About the coach....

JANI JOHNSON- MEN & WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD
jjohnson@cuesta.edu
     Jani begins her seventh season as the Head Coach of Cuesta’s Track and Field teams. She took over both cross-country and track and field from Darrell Rich, who ended his thirty-year career with the programs in 2002. Jani coached both sports for five years, but then decided to concentrate on track and field. The Cuesta Men and Women’s Track and Field teams enter the 2009 season with an eye on improving the teams overall performance. Coach Jani Johnson has assembled a coaching staff that will enable her to have every discipline mentored by an expert in the field. Her husband Jan Johnson and Cuesta Instructor Dave Pomfret have been on her staff all seven years and Cross Country Coach Brian Locher and throws coach Anton Alves on staff. The pole-vaulters will be under the expert eye of former Olympic medalist and World Record Holder Jan Johnson, who has guided 20 athletes to the State Meet in the last seven years. Pomfret earned All-East NCAA honors in the pole vault, javelin and decathlon while at Bucknell and will work with athletes in the jumps, javelin and multi-sport events. Both Locher and Alves competed at Chico State before joining the Cuesta team. This year with the new throwing facilities and an on site weight room in the plans, Coach Johnson believes her teams are ready to make another jump in the standings. She is excited about the ability to serve every discipline and to have a new home for the hammer event.
Jani has extensive running experience and is one of Cuesta’s most accomplished coaches. The New Zealand native was the first female athlete to receive an athletic scholarship at Cal Poly SLO and excelled for the Mustangs as a seven-time National Qualifier and four-time All American. In 1979, she earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education and in 1981 she earned her Master’s Degree in Education from Southern Illinois University. Jani continued to compete at a national level after college. She ran for the Nike South Team in 1980-81 and moved on to the Reebok Aggies Racing team from 1987 to 1990. She competed in the half marathon at the 1988 Olympic Festival and won the 1989 Southern California Grand Prix of Road Racing.
Jani has been at Cuesta since 1990 and has had a diverse career as a coach at Cuesta College. She served as the assistant track coach in 1991, the assistant cross country coach in 1996, was the assistant for Cuesta’s first women’s soccer team in 1995 and continues to serve as the coordinator for the college’s Employee Wellness Program. She served as the Assistant Track and Field Coach Atascadero High from 1998-2001. She helped guide the Greyhounds to the 1999 CIF Title.
Jani lives in Atascadero with her husband Jan, a Bronze Medallist at the 1972 Olympics in Pole Vault, and runs the Skyjumpers Pole Vaulting Camp. The couple has two kids, Chelsea and Clay. Chelsea won a pair of NCAA pole vault titles at UCLA.

Schedule

2009 Schedule

Meet Notes

CUESTA TRACK & FIELD

Western State Conference Mini Meet
Men's Results
1.Canyons, 67 points; 2. Cuesta & Ventura, 50; 4. Allan Hancock, 30.
100m Joe Spell (COC)- :11.30; 2. Alex Dantzler (Cue)- :11.33
200m Lance Mosely (COC)- :22.29; 4. Alex Dantzler (Cue)- :22.82
400m Michael Crutcher (COC)- :50.58; 9. Kyle Baynot (Cue)- :54.60
800m Matthew Phares (COC)- 2:05.56; 2. Matthew Tweitmeyer (Cue)- 2:06.07
1500m Michael Salvatierra (Cue)- 4:16.16
3000m Michael Salvatierra (Cue)- 9:27.04
110 H Keenan Smith (AHC)- :16.74; 2. Brady Dieda (Cue)- :16.8
400 H Michael Crutcher (COC)- :58.46; 4. Anders Raine (Cue)- 1:01.58
4x100 Canyons (COC)- :43.26; 4. Cuesta (Cue)- DQ
4x400 Canyons (COC)- 3:26.34; 2. Cuesta (Cue)- 3:38.12
HJ Anders Raine (Cue)- 6'
PV Sam Sampson (Cue)- 16' 1"
LJ Julian Salinas (Cue)- 21'5.25"
TJ Nicholas Karam (VC)- 45'5/75"; 2. Michale Hollis (Cue)- 43' 9.25"
Shot Mitch Short (Cue)- 46'3.25"
Disc Called on Darkness
Ham Kevin Conner (Cue)- 135' 2"
Jav Ben Hanner (Cue)- 176'4"

