ARCATA, Calif. -- On Thursday, Cal Poly Humboldt Men's Track & Field announced an incoming 2023-24 recruiting class of 18 new signees. These new student-athletes will include: Michael DeTamble, Joseph Gonzalez, Derek Ray, Cristian Megas, Paul Domingue, Joey Bowser, Evan Schweitzer, Lucas Garin, Michael Hickey, Adam Gomez, Landon Thorp, Bryce Pearson, JR Reyna, Daniel Shaver, AJ Sverlow-Mendoza, Johnny Slone, Finn Granger, and Keegan Henry.
Head coach Sarah Ingram stated, "This is a big and strong recruiting class! 18 athletes will be joining the men's track and field team for the spring 2024 season, adding tremendous depth to our program. Coach Eilers and the coaching staff have worked very hard to bring in this group of talented student-athletes. Among this class are California State Championship finalists, section and league champions, school record holders, Nike Nationals qualifiers, athlete's of the year, and scholar-athletes. It's a good balance of young men adding 5 distance runners to the squad, 4 throwers, 4 sprinters, 3 hurdlers/multis, and 2 jumpers."
Assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Teigan Eilers said "I am beyond excited about the potential and talent of this year's recruiting class. A lot of time and effort has gone into recruiting in the last year, and this is just the beginning of what we see being several great years of talented recruiting classes. Each of these new athletes will play a vital role to the success of an already thriving and growing Lumberjacks team."
2023-24 Men's Track and Field Recruiting Class
Michael DeTamble
Michael will be joining the Lumberjacks this fall after a very successful four years at Shadow Hills High School in Indio, CA. Michael will be adding to an already very talented recruiting class, and has spent the last four years piling up many academic and athletic accolades. In 2021, Michael started off his high school career as a League champion in the 300m hurdles, CIF-SS D2 champion in the 300m hurdles, as well as a finalist in the California State Championship in the 300m hurdles and 4x400m relay. As a junior, Michael added to his league championship tally, not only winning the 300m hurdles, but also winning the 100m hurdles (14.99) and 4x400m relay, and once again received a medal at the CIF-SS D2 Championship. In his final season at Shadow Hills, Michael once again won the league title in the 300m hurdles, received a medal the CIF-SS D2 championships, as well as qualifying for the 2023 CIF-SS Masters Meet. Michael currently holds two school records at Shadow Hills High School in the 300m hurdles (38.69) and the 4x400m relay (3:23.87). Michael has also received additional honors which include; two-time Desert Sun Athlete of the Year, as well as being a four-time Summa Cum Laude Honor roll student for his stellar performance in the classroom, receiving a 4.67GPA. Michael is the son of Richie DeTamble and Kaleena Minaya and plans on majoring in Criminology and Justice Studies.
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Joseph Gonzalez
Joseph will be one of two local male throwers joining the Lumberjacks this coming fall. This Eureka, CA native started off his high school career strong, with a first-place finish in discus and a third-place finish at the HDN white star meet as a sophomore. During his junior year Joseph continued his success, placing fourth at the NCS Redwood Empire Championships, earning a spot at the North Coast Section Meet of Champions. In his senior year, Joseph improved dramatically, throwing a new personal best in shot put of 52'6, to take third in the Viking Classic in Montgomery, CA. Later that season, Joseph placed third in both the shot put (52'3) and discus (133'7) at the HDN white star meet. Joseph went on to place third in shot put and second in discus at the NCS Redwood Empire Championships, earning him another chance to compete at the North Coast Section Meet of Champions. Joseph ended his season earning a medal and throwing a new personal best of 148'0 in the discus. Joseph also displays outstanding character outside of track and field, and in 2023, received a cord for his amount of blood donations, as well as receiving a seal for Biliteracy in Spanish. Joseph is the son of Rachel Fletes and Jose Gonzalez and plans to major in Kinesiology during his time at Cal Poly Humboldt.
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Derek Ray
Derek is another local athlete who will help the Lumberjacks men's throwing team tremendously in the following years. This McKinleyville native will make an immediate impact and has already shown signs of greatness during his junior and senior year. During his junior year, Derek placed third and fifth respectively in the shot put (45'4) and discus (110'1). Later advancing to the North Coast Section Meet of Champions in the shot put (49'10) where he placed sixth. In his senior year, Derek saw big improvements in both his shot put and discus and earn multiple honors for his performances. At the end of his season, Derek placed second in the shot put (52'8) at the HDN white star meet, was champion at both the NCS Redwood Empire championships (53'7.75), and North Coast Section Meet of Champions (54'3), and earned himself the chance to compete at the 103rd California state championship. Derek went on to qualify for finals with a throw of 58'0.75, and placed eighth in the state of California. Later that summer, Derek qualified for the 2023 Nike Outdoor National Championship, where he placed 23rd with a throw of 54'10.75. Derek has not yet decided his major.
