jump and 100m hurdles. For her high school career, Rodgers posted personal best marks of 14.96s in the 100m hurdles, 1:07.60 in the 400m hurdles, and 11.47m in the triple jump.
 
Bailey Young will come to Colorado Springs as a transfer thrower from Eastern Washington University, where she was a two-year member of the Eagles' track & field program. While at EWU, Young posted collegiate-best marks of 13.55m in the shot put, 51.96m in the hammer throw, and 40.75m in the discus throw while finishing fifth overall in the shot put at the indoor and outdoor conference championship meets and seventh in the hammer throw at the outdoor conference meet during her freshman year. A 2022 graduate of Hermiston High School in Hermiston, Ore., Young was the 3A Washington State shot put and discus individual champion in 2022. Throughout her prep career, she recorded high school personal best marks of 14.35m in the shot put, 40.97m in the discus throw, and 43.69m in the hammer throw.

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