Women's Results
1. Canyons, 62; 2. Cuesta, 59; 3. Ventura & Allan Hancock, 50.
100m Jocelyn Coney (V)- :13.74
200m Caitlyn Ramirez (COC)- :26.99
400m Caitlyn Ramirez (COC)- 1:02.01
800m Corey Honeycutt (COC)- 2:28.18; 4. Christine Tellez (Cue)- 2:36.35
1500m Corey Honeycutt (COC)- 5:04.76; 2. Jennifer Love (Cue)- 5:06.00
3000m Jennifer Love (Cue)- 11:32.53
100 H Katrina Torres (Cue)- :16.16
400 H Brittany Uhl (COC)- 1:09.89
4x100 Cuesta (Cue)- :52.89
4x400 Canyons (COC)- 4:21.96; 3. Cuesta (Cue)- 4:36.58
HJ Brittany Uhl (COC)- 4'8"
PV Sian Morgan (Cue)- 10'10"
LJ Brittany Uhl (COC)- 16'3"; 2. Sian Morgan (Cue)- 16' 1.75"
TJ Brittany Uhl (COC)- 34'2.25"; 2. Sian Morgan (Cue)- 30'7.75"
Shot Chelsea Cassulo (AHC)- 43' 1"; 5. Valerie Gee (Cue)- 32'2.75"
Disc Christine Weinreich (Cue)- 129'5"
Ham Cassie Freeman (Cue)- 141'7"
Jav Randi Hicks (VC)- 138'8"; 4. Cassie Freeman (Cue)- 93'10"

Notes- Cuesta's men and women's track and field teams both finished in second place at the four-team Western State Conference Mini Meet. The men were led by double event winner Michael Salvatierra, who brought home first place in the 1500 and 3000 meter runs. The team also received personal best performances by Sam Sampson, Kevin Conner and Ben Hanner. Sampson cleared 16-1 in the pole vault, Conner tossed the hammer 135-2 and Hanner chucked the javelin 176-4 and all three picked up the win in their events. All State Pole vaulter Sian Morgan led the women with a win in the pole vault and a pair of second places in the triple and long jumps. Cuesta record holders Katrina Torres and Cassie Freeman also won their specialties, the 100 hurdles and hammer, respectively.

Next: Cuesta has no contests next week and will not compete again until the Santa Barbara Easter Relays on March 20th.

 

Roster

2009 Cuesta Women's Track Roster [men] click on name for picture [ click here for all pictures]
Name	Ht	Event	Yr	Hometown/High School
Rachel Conley	5-5	Long Jump	So	Napa/ Vintage
Majida Fazal	5-5	Distance	So	Dubai, UAE/ Westminster School
Cassie Freeman	5-10	Throws	So	Morro Bay/ Morro Bay
Valerie Gee	6-1	Throws	Fr	Yosemite/Yosemite
Mary Henderson	5-6	Javelin	Fr	Atascadero/ Atascadero
Liz Lawrence	5-5	Distance	So	Paso Robles/ Paso Robles
Sian Morgan	5-5	PV/LJ/TJ	So	Bury, UK/ SLO HS
Jennifer Love	5-7	Distance	Fr	Hemet/ Hemet
Megan Mullin	5-8	Pole Vault	Fr	Potter Valley/ Ukiah
Lacey O'Connor	5-6	Distance	Fr	Los Osos/ Morro Bay
Janelle Perry	5-3	Distance	Fr	San Luis Obispo/ Templeton Ind.
Sara Pizzo	5-5	Pole Vault	Fr	Santa Cruz/ Monte Vista Christian
Christine Tellez	5-1	Distance	Fr	Arroyo Grande/ AGHS
Katrina Torres	5-7	Hurdles	So	San Luis Obispo/ SLO HS
Christine Weinreich	5-7	Throws	Fr	Pismo Beach/ Arroyo Grande
Nicole Worden	5-10	Pole Vault	Fr	Castaic/ Valencia
Colleen Young	5-6	Sprints	Fr	Los Angeles/ Burbank
Head Coach/Year: Jani Johnson (7th) Assistant (Jumps) Dave Pomfret: (7th) Assistant (Pole Vault) Jan Johnson: (7th) Assistant (Distance): Brian Locher (2nd) Assistant (Throws:) Ryan James (2nd) Office Phone: (805) 546-3100 x2716 2008 WSC Record,: women 8th 2008 State Meet: women 12th

