SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — Dominican University of California Head Cross Country Coach Teressa DiPerna has announced her incoming freshman class for the 2014 cross country season. Three runners — Anthony Sassano, Latrielle Williams, and Leslie Williams III — will join the men's team. Another three runners on the women's side — Franki Crites, Michelle Gonzalez Miranda, and Sierra Najolia — will join the Penguins in the fall.

"I am really excited to work with our incoming student-athletes who have had excelled both in running and in the classroom. The freshman class should be the strongest class to date for our cross country program in the Division II era," said DiPerna. "In addition to these freshman and Michael Temple, who redshirted last season, this program is poised to move to the next level."

Franki Crites
Bettendorf, Iowa / Bettendorf HS
Crites runs the 2.5 mile in the 17:00's, the 800m in 2:40, and the 1500m in 5:30.

A member of the Honors Program Scholar of the World, as well as an Academic Honor Roll and AP Scholar, Crites will focus on the humanities.

Michelle Gonzalez Miranda
El Dorado, Calif. / Union Mine HS
Gonzalez was a All-League at Union Mine and a two-time Harrier Runner of the Year in cross country and track. She runs 5ks in the 19:00's, 2:32 800m, and 5:15 1500m.

An Academic Honor Roll honoree, Gonzalez plans to study nursing at Dominican.

Sierra Najolia
Camarillo, Calif. / Adolfo Camarillo HS
Najolia was team captain during her prep career and posts times of 20:00's in the 5k, 2:40 in the 800m, and 5:47 in the 1600m.

Najolia brings a strong academic base, having earned Distinguished Student and Honor Roll honors, as well as Foreign Language Department and Scholar-Athlete awards. She will pursue a degree in history at Dominican.

Anthony Sassano
Clovis, Calif. / Buchanan HS
Sassano's team at Buchanan was the Central Section Cross Country Champion and finished fourth place in the CIF State Meet. The team was also a two-time Central Section runner-up. Sassano led the Bears to three league championships and runs a 16:24 5k, 10:13 in the 3200m, 4:38 in the 1600m, and a 15:54 three-mile.

Sassano was a member of the Honor Roll and will study occupational therapy at Dominican.

Latrielle Williams and Leslie Williams III
Okinawa, Japan / Kadena HS
The Williams brothers' cross country teams had back-to-back grand slams. Both are four-year Academic Student-Athlete honorees and will study biological sciences at Dominican.

Latrielle Williams runs the 5k in 17:30, a 4:44 mile, the 800m in 2:06, and the 400m in 54 seconds. A Principal's Highest Honor Roll awardee, he received All-District honors for track and field.

Leslie Williams III earned All-District honors in cross country, posting times of 17:13 in the 5k and 2:00 in the 800m. He also competed in track and field, basketball, and football.