TUCSON, Ariz. – Sun Devil Cross Country is set to open the season with a trip down south to compete in the annual Dave Murray Invitational this Friday at Silverlake Park in Tucson.
Event Schedule
7:00 a.m. MST - men’s 6K run
7:35 a.m. MST - women’s 4k run
The Roster
The Sun Devils welcome 17 newcomers to the 2026 roster under first-year director of Track and Field and Cross Country, Ryan Vanhoy.
Women (13)
Taylor Biggambler*
Kynzlee Buckley*
Jessica Chaparro-Viera
Mia Chavez
Taylor Drewry*
Kelli Gaffney*
Ava Hendren*
Laynee Hollech*
Bianca Hurtado*
Jazzlyn Islas*
Brenna Jorde*
Ashlyn Leath*
Sophie Mann
Men (11)
Chris Caudillo*
Tyler Daillak*
Lemerian Lemashon
Ryan Lish*
Liam Miller*
Brady Nieto
Gerardo Osorio*
Joshua Rammage*
Tyler Schierenberg
Colin Smith*
Boston Walseth
*signifies newcomer
Headlining the newcomers are Cal Poly transfers Chris Caudillo, Tyler Daillak, Kelli Gaffney and Ashlyn Leath.
Chris Caudillo (Senior)
Caudillo is set for his first season in Tempe after cementing himself as one of the best distance runners in Cal Poly history. Caudillo earned outdoor First-Team All-American honors in the 1,500m, finishing seventh nationally in 3:38.06 to close his junior season.
His highly decorated resume also includes the Cal Poly and Big West 1,500m record at 3:35.13, breaking a conference record that had stood for 48 years, while also holding Cal Poly’s indoor 5,000m record at 13:35.05.
Caudillo is a three-time All-Big West honoree and two-time NCAA West Preliminary qualifier, he also qualified for the 2025 USATF Championships and helped Cal Poly capture back-to-back Big West team titles.
Tyler Daillak (Sophomore)
Daillak’s sophomore season looks to follow a true freshman campaign that featured an appearance for Team USA at the U20 2026 World Cross Country Championships in which he took home a bronze medal, famously crossing the finish line while wearing just one shoe.
FIRST MEDAL OF WORLD CHAMPS 🥉🚨
— USATF (@usatf) January 10, 2026
Tyler Daillak ran 7K with ONE SHOE to lead Team USATF to bronze in the U20 Men’s 8K 👏#TeamUSATF | #WorldCrossCountry pic.twitter.com/spAJ4eBLqo
Daillak went on to have a strong outdoor campaign in which he took home a Big West Championship in the men’s 5,000m with a time of 14:14.74, contributing to Cal Poly’s third-straight conference championship.
Kelli Gaffney (Senior)
Gaffney is coming off an appearance at the 2025 NCAA Cross Country Championships, after placing 16th at the NCAA West Regional on Nov. 14, 2025, running a 20:07.5 in the 6K to earn All-West Region honors. She improved 76 places from her 92nd-place regional finish the previous season and became Cal Poly's highest women's finisher at the meet since Peyton Bilo placed ninth in 2016.
Gaffney placed third overall at the 2025 Big West Cross Country Championships in 20:58.3, earning her first career All-Big West cross country honor and helping Cal Poly capture its fourth consecutive conference championship.
Ashlyn Leath (Senior)
Leath competed at last season’s NCAA West Cross Country Regional on Nov. 14, 2025, running a 22:22.1 in the 6K as Cal Poly finished eighth as a team.
Leath placed 13th at the Big West Cross Country Championships on Oct. 31, running 21:49.5 in the 6K as Cal Poly captured its fourth consecutive women's conference championship.
2026 Schedule
The Dave Murray invite will mark the first of three regular season meets before the postseason begins with the Big 12 Championship on Oct. 31.
9/4 | Dave Murray Invite | Tucson, Arizona
9/26 | Meadows Challenge | Princeton, New Jersey
10/16 | Arturo Barrios Invitational | College Station, Texas
10/31 | Big 12 Championship | Stillwater, Oklahoma
11/13 | NCAA West Regionals | Sacramento, California
11/21 | NCAA National Championships | Terre Haute, Indiana
Follow along
You can follow the Sun Devils throughout their 2026 season via the team’s social media accounts, @SunDevilTFXC on Instagram, Facebook and X.