IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine men's track & field head coach Jeff Perkins has announced the addition of seven incoming student-athletes for the 2023 season.
 
"This happens to be one of our most diverse and deepest event classes in my time here at UC Irvine," said Perkins. "The men's class will give the program the ability to utilize individuals in areas we have not previously had the opportunity to flourish. We are excited to see what our newest set of incoming student-athletes bring to the program as each of them should be a significant contributor to their event groups throughout the season."
 
 
Brandon Burns | Freshman | Sprints | Dublin HS
Brandon Burns prepped at Dublin High School in Northern California. As a senior, he was a CIF State finalist in the 4x400, running the opening leg on the Gaels' relay team that finished sixth overall. Burns was also the East Bay Athletic League champion in the 100m, 200m, 4x100 and 4x400. He went on to place among the top-five in all four events at both the NCS Tri-Valley Championship and the CIF North Coast Section Meet of Champions.
 
Burns' Personal Bests
100m = 10.70 (2022 CIF North Coast Section Meet of Champions)
200m = 21.62 (2022 CIF North Coast Section Meet of Champions)
400m = 51.54 (2022 Dublin vs. Skyline Dual Meet)
 

Max Daniels | Sophomore | Decathlon | Mt. SAC (Orcutt Academy)
Max Daniels was the 2022 CCCAA State Champion in the decathlon where he scored a personal-record 6,577 points. Daniels' victory helped Mt. San Antonio College to a dominant 129-point win in the team competition. He also claimed the decathlon title at the CCCAA Southern California Championship and the South Coast Conference meet. Daniels initially attended Chico State out of high school but did not compete with the cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 seasons in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Daniels graduated from Orcutt Academy where he set school records in the 200m and 400m, while anchoring the school-record 4x100, 4x200 and 4x400 relay teams. He was an All-Ocean League selection and advanced to the 2019 CIF Central Section Masters Meet in the 400m.
 
Daniels' Personal Bests
Decathlon = 6,577 (2022 CCCAA State Championships)
100m = 10.66 (2022 CCCAA State Championships)
400m = 50.27 (2022 Cerritos Open)
Long Jump = 23-08 (2022 CCCAA State Championships)
Javelin = 153-07 (2022 Cal State LA Invitational)
 

Matthew Hodges | Freshman | Throws | Elsinore HS
Matthew Hodges was a member of the track & field team at Elsinore High School in Wildomar, California. As a senior, he was the Ivy League runner-up in both the shot put and discus. He was also a two-time CIF-Southern Section Division 1 finalist in the discus, while advancing to the 2022 CIF-SS Masters Meet.
 
Hodges' Personal Bests
Shot Put = 52-02 (2022 Ivy League Finals)
Discus = 170-05 (2022 CIF-SS Division I Finals)
 

Chimobi Onye | Freshman | Throws | Murrieta Mesa HS
Chimobi Onye was a two-sport athlete at Murrieta Mesa High School, lettering in track & field and football. As a senior, he was the Southwestern League runner-up in the discus and qualified for the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 Prelims. Earlier in the year, he won the event at the Inland Empire Championships with a personal-record 172-07.
 
Onye's Personal Bests
Discus = 172-07 (2022 Inland Empire Championships)
 

Jake Preston | Freshman | Sprints | Cathedral High School
Jake Preston graduated from Cathedral High School in Los Angeles where he competed primarily in the 400m. In 2022, Preston finished third at the Del Rey League Championships, sixth at the CIF-Southern Section Division 3 Finals and had a top-eight showing at the Nike Outdoor Nationals. He spent his first three years at Wiseburn-Da Vinci High School where he was also a CIF-SS finalist in the 400m.
 
Preston's Personal Bests
200m = 22.10 (2022 Cathedral, Serra, St. Mary's Academy Tri-Meet)
400m = 47.97 (2022 Mt. Carmel/Asics Track & Field Invitational)
 

Julian Sotelo | Graduate Transfer | Javelin | Fresno State (Gahr HS)
Julian Sotelo spent one season competing in the javelin as a member of Fresno State's track & field team. As a senior, he opened the campaign with four-straight top-three finishes, which included two individual victories. He won the event with a personal-record 195-10 at the West Coast Relays. Sotelo also placed fifth at the Mountain West Championships. He spent his first three years as a pitcher on the Bulldogs' baseball team. Sotelo prepped at Gahr High School in Cerritos, California.
 
Sotelo's Personal Bests
Javelin = 195-10 (2022 West Coast Relays)
 

Elijah Yoshinaga | Freshman | Jumps | Elsinore HS
Elijah Yoshinaga was a four-year letterwinner at Elsinore High School in Wildomar, California. As a senior, he was a CIF State Championship finalist in the triple jump and long jump, finishing sixth and seventh, respectively. Yoshinaga was also the Ivy League runner-up, while placing among the top-six in both events at the CIF-Southern Section Masters and CIF-SS Division I Finals. Earlier in the season, he established lifetime-bests of 23-10.5 in the long jump and 47-05.75 in the triple jump at the Arcadia Invitational. In addition, Yoshinaga was a two-time CIF-SS finalist in the 110m hurdles.
 
Yoshinaga's Personal Bests
Long Jump = 23-10.5 (2022 Arcadia Invitational)
Triple Jump = 47-05.75 (2022 Arcadia Invitational)