2009 Cuesta Men's Track Roster click on name for picture [ click here for all pictures]
Name	Ht	Wt	Event	Yr	Hometown/High School
Marcel Acebo	5-11	224	Throws	Fr	Paso Robles/ Templeton
Jordan Angel	5-5	140	Sprints	Fr	Rocklin/ Whitney
Thomas Barnett	6-6	265	Throws	Fr	Mansfield, TX/ Mansfield
Kyle Baynot	5-11	?	Mid Distance	Fr	Lompoc/ Paso Robles
Cory Bryant	5-9	165	Pole Vault	Fr	Porterville/ Monache
Jonathan Campbell	6-1	175	Mid Distance	Fr	Los Gatos/ Los Gatos
Greg Casciaro	6-4	235	Sprints/Jumps	Fr	Menlo Park/ Sacred Heart
Blake Corl-Baietti	6-4	215	Decathlon	Fr	Las Vegas, NV/ Bonanza
Kevin Conner	6-0	225	Throws	So	Oakhurst/ Yosemite
Rob Daniels	6-0	190	Decathlon	So	Kings Beach/ North Tahoe
Alex Dantzler	5-11	175	Sprints	Fr	Lancaster/Granite Hill
Brady Dieda	6-2	190	Decathlon	Fr	Murrieta/ Murrietta Valley
Mike Felts	5-6	140	Sprints/LJ/TJ	So	Arroyo Grande/ AGHS
Gabriel Flores	6-0	145	Mid Distance	Fr	Taft/ Paso Robles
Cottrell Freeman	6-0	195	Sprints	Fr	Tulare/ Tulare Western
Mike Galletly	6-7	265	Throws	Fr	San Ramon/ California
Omaya Hall	5-10	150	High Jump	Fr	San Diego/ Mountain Empire
Travis Hallanan	6-1	150	Distance	Fr	Paso Robles/ Paso Robles
Ben Hanner	6-1	196	Javelin	Fr	Rio Vista/ Rio Vista
Zachary Hanner	6-5	185	Hurdles	So	Rio Vista/ Rio Vista
Mike Hollis	5-11	160	Decathlon	Fr	Livermore/ Livermore
David Kawalik	6-1	213	Decathlon	Fr	Edmonton, CAN/ Ross Sheppard
Trent Lewis	6-1	155	Sprints	Fr	Clovis/ East
Shane Lovell	5-10	160	Pole Vault	Fr	Templeton/ Templeton
Kyle Maynes	5-9	150	Javelin	So	San Diego/ Eastlake
Lee Mitchell	6-0	175	Pole Vault	Fr	Los Banos/ Los Banos
Oscar Pena	5-9	138	Mid Distance	Fr	King City/ King City
Anders Raine	6-0	160	Decathlon	So	Templeton/ Templeton
Cortney Reagan	5-7	155	Distance	So	Sacramento/ Sheldon
Brandon Roskelley	6-2	185	Throws	Fr	Auburn/ Placer
Julian Salinas	5-7	150	Decathlon	So	Arvin/ Arvin
Michael Salvatierra	6-1	155	Distance	Fr	Placerville/ Jesuit
Sam Sampson	5-6	135	Pole Vault	Fr	Bellingham, WA/ Squalicum
Sammy Sanchez	5-11	170	Sprints	Fr	Los Osos/ Morro Bay
Todd Sauter	5-11	235	Throws	Fr	Santa Ynez/ Santa Ynez
Mitch Short	5-10	228	Throws	Fr	Mansfield, TX/ Mansfield
Galen Smith	5-11	182	Sprints	Fr	Templeton/ Templeton
Luke Snyder	6-1	155	Distance	Fr	Thousand Oaks/ Westlake
Max Struble	6-0	165	Mid Distance	Fr	Durham/ Durham
Alex Teunissen	5-11	180	Pole Vault	Fr	Atascadero/ Atascadero
Brian Tilley	6-0	150	Pole Vault	Fr	Orinda/ Miramonte
Matthew Twietmeyer	6-2	185	Mid Distance	Fr	Auburn/ Placer
Jeffrey Walter	5-6	130	Mid Distance	Fr	Turlock/ Turlock
Tyler Woodard	6-0	175	Pole Vault	So	Santa Clarita/ Canyon
Head Coach: Jani Johnson Year: 7th Assistant (Jumps) Dave Pomfret: (7th) Assistant (Pole Vault) Jan Johnson: (7th) Assistant (Distance): Brian Locher (2nd) Assistant (Throws:) Ryan James (2nd) Office Phone: (805) 546-3100 x2716 2008 WSC Record: men 11th

