PORTLAND, Ore. – The University of Portland men's cross country and track & field teams have added 10 new runners to the program, head coach Rob Conner on Wednesday. The runners are Dalton Kaines, Connor Kennedy, Austin George, Isaac McGill, Henry Tierney, Quinn Cullen, Mo Ombougno, Mason Jekogian, Xander Penaflor and Yutaka Roberts.

Hailing from Rocky Mountain High School in Colorado, Dalton Kaines comes to Portland after a strong high school career. He recently took seventh place at the 5A Cross Country State Championships and took second place in the 1,600-meter run during 5A Track & Field State Championships this season with a time of 4:15.42. His personal record in the 3,200m sits at 9:15.42.



"Dalton has unlimited potential as a late bloomer," Conner said. "Great mile speed at altitude, so he should be effective at any distance."

Kaines isn't the only runner coming to Portland by way of Colorado. From Heritage High School, Connor Kennedy beat Kaines by one spot in the 5A Cross Country State Championships, placing sixth. His personal bests include times of 1:56.48 in the 800m, 4:17.05 in the 1,600m and 4:16.66 in the mile.



"Connor is a smart kid who's going to be a mechanical engineer," Conner said. "He has the speed and cross-country ability to take it to the next level in college."

Austin George projects to be a solid mid-distance runner for the Pilots. He set a personal record of 1:55.82 in the 800m at Scotts Valley High School in California, and even after several seasons of posting solid times, Conner sees room for the runner to grow.



"Austin has been a very good 800 runner for the past few years," Conner said. "We're hoping he can drop his 800 time then move him up to the 1,500."

Isaac McGill looks poised to add to the tradition of quality long-distance runners to come through The Bluff. Running at Amarillo High School in Texas, McGill took second at the 5A Cross Country State Championships with a time of 15:10. He also took third at the 5A Track & Field State Championships in both the 1,600m and the 3,200m. His personal bests in both of those events are 4:15.21 (1,600m) and 9:00.85 (3,200m).



"We love Isaac's leadership and enthusiasm," Conner said. "He's going to be another great long-distance Pilot."

Portland's next recruit comes from close to home. Henry Tierney joins the Pilots from Valley Catholic High School in Beaverton, Ore. He took first at the 4A Track & Field State Championships in the 1,500m and second in the 800m. Last fall, he took fifth at the 4A Cross Country State Championships. His personal bests include a 1:54.10 in the 800m and a blazing 3:53.54 in the 1,500m.



"Henry is a great student with huge upside in the 1,500m," Conner said. "He should make a big jump during his time here."

From the other side of the country comes Quinn Cullen, a distance runner based in Michigan. With Brighton High School, Cullen finished sixth at the Division I State Cross Country Championships this past year. Cullen has posted personal bests of 4:14.74 in the 1,600m and 9:02.80 in the 3,200m.



"Quinn is a raw talent who could be great," Conner said. "He has a lot of potential as a 5,000m runner in college."

The Pilots add another mid-distance runner in Mo Ombougno from Heritage High School in Brentwood, Calif. In the 400m, Ombougno put up a time of 50.35, and in the 800m, his best time was 1:59.09. Conner envisions playing an important role come track season.



"Mo is a hard-working and enthusiastic team guy who we hope gives us a leg on our distance medley relay," Conner said.

Also hailing from California, Mason Jekogian is a versatile track runner with experience running a variety of races. Running in the 800m, 1,600m, mile and 3,200m, he posted times of 1:56.65 (800m), 4:12.334 (1,600m), 4:13.77 (mile) and 9:16.85 (3,200m) respectively.
 

"Mason is a talented runner with a wide range of races he can run well," Conner said. "He could be very good in whatever distance he sets his mind to."

The Pilots continue to bolster their long-distance running core with Xander Penaflor of California. Running with Providence High School, Penaflor took 10th place in the California D5 Cross Country State Championships. He also ran a 9:26.92 in the 3,200m.



"Xander is a pre-med major with the strength for longer races," Conner said. "He's a great fit with us."

Finally, Yutaka Roberts strengthens further the mid-distance running for the Pilots. Posting personal bests of 48.12 in the 400m and 1:51.04 in the 800m, Roberts comes in with high praise from Conner.



"The fastest high school middle-distance runner we have ever signed," Conner said. "A computer science major, Yutaka is a great student with national-level upside in the 800m."

The Pilots continued their success in both cross country and track & field this past academic year. In cross country, the Pilots finished 16th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships for their 18th top-20 finish under Conner. In track & field, Cathal Doyle qualified in the 1,500m for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, marking the 29th time in 30 seasons that the Pilots have seen at least one runner qualify for nationals.