SAN ANTONIO — The UTSA track & field program welcomed 14 new Roadrunners to campus this fall as part of the 2022 signing class.
The new signees include Gabriel Binion, Michael Campbell, Luzaan De Wit, Madi Henry, Michael Herrera, Dylan James, Jacob Jenkins, Amaya King, Savannah Lopez, Lauren Roy, O.J. Ruiz, Isabella Simonelli, Colton Stunkard and Madelen Sveinungsen.
"This is an amazing signing class that will continue the legacy of success we have built here at UTSA," Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Aaron Fox said. "This group will have an immediate impact on our program and help us continue to contend for conference championships and postseason honors. We're excited about their arrival and can't wait to see them develop on the track and in the classroom."
Gabriel Binion (Sydney, Australia/Mountain View Mesa (Ariz.) HS/Grand Canyon)
Transfer from Grand Canyon … honorable mention All-American in the long jump with a leap of 7.38 meters (24-2.5) at the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships … NCAA West Preliminary Round qualifier in the long and triple jump … measured 7.74m (25-4.75) to finish ninth in the long jump and advance to nationals … swept the horizontal jumps at the 2022 Western Athletic Conference Outdoor with a 7.53m (24-8.5) mark in the long and a 14.74m (48-4.5) measurement in the triple … posted a collegiate career best 7.68m (25-2.5) effort to win the long jump at the Desert Heat Classic … took top honors in the triple jump with a personal best of 15.65m (51-4.25) at the Sun Angel Classic … struck gold in the triple jump with a 15.21m (49-11) mark at the 2022 WAC Indoor … NCAA West Preliminary Round qualifier in the triple jump as a freshman in 2021 … state champion in the triple jump at Mountain View Mesa High School … No. 7-ranked triple jumper in the Class of 2020.
Michael Campbell (Bloomfield, Conn./Bloomfield HS/UTRGV)
Transfer from UTRGV … 2022 Western Athletic Conference Indoor silver medalist in the shot put after measuring 17.14 meters (56-3) … also finished as runner-up at the 2022 Longhorn Invitational with a mark of 16.92m (55-6.25) and posted a personal-best discus throw of 51.54m (169-1) for third at that meet … finished sixth in the shot put with a 16.41m (53-10.25) effort at the 2022 WAC Outdoor … swept the shot put (17.05m/55-11.25) and discus (46.72m/153-3) at the UIW Invitational …placed fifth in the shot put (16.15m/53-0) and sixth in the discus (48.04m/157-7) at the 2021 WAC Outdoor … two-time Connecticut state champion at Bloomfield High School … captured the 2020 CIAC Combined Class S shot put title with a mark of 18.10m (59-4.75) … went on to win the CIAC Combined State Open Championship before earning bronze at the New England Interscholastic Championships … recorded a personal-best weight throw of 19.30m before winning the Connecticut Weight Throw Clinic & Championship … ranked in the top 15 nationally in the shot put for the Class of 2022.
Luzaan De Wit (Pietermaritzburg, South Africa/Jacksonville)
Transfer from Jacksonville … competed in the middle distances and cross country for the Dolphins … clocked a collegiate career-best time of 5:16.81 in the mile in the 2022 Atlantic Sun Conference Indoor Championships prelims … finished fifth in the 3,000 meters with an 11:03.92 clocking at the Tom Jones Memorial … timed 2:15.90 in the 800m prelims at the ASUN Outdoor … placed 43rd at the 2021 ASUN Cross Country Championships with a 5k time of 18:39.7 … raced in the NCAA South Regional … posted a pair of fourth-place finishes at the 2021 UCF Black & Gold Invite, clocking a 2:16.31 in the 800m and 4:38.30 in the 1,500m … owns personal bests of 2:11.52 in the 800m, 4:38.30 in the 1,500m and 11:03.92 in the 3,000m.