 

Season Preview

Torres and Morgan Lead the Women- The Men Play the Numbers Game

SAN LUIS OBISPO (February 6, 2009)— The Cuesta Men and Women’s Track and Field teams enter the 2009 season with an eye on improving the teams overall performance. Coach Jani Johnson has assembled a coaching staff that will enable her to have every discipline mentored by an expert in the field. Her husband Jan Johnson and Cuesta Instructor Dave Pomfret have been on her staff all seven years, while Brian Locher and Ryan James return for their second seasons. The pole-vaulters will be under the expert eye of former Olympic medalist and World Record Holder Jan Johnson, who has guided 16 athletes to the State Meet in the last seven years. Pomfret earned All-East NCAA honors in the pole vault, javelin and decathlon while at Bucknell and will work with athletes in the jumps, javelin and multi-sport events. Locher is the Cougars’ Head Cross Country Coach, so the Cougars get the added benefit of having two head coaches on the track. Locher will work with many of his athletes from the fall and will concentrate his teaching on the distance events. A current Cal Poly record holder in the javelin, James will tutor the largest contingent of throws that Cuesta has fielded in years. The women’s track and field team has finished in the top five in the Western State Conference in five of Johnson’s six years, a feat the program had only accomplished twice during the previous fifteen years. The men dropped to 12th place last season, but continued to develop top quality athletes. This year Coach Johnson believes her teams are ready to make another jump in the standings. She is excited about the ability to serve every discipline with a staff of expert coaches.
Johnson and her staff will take the team to Bakersfield on February 12th for the first Western State Conference Mini Meet of the year. The meet will begin at 2 PM and the Cougars will compete against Allan Hancock, West LA and Bakersfield Colleges. The Cuesta team will get its first chance at competition this Saturday at 10 AM at the Cuesta Open. The meet is open to all community members including high school, college and amateur athletes.
WOMEN’S TEAM
The Cuesta Women’s Track and Field team returns two 2008 State Finalist for this season and they will be joined by a small, but talented team. Last year Cuesta finished 8th in the 14-team Western State Conference, but their stars were so talented that the team only dropped four spots to 12th place among the 80-plus teams scoring in the State Finals. The Cougars may have to rely on that same type of math this year with State Finalists Sian Morgan (Burk, UK: SLO HS) and Katrina Torres (SLO HS) back for a second run as well as UCI transfer Cassie Freeman (Morro Bay HS), coming off a redshirt season, and standout harrier Lacey O’Connor (Los Osos: Morro Bay HS) leading the way.
Sian Morgan (Burk, UK: SLO HS), a pole vaulter, finished second in the state behind teammate Kate Almond, who won her second State Title. Morgan, who cleared 11-7 last year, is the favorite for the 2009 title. She was also the Cougars top long (15-10) and triple (32-9) jumper last season. She will be joined a promising group in the vault. Freshmen Nicole Worden (Castaic) and Sara Pizzo (Santa Cruz) should be competitive on the collegiate level right away and the Cougars also return Megan Mullin (Potter Valley), who could be a surprise after missing the past three seasons. In the jumps, CIF Finalist Chelsea Cowan (Morro Bay HS) and Rachel Conley (Napa) are talented enough to give Morgan a break in the bigger meets and score on their own.
