ANCHORAGE, ALASKA – The University of Alaska Anchorage announced the addition of 12 distance runners to the cross country and track and field teams.
"Head Coach McWilliams empowered Coach Patterson and I to be very aggressive with our efforts to rebuild the rich tradition of a nationally competitive distance program here," said associate head coach Chas Davis. "And that's exactly what we did - in no small part due to Coach Patterson's relentless efforts. Cole Nash now has a supporting cast and the women have the building blocks for what it takes. It will still take another year or two to return to national prominence, but we are well on our way with this class."
Aunika Miller
Bandon, Ore. (Bandon High School)
Aunika was a four-time state champion at Bandon high school winning two titles in cross country and twice winning the 4x400 relay. She was the vice president of her senior class and was a high honors student. Aunika is undecided on a major.
Assistant Coach Charles Davis Comments: "Aunika found us...and we are glad she did. As seems to be the theme with this class, she brings a lot of upside coming from a small Oregon class without all the regular competitive opportunities that come with a larger city/school/class. We are looking forward to what she can bring to our program in terms of culture & dedication."
Elle Stevens
Colorado Springs, Colo. (Colorado Springs Christian School)
Elle won state titles in the 3,200 and 4x800 and finished second in the 1,600 and 800. She was a three-time first-team all-state selection in cross country, including a third-place finish, and was a first-team all-state selection in track and field. Elle has run personal-bests (all at altitude) of 2:24.62 for 800, 5:18.08 for 1,600, 11:25.03 for 3,200 and 18:37.10 for 5K cross country. She was a member of the National Honor Society and plans to major in anthropology.
Assistant Coach Charles Davis Comments: "We are extremely excited about Elle - she hasn't been running competitively for very long and this was her first ever track season. Whatever her tremendous upside holds, her future is bright here."
Jordan Strausbaugh
Soldotna, Alaska (Soldotna High School)
Jordan was a state champion in the 4x800 relay and was the state runner-up in the 800. She was a two-time regional champion and ran personal-bests of 2:19 for 800, 5:18 for 1,600 and 11:35 for 3,200. Jordan graduated with a 4.0 GPA, was the salutatorian, senior class vice president and a member of the National Honor Society. She is undecided on a major.
Assistant Coach Charles Davis Comments: "One of the first things we wanted to establish with this class was to make it clear that UAA is a great destination for Alaska's top talent...and Jordan's commitment here does exactly that. Not only that, but her extremely low-volume training & diverse sport background mean she's well positioned to improve dramatically here."
Avery Williamson
Haines, Alaska (Haines High School)
Avery was a two-time state champion winning the 2019 cross country state title and the state title in the 4x200 in 2022. She holds school records in the 4x100 and 4x200. She was the valedictorian, a member of the National Honor Society and was a high honors student. She plans to major in journalism.
Assistant Coach Charles Davis Comments: "Avery is a bit of the wildcard in this class...she's a solid hurdler & cross country runner - so we are going to develop her as a steeplechaser here with Coach Patterson's help."
Tressa Wood
The Dalles, Ore. (Spokane Falls Community College)
Tressa is a transfer from Spokane Falls Community College where she ran personal-bests of 4:59 for 1,500, 41:03 for 10,000 and 18:48 for 5K cross country. She was a member of the honor roll at SFCC in 2021 and 2022 and plans to major in graphic design.
Assistant Coach Charles Davis Comments: "After finding Tressa at one of our cross country races last fall & then meeting with her last winter, we felt very confident about her fit with us here - both culturally work ethic-wise...which was one of our top characteristics we were looking for with this class."
Zach Christensen
Wildwood, Mo. (Bringham Young University)
Zach is a transfer from BYU where he was a member of the club team running personal-bests of 49.6 for 400, 1:57 for 800, 3:56.19 for 1,500, 9:00 for 3,000 (altitude) and 15:23 for 5,000 (altitude). He earned all-state recognition in the 800 and 4x400 and graduated summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA. Zach plans to major in mechanical engineering with an emphasis in biomechanics with a minor in athletic training.
