SALEM, Ore. – Corban University head men's cross country and track & field coach Norm Berney announced his 2016 recruiting class on Monday, naming seven athletes that would be joining the Warrior ranks in the fall of 2016 and spring of 2017.
Holden Quinn – 5' 9" – Sprints – Anchorage Christian Schools – Anchorage, Alaska
As a highly talented sprinter from Alaska, Quinn comes to Corban looking to build on the strong tradition of Warrior sprinters. While in Alaska, he captured the State Championship in both the 100 Meters and the 200 Meters individually. Additionally, he led his 4x100 and 4x400 Relays to the State Championships. For his efforts, he was named the MVP for Region 3A, 2A, and 1A. On top of all of that, his team captured the State Championship.
"Holden is one of the top sprinters in Alaska," said Berney. "He has improved every year and we feel that he will be a very important contributor to our sprint program."
Quinn plans to major in Political Science and intends to become a Naval Officer.
Reagan Shira – 6' 1" – Sprints/Jumps/Hurdles – Adrian High School – Adrian, Ore.
Maybe the most decorated track & field athlete Corban has ever recruited, Shira comes to Corban from Adrian, Ore. While competing at Adrian High School, he captured numerous individual state championships, to go with many more District Championships. His top events were the Triple Jump (46' 1.5"), the 110 Meter Hurdles (15.26 seconds), and the 300 Meter Hurdles (40.33 seconds). During his time at Adrian, he was named the Oregon Male Athlete of the Meet at the State Championships in both 2015 and 2016.
"Reagan is one of the top recruits that Corban has ever landed on the campus," said Berney. "He was the Outstanding Athlete of the State 1A Track Meet in 2015 and 2016. He captured multiple State Titles in the Hurdles and Triple Jump, and could have competed in other events if there wasn't a rule that you can only compete in four events in high school."
Shira plans to major in Education with the plans of becoming an Elementary School teacher.
Jeffrey Larson – 6' 2" – Decathlon – Sisters High School – Sisters, Ore.
Larson comes to Corban after an accomplished track & field career in Sisters, Ore. While in Sisters, he competed in the Decathlon and was a two-time All-League honoree. On top of track & field, he also competed on the soccer team at Sisters High School, leading his team to an undefeated season and a State Championship.
"Jeffrey is another candidate for the Decathlon that has improved each year in his chosen events," said Berney. "His dad is the coach at Sisters High School, and we feel he has a great future at Corban."
Larson plans to major in Education and plans to become a teacher.
Michael Schmidt – 6' 5" – Decathlon – Prairie High School – Battle Ground, Wash.
Hailing from Battle Ground, Wash., Schmidt looks to join a talented group of Decathletes that Corban will feature in 2017. While boasting talents in numerous events, he garnered All-League and All-Region plaudits in the Low and High Hurdles, while also collecting MVP accolades for his league in 2016.
"Michael is one of the top Decathletes in the nation for his age group," said Berney. "He can score in several different events and has already gone 14' 6" in the Pole Vault."
Schmidt plans to major in Media Arts with the hopes of becoming a Film Maker.
Denis Kirichenko – 6' 6" – Jumps – Union High School – Vancouver, Wash.
Kirichenko, who is set to compete on both the track & field and basketball teams, will join the talented group of Jumpers at Corban. While already clearing 6' 0" in the High Jump, he showed a lot of promise at Union High School and Corban will look to develop him into one of the best that the Warriors have.
"Denis is a great athlete that will be competing on both the basketball and track & field teams for the Warriors," said Berney. "He has great potential in the High Jump and Triple Jump."
Reuben Salvador Benevides – 5' 8" – Distance – South Salem High School – Salem, Ore.
While relatively new to the sport of cross country and track & field, Benevides comes to Corban from South Salem High School and will compete on both the cross country and track & field teams. In his only full year of running at the high school level, he finished strong at the Conference Championships, uncorking a time of 9:36 in the 3,000 Meters to take eighth place overall.
"Reuben just took up distance running after playing soccer for three years," said Berney. "His improvement has been outstanding, and we are looking forward to having him on our team."
Robert Schaezlein – 5' 8" – Distance – Grace Christian High School – Anchorage, Alaska
Hailing from Anchorage, Alaska, Schaezlein comes to Corban and will compete on both the cross country and track & field teams. At the Region III Championships this past fall, he finished eighth overall, improving significantly over the course of the year.
"Robert has made huge improvements every year," said Berney. "We are really excited about his potential, and he could really be a factor on the team in the coming years."