Katrina Torres (SLO HS) missed half of the 2008 track season as she helped lead the women’s basketball team into the playoffs, but once she began the season she never stopped improving. Every time Torres stepped on the track last season she improved her time. She set and broke the school 100 hurdles record three times and finished 8th in the 2008 State Finals (:15.03). The basketball team will miss the post-season this year, so the expectations are even higher for Torres. Torres has great acceleration out of the blocks and will also compete in the 100-200 sprints. She posted the team’s second fastest 100 time (:13.42) in 2008 and will join a familiar group of sprinters led by basketball redshirts, Amanda Cady (Bakersfield) and Kim Cheney (San Luis Obispo: SLO Community School). Cady was an All State selection at Stockdale High and could develop into a force for the Cougars.
Cassie Freeman (Morro Bay HS) spent the 2007 season at UC Irvine and her hammer toss of 143-6 ranks fourth all time for the Anteaters. It would also shatter Cuesta’s current standard set in 1997 by Jennifer Wright (134-7). Freeman, who redshirted at Cuesta in 2008, will be joined by State High School Finalist Christine Weinreich (Pismo Beach: Arroyo Grande HS) in the discus, hammer and shot and 2008 all SLO County softballer Mary Henderson (Atascadero HS) in the javelin. Weinreich finished 8th at State High School Meet in the shot put and also earned all-CIF honors in the discus. California high schools do not compete in the javelin, so although Henderson is a novice she has shown promise.
Lacey O’Connor (Los Osos: Morro Bay HS) finished 17th at the 2008 State Cross Country Meet and was named to the 2008 All Southern California and Western State Conference First Teams as a harrier. The 2008 Cuesta Cross Country MVP will lead several of her fellow harriers in the distance events. O’Connor is expected to extend herself in the 1,500 and 3,000 meters along with fellow member of the cross country team member Majida Fazal (Dubai, UAE) and returner Liz Lawrence (Paso Robles HS). Lawrence had the Cougars top times for 2008 in the 1,500 (5:45.10), 3,000 (12:39.31) and 5,000 (21:46.88) meter runs. The rest of the harriers from Cuesta’s State team will handle the 400 and 800-meter races. Freshmen Jennifer Love (Hemet HS), Janelle Perry (San Luis Obispo: Templeton Independent) and Christine Tellez (Arroyo Grande HS) will be a formidable trio in the middle distance events.
MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
In 2008, for only the second time in the past decade, Cuesta did not send a member of the men’s track and field team to the State Championships. Coach Jani Johnson has made sure that this won’t happen again. She has recruited a huge squad, nearly fifty recruits, for the 2009 campaign and specifically addressed last year’s weaknesses by shoring up her distance running and throwing teams. She says, “We are in our best position to date. We will have to wait and see the competition, but this team will land in the top 3 in conference. I am cautiously optimistic.” The Cougars have a fresh group this season with only six point scorers back from last season, but the huge numbers will allow them depth across the board and the ability to score multiple times in every event.
The Cougars added plenty of numbers and mass to the throwing team. Sophomore Team Captain Kevin Connor (Oakhurst) posted the team’s best marks of 2008 in both the shot put (33-7.75) and hammer (112-7) and will be challenged in both of those events by newcomers. 6-7, 265-pound Mike Galletly (San Ramon), 6-6, 265-pound Thomas Barnett (Mansfield, TX) and 5-10, 228-pound Mitch Short (Mansfield, TX) will be consistent scorers in the shot put, discus and hammer and will have a chance to move into the post-season. Freshman Ben Hanner (Rio Vista HS) and Todd Sauter (Santa Ynez HS) will specialize in the javelin. The Cougars also return Decathlete Julian Salinas (Arvin HS), who was a 2008 SoCal Finalist in the javelin (174-11). Salinas will also compete in several other events.