Assistant Coach Charles Davis Comments: "Zach's performances with BYU's club team have been impressive considering his limited training & especially competitive opportunities. We expect him to flourish & improve drastically in a more supportive atmosphere."
Drew Johnson
Littleton, Colo. (Kent State University)
Drew competed at UAA as a freshman earning All-American honors in the distance medley relay before transferring to Kent State. He was a five-time All-MAC selection for the Golden Flashes with personal-best times of 1:52 for 800, 3:47 for 1,500, 4:08 for the mile, 8:18 for 3,000, 24:43 for 8,000 and 30:55 for 10,000. Drew earned a degree in aerospace engineering and will pursue a master's degree in project management at UAA.
Assistant Coach Charles Davis Comments: "When Coach McWilliams told me Drew was interested in transferring back here, it was a no brainer, case closed, 'let's do what it takes to get him back here' sort of situation. He'll be a great competitive & cultural complement to Nash (they've always remained friends since high school) helping to continue to set the right tone we want here."
Trevor Lewis
De Beque, Colo. (De Beque High School)
Trevor was a three-time state champion winning the 800 in 2021 and 2022 and the 1,600 in 2021. He was run personal-bests of 53.0 for 400, 1:59 for 800 and 4:36 for 1,600. Trevor plans to major in fire and emergency services technology.
Assistant Coach Charles Davis Comments: "Trevor has essentially been training on his own much of the time with very limited opportunity in an isolated part of Colorado. His up-side here is immense & I believe the exact kind of guy we want to develop here."
John Peckham
Sisters, Ore. (University of Idaho)
John is a transfer from the University of Idaho where he ran personal-bests of 3:58 for 1,500, 8:32 for 3,000 and 31:17 for 10K in cross country. He was the 2019 Oregon 4A State Champion in cross country. He is undecided on a major.
Assistant Coach Charles Davis Comments: "We know John proved himself early with his 70th place finish at the DI Mountain XC Regional (usually the most competitive) as a freshman...his competitive opportunities this past track season were very limited due to his transfer status, so I believe we've only seen the tip of the iceberg regarding what he can do."
Michael Zapherson
Asheville, N.C. (University of North Carolina Greensboro)
Michael is a transfer from UNC-Greensboro where he ran personal-bests of 3:57 for 1,500, 8:39 for 3,000, 14:30 for 5,000 and 30:11 for 10,000. He was a member of the dean's list and chancellor's list as a freshman, sophomore and junior. Michael is planning to major in real estate and property management.
Assistant Coach Charles Davis Comments: "Michael will make an immediate impact on what should be a dramatically improved men's team. With his resume & experience, he'll be an integral cog in this new & improved machine from Day 1."
Stephen Zukowski
Castle Rock, Colo. (Douglas County High School)
Stephen was a three-time state qualifier and a three-time all-league selection at Douglas County High School. He ran personal-bests of 51.1 for 400, 1:58.14 for 800, 4:30.4 (altitude), 9:59 for 3,200 (altitude) and 16:10 for 5K cross country. Stephen was a member of the National Honor Society, honor roll and graduated with a 3.85 GPA. He is undecided on a major.
Assistant Coach Charles Davis Comments: "Stephen brings a tremendous amount of enthusiasm for the sport with him & I believe he's only a year or two from really experiencing some performance breakthroughs. He's the kind of guy who could be ready for a big leadership role when Nash's time here is at an end."
Ty Elliott
Anchorage, Alaska (Grace Christian School)
Ty was a five-time state champion at Grace Christian School winning the 4x800, three team titles in cross country and one team state title in track and field. He was a member of the National Honor Society, honor roll and graduated with a 4.0 grade point average. Ty is undecided on a major.
Assistant Coach Charles Davis Comments: "As with Strausbaugh, we are excited to be keeping one of Alaska's top competitors home - from one of Alaska's premier high school programs no less. Also as with Strausbaugh, his extremely limited training background means that his future is very bright here once we can get some miles underneath him."
