2022 Track & Field Squad Takes Home Three Coach And Two Athlete Honors
BERKELEY – California Track & Field added even more accolades to its historic 2022 season on Thursday as Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Robyne Johnson, Assistant Coach Mohamad Saatara, Mykolas Alekna and Camryn Rogers were all recognized by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) for West Region honors.
Johnson was named West Region Women’s Coach of the Year after restoring the program to national prominence in her third year at the helm, with the women reaching a best USTFCCCA ranking of 13 during the outdoor season and finishing third at the Pac-12 Championships after fielding one event champion (Camryn Rogers, hammer throw) and six total podium finishes (Rogers; Ezinne Abba – 100m/200m; Jasmine Blair – discus; Anna Purchase – hammer; Hawa Wague – high jump). The Bears’ women had three All-Americans at the NCAA Championships (Rogers, Purchase, and Abba), including Rogers’ third straight hammer title and new collegiate record. In total, Cal’s women earned four Pac-12 weekly awards and 36 new marks on the program Outdoor Top 10 lists, with school records from Abba and Rogers.
Saatara received both the Men’s and the Women’s West Region Assistant Coach of the Year honors in his ninth year coaching the throwers, posting a historic season that culminated with the group fielding its most First Team All-Americans since 1922 (four, plus one Second-Team All-American). In total, he oversaw three Pac-12 titles (Rogers; Mykolas Alekna – discus; Josh Johnson – shot put) and eight podium finishes (Alekna; Blair; Johnson; Purchase; Rogers; Jeff Duensing – shot put; Iffy Joyner – discus; Ivar Moisander – hammer). Both Alekna and Rogers broke NCAA records in their respective events (discus and hammer) during the season, while Purchase joined Rogers as the only collegiate hammer teammates in history to break the 70m mark during the same meet at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational. Cal’s throwers put together 17 new program Outdoor Top 10 marks in total, including two school records (Alekna and Rogers) and two freshman records (Alekna and shot putter Amelia Flynt).
Mykolas Alekna, the West Region Men’s Field Athlete of the Year, reigned undefeated against collegiate discus opponents until his runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships, posting the all-time NCAA record as a…
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