Coach Hayman Finalizes Cross Country Signing Class
5/7/2020 8:25:00 AM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
Seven student-athletes – four men and three women – will join the Bears for the 2020 season.
MACON, Ga. – Head men's and women's cross country coach Josh Hayman announced his signing class for the upcoming 2020 season which features seven student-athletes – four men and three women.
On the men's side, Camden Abrams, Reece Cato, Josh Kraver and Michael Patterson will run for the Bears in 2020. Jaycie Calvert, Zoe Sanchez and Brianna Teegarden will join the women's squad.
Men's Signees
Abrams is from Columbia, SC and attended Ben Lippen High School. During his time with the cross country program, the school won three South Carolina Independent Schools (SCISA) 3A State Championships. Abrams was a four-time all-state selection. During track and field season, Abrams won the 1600-meter state championship in 2018 and 2019 and took home the championship in the 3200-meter run in 2019.
Outside of athletics, Abrams was a member of the Math Team and National Honor Society. He intends to major in biomedical engineering and desires to be surgeon.
"Camden is an excellent addition to our team depth on the men's side of the program," noted Hayman, who will begin his second season as head coach in the fall. "Finishing in the top three in the South Carolina Independent Schools Championship demonstrated his ability to perform when it counts the most. He is a student of the sport and with his determination, I believe anything is possible."
Cato ran at West Forsyth High School in Cumming, Ga. and led the team to a pair of top-three finishes at the region meet in 2018 and 2019. In 2017, West Forsyth finished 12th at the state meet but improved eight spots to fourth the following year. Cato capped off his senior season with a 13th-place finish as an individual and a third-place team showing at state. Cato was honored as both an all-county and all-state runner in 2018 and 2019.
Cato's 5K PR, which he set in 2019, is 16:04.71.
A decorated student, Cato was also a member of the Red Cross and Condition Awareness clubs. He plans to major in engineering at Mercer.
"We are thrilled to be adding Reece to the men's squad," said Hayman. "He made large improvements throughout his high school running career and was extremely consistent all throughout his senior cross country season. His personal best times in the 3200 and 5K indicate he will immediately contribute towards our cause and be someone we can rely on as we get into championship season."
Kraver will travel to Mercer from Merritt Island, Fla. where he attended Satellite High School and Edgewood High School. He spent four years on the varsity cross country team – one year at Satellite and three at Edgewood.
Kraver was an all-state honoree one season and earned all-conference accolades in three of his four campaigns. Kraver placed at the state meet on four occasions and helped his squad to a state championship. He set a PR in the 5K as a senior, clocking in at 15:36. He was a member of the National Honor Society in high school and desires to be a physical therapist.
"Josh has acquired a multitude of accolades in such a short period of time," Hayman stated. "This fall he was a big part of the Satellite High team that was considered the fastest in the state and 2A state champions. Individually, Josh finished fourth at the state meet, moving up 14 positions from the previous year. He also went on to drop a minute off his 5K personal best time, 30 seconds off his 3200 meter run, and 16 seconds off his mile time; giving him the title of the fourth most improved runner in the country. Adding someone of his caliber is be a big contribution to the goals of our program."
Patterson comes to Mercer from South Forsyth High School. The Cumming, Ga. native is a five-time Georgia High School Association (GHSA) State Championship qualifier. He was named second team All-Forsyth County as a senior after placing 10th at the area meet with a time of 16:10 and 38th at state. He was clocked at 17:13 in the state meet. Patterson helped South Forsyth to a top-five team finish at the 2019 state championship. Patterson's 5,000-meter PR was an impressive 15:51. In the classroom, he will pursue a degree in computer science.
"Michael is a great addition to our men's program that has excelled on the course and in the classroom," commented Hayman. "He is an experienced Georgia 7A runner, having competed at the state championship starting his freshman year in cross country. He is a true long distance runner that will help bolster our current squad. We are extremely excited to add him to the group!"
Women's Signees
Calvert attended high school at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska and spent her freshman season at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. In high school, she was a four-time all-state honoree and won the 2018 regional and state championship. For her efforts during the 2018 campaign, she was named the region's Runner of the Year.
Calvert led Kenai to its first team championship in 2015 and helped the school win a second state championship in 2018. Kenai High finished as the state runner-up the previous two seasons. Calvert led the school to a region title in each of her four seasons. Additionally, she was a state champ in the 1600 and 3200-meter event and was a three-time DII Regional Champion and a 2019 DII Regional Co-MVP.
Calvert will major in journalism while pursuing her minor in French.
"We are really excited about Jaycie joining us," said Hayman. "She will arrive in Macon as a transfer with freshman year eligibility. She had a fantastic high school career, claiming three Alaska state titles along the way in the long distance events. She knows what it takes to excel in this sport. I look forward to witnessing her success as she helps elevate our program"
Sanchez ran varsity cross country for four seasons at Union County High School for coaches Paige Dyer and Beau Kelley. She earned a pair of Blitz Cross Country Runner of the Year awards in 2018 and 2019 and was also the Blitz Track and Field Athlete of the Year in 2019.
In the fall of 2019, she helped lead Union Country to the GHSA Class AA State Championship. Her 5K PR came in 2017 when she completed the race in 19:03.
During track season the previous school year, she won the state title in the 3200-meter run and was runner-up in the 1600-meter run. Sanchez set personal bests in the 1600-meter run (5:32) and 3200-meter run (11:52) in 2019.
Sanchez plans to major in biology.
"Zoe brings a lot of championship experience to our squad being Georgia 2A champion," remarked coach Hayman. "She was a 3200-meter champion and finished runner-up in the 1600-meter at the state meet," stated Hayman. "She has demonstrated true grit throughout her high school career, which will serve her well at the college level. We cannot wait to have her arrive in Macon."Â
Teegarden attended Valor Christian High School in Valley Ranch, Colo. She is a four-year member of the Academic Honor Roll and also a four-time first team Academic All-State honoree. She ran for coach Greg Coplen at VCHS and finished third at the region meet and fifth in state this past season. She helped her team to an eighth-place finish at Nike National Cross Country Championships as well.
Teegarden also ran track and field and was a two-time state qualifier in the 4x800-meter relay and a 2019 All-Conference honorable mention selection. At Mercer, Teegarden plans to major in criminal justice.
"Bri comes to Mercer with an impressive high school career, culminating in an appearance at the Nike National Cross Country Championships with her team that finished eighth overall," mentioned Hayman. "She understands what it is like to compete at the highest level and will immediately contribute to our squad's depth. We can't wait for her to join the team."
More info on the 2020 cross country season will be announced at a later date.
Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Cross Country, follow the team at @MercerXCTF (Twitter), /mercerxctf (Facebook) and @mercerbearsxctf (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