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Cristian Megas
Cristian will be joining the Lumberjacks this year after transferring from Redlands College to study Environmental Science. During his time at Redlands, Cristian has made a big impact as a 100m, 200m, and crucial part of their 4x100m squad. In 2022, at the SCIAC Conference Championships, Cristian placed third in the 100 (10.78), Eight in the 200 (21.81), and helped win the title for their 4x100m team (41.38). Their 4x100m team went on to place 12th at the 2022 Division 3 championships with a time of 41.01. This Palmdale Native has personal best of 10.68 in the 100m and 21.31 in the 200m. Cristian will join the Lumberjacks ready to make a big impact, both individually and as part of a fast relay team.
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Paul Domingue
Previously part of the Lumberjacks squad in the 2021 season, Paul will return to the team this coming fall from Orange Coast College. During his time as a previous Lumberjack (2020-2021), Paul improved his triple jump almost two feet (44'3-46'), and earned a spot in the Lumberjack Top-10 All-Time record books, ranking 8th during a challenging training year with few competition opportunities during the Covid Pandemic. With experience in multiple jumping events and being a talented 100m runner, Paul will hit the ground running this year ready to take charge, specializing in the triple jump. Once again at OCC, Paul jumped a new personal best of nearly two feet, and placed third in the CCCAA Southern California Championships with a jump of 47'11.25 in the triple jump. He later went on to place ninth at the CCCAA State Championship. With a personal best of 10.94 in the 100m, Paul will also make an impact on the depth of an already strong sprint squad. Paul also holds a personal best of 6'4 in the high jump, and will be an immediate asset to the 2024 Lumberjack team. Paul is the son of Paul Domingue Jr. and Margaret Domingue and will continue his education in pursuit of a degree in Kinesiology.
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Joey Bowser
Joey will be traveling from Montgomery High School in Santa Rosa to join the Lumberjacks this coming fall. Specialized in the sprinting events, Joey is talented in all three sprinting distances, the 100m (11.14), 200m (22.02), and 400m (49.71). In 2023, Joey took first place in both the 200m and 400m at the NCS Redwood Empire Championships, earning himself a spot at the North Coast Section Meet of Champions. Joey was a multi-sport athlete in high school and earned several awards including Montgomery track and field "Most Inspirational Athlete of the Year," and Montgomery football "Set the Expectation" award, which is exactly what he plans to do as part of the Lumberjack sprints program. Along with these recognitions of character, Joey met standards for Montgomery High School honor roll for his academics. Joey is the son of Jim and Tisa Bowser and plan to major in Sociology.
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Evan Schweitzer
Evan joins a strong Lumberjacks sprints program, coming from Cuesta College, where he shined both athletically and academically. During his time at Cuesta, Evan was dual enrolled at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and received his Bachelor's Degree in Psychology in just three years. Athletically, Evan has posted impressive times in the 200m (22.66) and 400m (49.74). His strong times in these events will contribute to an impressive team in the making, not only individually, but as part of the Lumberjacks 4x400m team. Evan is the son of Troy and Michelle Schweitzer and still has two years of eligibility left, where he will continue his athletic career and pursue a master's degree in Business Administration.
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Lucas Garin
Lucas will join the Lumberjacks, coming from Butte Community College in Oroville, CA. Lucas specializes in the 200m (23.13) and 400m (51.00), and will add depth to an already impressive recruiting class. In 2022, Lucas was the Golden Valley Conference Champion in the 400m, and was part of Butte's 4x400m team. Additionally, Lucas received Butte's "Best Teammate Award" in 2022 and received All-Academic Honors three years straight. Lucas is the son of Sergio and Antonia Garin and plans on majoring in Kinesiology.
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Michael Hickey
Michael will be joining the Lumberjacks from Murrieta Mesa High School, and will specialize in the discus throw. Michael made big improvements during his senior year in the discus, and ended his year with over a twenty-foot personal best over his junior year season, with a new life time best of 156'9. Michael was also a medalist in both shot put and discus at the Southwestern League Finals. Michael will join a very strong throwing team and plans to continue his education with a major in Software Engineering.
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Adam Gomez
Adam is yet another great thrower to be joining the Lumberjacks, and will be traveling up from Santa Teresa High School in San Jose, CA. Adam will be adding depth to the throws team in the events of shot put, discus, and the hammer throw. During his senior year, Adam was a medalist in the shot put and discus at the BVAL Conference Finals. Adam is son of Mark Gomez and Kathleen Sweeney and plans on majoring in Psychology.
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Landon Thorp
Landon will be joining the Lumberjacks from Foothill High School in Santa Ana, CA. Landon ran both the 110m hurdles and 300m hurdles, and will enter college ready to face the new distance, the 400m hurdles. Landon saw consistent improvement throughout his career at Foothill, and during his junior year, placed third in both the 110m hurdles (16.14) and 300m hurdles (43.12) at the North Hills League Finals, while also clenching the title in the 200m (23.00). During his senior year, Landon dealt with consistent injuries, but still managed to win the 300m hurdles at the North Hill League Finals. Landon comes to Humboldt eager to improve, and will take advantage of the newly adopted major, Applied Fire Science and Management.