Madi Henry (New Braunfels, Texas/New Braunfels HS/UIW)
Transfer from UIW … placed fourth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 11:19.62 at the 2022 Southland Conference Outdoor Championships … clocked a personal best 4:41.35 in the 1,500m to finish third at the 2022 UTSA Invitational … scored points in the 1,500m (8th/4:50.59) and steeple (5th/11:21.78) at the 2021 Southland Outdoor … registered a PB of 11:06.77 in the 3,000m steeple to place third at the J. Fred Duckett Twilight … timed a collegiate career best 2:17.69 in the 800m for fifth at the 2021 UIW Invitational … earned New Braunfels High School's Outstanding Female Athlete Award as a senior … captured the bronze medal in the 1600m at the regional meet … helped the Unicorns to runner-up finished at the district and regional meets as a junior … led New Braunfels High to sixth place in both the DMR and 4x800m relay at the Texas Relays … three-time academic all-district and second-team academic all-state honoree … member of the National Honor Society … graduated magna cum laude.
Michael Herrera (San Antonio, Texas/Holmes HS)
2022 District 29-6A champion in the 5,000 meters with a time of 16:45.4 … advanced to the regional meet where he clocked a 16:41.4 … finished fifth in the 5,000m in 16:14.5 at the Central Catholic Meet … clocked a season-best time of 16:07.0 to place seventh at the Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City 4th Annual Invitational … competed in the 5,000m at the 2021 NXR South Regional Championships, clocking a 16:13.3 … raced to a prep best 15:50.3 to earn the silver medal at the district meet as a junior … placed fourth at the regional meet in 16:08.7 to advance to the state meet, where he timed a 16:05.5 … regional qualifier as a sophomore.
Dylan James (Perth, Australia/Butler College/Arizona State)
Transfer from Arizona State, where he was a three-time Pac-12 Conference medalist … two-time NCAA West Preliminary round qualifier in the long jump and triple jump … claimed bronze medals in the long jump with a mark of 7.50 meters (24-7.25) and triple jump with a collegiate career-best measurement of 15.84m (51-11.75) at the 2022 Pac-12 Outdoor Championships … won the long jump with a personal best 7.70m (25-3.25) mark at the Sun Angel Classic … skipped to gold in the triple jump with a 15.70m (51-6.25) effort at the 2022 Pac-12 Invitational … claimed bronze in the long jump with a 7.77m (25-6) leap at the 2021 Pac-12 Outdoor … finished his Sun Devils career ranked ninth in program history in the indoor triple jump with a mark of 15.46 meters (50-8.75) … was the 2019 U-18 world triple jump No. 1 … U18 Australian triple jump national record holder with a mark of 15.84m … 2019 National All Schools U18 long jump champion … won the 2018 U17 triple jump crown and was second in the high jump with a 2.02m (6-7.5) clearance … native of Australia who attended Butler College in Perth.
Jacob Jenkins (Round Rock, Texas/Round Rock HS/South Dakota)
Transfer from South Dakota … Summit League Indoor champion in the triple jump after skipping to a mark of 14.71 meters (48-3.25) … took seventh in the long jump with a leap of 6.84m (22-5.25) at the conference meet … 2021 Summit League Indoor runner-up in the triple jump with a leap of 14.22m (46-8) … also placed seventh in the long jump in 6.62m (21-8.75) at the conference meet … measured a season-best 14.97m (49-1.5) to win the triple jump at the Division I Challenge … also won the triple at the Dakota Quad Classic, USD Invitational, SDSU Holiday Invitational and SDSU Last Chance meet … placed second in the triple jump with a mark of 14.44m (47-4.5) at the 2021 Summit League Outdoor … two-sport athlete at Round Rock High School near Austin … helped the Dragons win four consecutive district titles … AAU Junior Olympic All-American with a fourth-place finish in the triple jump in 2018 ... posted prep personal bests of 47-4 in the triple jump and 22-8 in the long jump ... also played football for the Dragons.
Amaya King (Mason, Ohio/William Mason HS/Purdue)
Transfer from Purdue … registered the No. 4 shot put mark in Purdue history of 15.89m (52-1.75) to place eighth at the 2021 Big Ten Indoor … measured 15.30 meters, a top-10 mark in program annals, to finish fourth at the 2020 Alex Wilson Invite … placed third in both the weight throw (15.45m) and shot put (13.63m) at the 2020 Fred Wilt Open in her collegiate debut … state shot put champion in 2018 at William Mason High School in Mason, Ohio … also finished in the top five in the shot put at the state meet in 2014 and 2016 … named team MVP each year of high school.