Decathlete Julian Salinas (Arvin HS) is a natural to lead the Cougars in the field events. He will lead a group of five decathletes that will fill in events all over the meet. Salinas and fellow sophomore Anders Raine (Templeton HS) will both be competitive in the decathlon after scoring 5,219 and 4,781 last season, respectively. They are also both good hurdlers. Salinas was the Cougars top 110 hurdler (:16.21) and Raine was solid in the 400 hurdles (1:02.32). Freshmen decathletes Mike Hollis (Livermore HS), Brady Dieda (Murrieta) and Blake Corl-Baietti (Las Vegas, NV) are all potential point scorers in multiple events. Hollis should challenge Mario Smith’s 1987 Cuesta triple jump record (45-10.5) and Dieda is potentially the Cougars top hurdler.
In the jumping events the Cougars multi-sport athletes are expected to lead the way along with a healthy Zach Hanner (Rio Vista HS). Hanner began last season fresh off chemotherapy and appears to have regained his strength. The cancer survivor has the added bonus of having his brother, Thrower Ben Hanner (Rio Vista HS), on the team and Coach Johnson is waiting to see what he can do this season. She said, “He is a hard worker, really an amazing kid.” Hanner will run both the long and short hurdle distances and will join Hollis in the triple jump as the Cougars top returning jumper (41-11.25). He is also a capable high jumper and will join Anders Raine (Templeton HS) and freshman Omaya Hall (San Diego) in that event.
Sophomores Mike Felts (Arroyo Grande HS) and Andrew Cormier (Atascadero HS) will be joined by freshmen Jordan Angel (Rocklin) and Rob Daniels (Kings Beach) in the sprint events and can help them put together a formidable relay team. Cormier and Felts were one-two in both the 100 (:11.31 and :11.49) and 200 (:23.36 and :23.49) meter sprints last season. Coach Johnson expects Angel to break 11 seconds and she thinks Daniels, a former All State selection in high school, has great potential if he can stay healthy. Cormier, Felts and Daniels can also be used in the jumps. Daniels was a high jumper in high school and Cormier cleared 20-8.25 in the long jump last spring.
Cross Country Head Coach Brian Locher led the Cuesta men to the State Meet for the first time since 1982 and as an assistant in track he has brought most of that squad over from the dirt paths. 2008 Cross Country MVP Travis Hallanan (Paso Robles HS), along with fellow harriers Oscar Pena (King City HS) and Jonathan Campbell (Los Gatos HS), will score plenty of points in the distance events. The middle distance events will be held by a quartet of newcomers with a lot of potential- Michael Salvatierra (Placerville), Jeffrey Walter (Turlock HS), Matthew Twietmeyer (Auburn) and Galen Smith (Thousand Oaks). Walter could challenge Mike Bisbee’s 1977 school record (1:49.62) and the rest of the group is being counted on to score in every meet.
Thanks to former World Record Holder and Olympic Medalist Jan Johnson, Cuesta is known as the State’s premier pole vault school. The Cougars have claimed ten individual State Titles since joining Division I in 1983 and six of those have been won by pole vaulters. In the past six years, Cuesta has qualified 37 athletes for the state meet and 20 of those have also been pole vault protégées. This year the men return 11-foot jumpers Julian Salinas (Arvin HS) and Anders Raine (Templeton HS), but those decathletes should take a back seat the imported talent. 2008 State Finalist Tyler Woodard (Santa Clarita) competed for College of the Canyons last season and has shown that he already has the ability to reach the State Meet, now he needs to chase the State Title. He has cleared 16-5 as a freshman and is ready to make the next step as a sophomore. Freshmen Sam Sampson (Bellingham, WA) and Alex Teunissen (Atascadero HS) have both gone over 15-6 in high school and are expected to show improvement in college.

 

Track and Field Bests

Men's Track and Field Bests | Women's Track and Field Bests

Quick Facts/Johnson Record

 

	Men		Women
	Conf. Finish	State Place	Conf. Finish	State Place
2003	3rd	15th	3rd	23rd
2004	3rd	22nd	2nd	7th
2005	6th	41st	5th	17th
2006	4th	21st	3rd	8th
2007	8th	29th	5th	36th
2008	11th	----	8th	12th
Titles	0	0	0	0
Western State Conference Coach of the Year - 2004

 

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