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Bryce Pearson
Bryce will be joining the Lumberjacks, traveling up from Cerritos College. Bryce is a talented decathlete and 400m hurdler. With a personal best of 5839 in the decathlon, Bryce has will add depth and talent in a lot of areas, including the 100m (11.25), 400m (50.33), 110m hurdles (15.66), high Jump (6'2), long jump (21'10), and the 400m hurdles (55.93). In 2023, Bryce dealt with minor injuries so decided to focus primarily on the 400m and 400m hurdles, placing fifth at the CCCAA South Coast Championships, and fifth at the CCCAA Southern California Championships in the 400m hurdles. With abilities in many events, Bryce has lots of scoring potential for the Jacks at the next CCAA conference championship in 2024. Bryce is the brother of former Lumberjack 400m hurdler, Dominique Pearson, and will be majoring in Zoology.
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JR Reyna
JR will be joining the Lumberjacks, from Shadow Hills High School in Indio, CA. High school teammates with incoming hurdler Michael DeTamble, the duo will come in ready to make a statement for the 2024 Lumberjack team. JR competes in both the high jump and long jump, and in 2023 took first place in the high jump and second place in the long jump at the Desert Empire League Finals. JR holds the school record at Shadow hills in the high jump with a jump of 6'4, and is fifth all-time in the long jump with a jump of 20'8. JR has not yet chosen a major, but is interested in music production.
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Daniel Shaver
Daniel is yet another great athlete from Eureka High School, and will be majoring in Environmental Resources Engineering. This Eureka native runs cross-country, as well as track and field and will specialize in the 5,000 and 10,000m runs. In the fall of 2022, Daniel was the HDN cross-country individual champion, quickly followed by a first-place finish in the 3,200m at the 2023 HDN White Star Championships. Daniel was also the 3,200m champion in 2022.
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AJ Sverlow-Mendoza
AJ will join the Jacks coming from San Pedro High School, in San Pedro, CA. AJ has a very impressive high school career and graduated a well decorated distance runner. AJ's accomplishments include being two-time Marine League Champion in the 1600m (2022/2023), Marine League Champion in the 3200m (2023), CIF Los Angeles City Section Champion in the 1600m (2022), CIF Los Angeles City Section XC runner- up (2022), and two-time CIF State Qualifier in 1600m (2022/2023). With a personal best of 4:19.81 in the 1600m, AJ is poised to be an instant additional to a very strong distance team. AJ plans to major in Mechanical Engineering.
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Johnny Slone
Johnny will join the Jacks coming from Moorpark College. During his time at Moorpark, Johnny made a big statement with multiple accomplishments, and will make an immediate impact on the Lumberjacks distance team. In 2022, Johnny was the Western State Conference champion in both the 5,000m (14:48.7) and 10,000m run (34:36.28), which is no easy task. In 2023, Johnny went a different route and improved by over six seconds in the 1500m (3:54.15) and won the Western State Conference Championship. Along with his accomplishments in track and field, Johnny is a two-time All-Western State Conference cross-country runner. With Johnny's ability and range, he will be an asset for both the cross-country and track and field team. Johnny plans on majoring in Psychology.
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Finn Granger
Finn will be joining the Lumberjack cross-country and track and field team, coming from Beaverton High School, in Beaverton, OR. Throughout his time at Beaverton, Finn has improved greatly each year as a part of both the cross-country team, as well as track and field. And during his last two years has consistently placed in the top six in both the 1500m run and 3000m at the 6A-2 Metro League Championships. After graduation, Finn continued to add to his accolades when he went on to compete at the USATF Oregon HS Invitational, where he placed first in the 1500m. Additionally, Finn earned the opportunity to compete at the 2023 Nike Outdoor National Championship, where he placed 25th in the two-mile run. With personal best of 4:05.01 in the 1500m, 9:26.22 in the 3200m, and 15:49.33 in the 5000m, Finn will make big different in the coming years to a very strong Lumberjack distance team. Finn will has decided to major in Botany during his time at Humboldt.
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Keegan Henry
Keegan Henry joins the Lumberjacks as an 800m runner, coming from Butte College, in Oroville, CA. Keegan is a talented runner, and will add depth to an already exceptional group of 800m runners. During his time at Butte, Keegan started off his college career focusing primarily on the 200m and 400m, but decided to make the switch to the 800m during his sophomore year. He then went on to run a personal best of 1:58.75, to placed fourth at the GVC Championships. Several weeks later, he just missed the final at the Northern California CC Championships. Keegan will be making the move to Humboldt with two of his teammates from Butte, and is majoring in Recreation Administration.
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