Savannah Lopez (League City, Texas/Clear Creek HS)
Regional qualifier in multiple events at Clear Creek High School in the Greater Houston Area … made her second straight Region III-6A meet as a senior, clocking a 2:28.39 in the 800 meters … won the 800m with a season-best time of 2:20.71 at the 2022 Santa Fe Reggie Crosby Relays … finished fourth in the 800m at the district meet as a junior with a prep personal best of 2:18.70 … placed third at the area meet in 2:19.05 and was seventh at the regional meet with a 2:19.82 clocking … turned in a prep PB of 5:19.43 in the 1,600m at the 2021 Region III-6A meet … was the district runner-up that year with a 5:23.09 … finished fourth at the area meet in 5:20.53.
Lauren Roy (Ballymena, Northern Ireland/St Patrick's College/Queens University Belfast)
Accomplished sprinter from Northern Ireland, who represented her country at the 2022 World Championships … competed indoors for Queens University Belfast in 2022 … clocked a season-best time of 7.43 seconds in the 60 meters for runner-up honors at the 2022 National Indoor League and matched that time and finish at the Irish Life Health National Senior Indoor Championships … posted a personal best 60m time of 7.39 at the 2019 AAI Indoor Games … sped to a wind-aided 11.70 in the PURE Athletics Global Invitational prelims before stopping the clock in a wind-legal time of 11.77 in the final … also clocked an 11.70 at the 2022 Cork City Sports meet … has clocked a wind-aided 24.33 in the 200m and owns a wind-legal PB of 24.49.
O.J. Ruiz (Eagle Pass, Texas/Eagle Pass HS)
State qualifier and district champion at Eagle Pass High School … district runner-up in cross country in 2021 after clocking a 15:26.6 for 5k … placed ninth at the Region IV-6A cross country meet and earned a spot at the state meet that year … claimed silver in the 800m in 1:58.01 and bronze in the 1,600m in 4:28.40 at the area meet as a senior … clocked a personal best 1.56.46 for seventh in the 800m at the Region IV-6A meet and was 14th in the 1,600m in 4:32.39 … clocked a 9:39.36 in the 3,200m at the Border Olympics … posted a prep best 1,600m time of 4:24.59 to place sixth at the 2021 regional meet … district runner-up in the 1,600m as a junior … member of the National Honor Society … father played baseball at UIW.
Isabella Simonelli (Goldie, Australia/ Kilmore International School/Southern Miss)
Transfer from Southern Miss, where she helped the Golden Eagles claim back-to-back Conference USA Indoor titles … scored points in a pair of events at the 2022 C-USA Outdoor, placing sixth in the hammer with a throw of 54.46 meters (178-8) and seventh in the discus with a mark of 46.56m (152-9) … posted a collegiate personal best discus mark of 46.69m (153-2) for fourth at the 2022 Southern Miss Invitational … logged her weight throw PB of 17.56m (57-7.5) at the 2022 Vanderbilt Invitational … placed sixth in the hammer at the 2021 C-USA Outdoor after measuring 53.31m (174-11) … turned in a career best hammer throw of 57.03m (187-1) to place third at the 2021 Al Schmidt Bulldog Relays … member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee while at Southern Miss.
Colton Stunkard (Texas City, Texas/Texas City HS/Sam Houston)
Transfer from Sam Houston … was 71st at the 2021 Western Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships … clocked a collegiate career-best time of 8:56.65 in the indoor 3,000 meters at the 2022 Houston G5 & Super 22 Invitational to finish 12th … competed in the 3,000m and 5,000m at the 2022 WAC Indoor … turned in a personal best 14:47.24 in the 5,000m for sixth place at the 44 Farms Team Invitational … qualified for the regional meet in cross country and track & field multiple times as a prepster at Texas City High School … advanced to the 2019 Class 5A state meet, where he placed 26th … placed fifth at the 2019 Region III-5A Cross Country Championships.
Madelen Sveinungsen (Froland, Norway)
Standout jumper from Norway … cleared the bar at a personal-best height of 1.79 meters (5-10.5) to win the high jump at the 2021 Tyrving Treningsstevne, one of her nine wins in the event that year … runner-up in the high jump with a 1.71m (5-7.25) clearance at the 2021 Norwegian Championships … topped 1.78m (5-10) at the U20 European Championships … cleared a season best 1.73m (5-8) for fifth place at the Nordic Baltic U23 Championships … won the indoor high jump with a 1.65m (5-5) clearance at the 2022 Tyrvinglekene … also posted a personal best of 5.31m (17-5.25) in the long jump.
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