PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Portland men’s cross country program is adding 17 recruits to the roster with what head coach Rob Conner calls a “monster” incoming class. The 17-member class comes to The Bluff from a staggering nine different states.
“University of Portland cross country is now truly a national brand, recognized for the opportunity we afford and excellence we develop,” Conner said. “It’s going to be a fun and exciting year.”
Chris Borg comes to UP from Peninsula High School in Gig Harbor, Wash. Borg ran a 9:14.36 at the Washington 3A Cross Country Championships, good for a third-place finish.
“We’re comparing Chris with Tommy Betterbed,” noted Conner. “He hasn’t done a ton of mileage and he will really improve during college.”
Chase Caulkins, from Wood River High School in Hailey, Idaho, is the Idaho State High School Cross Country champion. Caulkins placed 35th at the Nike Cross Country Nationals and finished second at the Pasco Invitational, with a time of 9:08.50. This spring, Caulkins won the state 1600m.
“Chase had dropped his 3200 time by about 50 seconds during the past year,” said Conner. “We feel he has a tremendous amount of potential and we’re excited to watch him continue to grow.”
Scott Fauble is the undefeated Colorado 4A State Cross Country champion who easily claimed the title with a time of 15:24 (5000m). Fauble also placed 17th at the Footlocker National Cross Country Championships, was the state runner-up with an altitude-adjusted time of 9:00.52 (3200m) and he won the 1600m.
“We think he is one of the rare high school runners that will make a seamless transition to college running,” Conner said of Fauble, who comes to The Bluff from Wheat Ridge High School in Wheat Ridge, Colo. “We think he is a potential varsity runner for us this fall.”
David Perry hails from Longmont, Colo., where he attended Niwot High School. Perry is the state champion in the 3200m, running an altitude adjusted time of 8:56.34. He also placed second in the Colorado 4A Cross Country meet.
“David was the most improved runner in Colorado from the end of cross country through the end of the track season,” said Conner. “He is a true ‘diamond in the rough’ with a huge upside. He reminds me a lot of John Moore coming out of high school.”
Connor J. Whan, out of Burlington-Edison High School in Burlington, Wash., finished third in the 3200m at the Washington 2A State Meet this spring with a season-best time of 9:20.41.
“Connor will make a contribution very soon.” Conner said. “He had a breakout season this spring and he will only be better at the 8k distance.
“Our recruiting coordinator Jesse Johnson has done a terrific job in his first year at UP,” continued Conner. “Coming from Colorado he set a goal of signing someone good from the state and we feel we got the best two prospects in the entire state!
“It is another large and deep class with lots of potential. We feel we have four national-level guys coming in that will make a huge impact for us in the coming years.”
Here’s a look at the rest of the 2010 incoming class:
George Brockett, Milwaukee HS (Ore.)
Ben Bruns, Southwest Christian HS (Ore.)
Mac Fey, University HS (Wash.)
Stephen Kersh, Sandia Prep (N.M.)
A.J. Kimura, Saddleback CC (Calif.)
William C. Lawson, Parkview HS (Mo.)
Dylan Lee, Castle HS (Hawaii)
Parker Mildenhall, Judge Memorial HS (Utah)
Caleb Patrick, Sheldon HS (Ore.)
Cody Sharrer, Cleveland HS (Ore.)
Ben Snodgrass, Vestal HS (N.Y.)
Arvin Ticzon, Centennial HS (Ore.)
Michael Young, St. Francis HS (Calif.)