California State University, Stanislaus Women's Track

Troy Johnson is in his 14th season as the head coach of the Stan State Men's and Women's Track and Field Program.  Since 2013, under Johnson's leadership, Warriors have earned 26 All-American awards and won 36 CCAA Championships.   This past season, Johnson guided three Warriors to All-American honors during the outdoor season in Trent Lauderdale (400-hurdles), Mila Real (400-hurdles), and Annie Wild (1500-meter run).  Lauderdale (400-hurdles), Wild (1500-meter run), and Jaevin Sawyer (200-meter dash) were CCAA Champions. Altogether, the Warriors earned All-CCAA honors in fifteen events.  Sawyer was named the CCAA Freshman Male Athlete of the Meet.  This past indoor season, Annie Wild was the first ever Warrior to earn National Champion honors by capturing the mile at the 2025 NCAA DII Indoor Track & Field Championships.   During the 2023-24 season, Johnson coached one All-American, five CCAA Champions, 13 All-CCAA honorees, and nine All-Region team members.  The Warriors also excelled in the classroom. Twelve track/field student-athletes were named to the CCAA Academic Honor Roll, seven were named to the Academic All-District Team, six received USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, and both the men's and women's team were USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams.   Johnson served as a full-time assistant coach here at Cal State Stanislaus from 2000 to 2007, where his emphasis included coaching student-athletes in the sprints, jumps and multi-events disciplines. He returned to Turlock during the 2013 outdoor season to assist Taylor, who had taken over interim head coaching duties.  From 2007 to 2012, Johnson was the head coach for track & field and cross country at Cal Poly Pomona, where he led the Broncos to many individual national championship appearances with eight individual All-Americans. Seven of his teams also received Academic All-America team honors. In 2010 both of Johnson’s cross country teams were ranked in the top 25 in the nation that was a first in school history. All four programs under Johnson had a team grade point average of 3.0 or higher and received numerous CCAA All-Academic team awards.   Since 2000, under Johnson's leadership, 34 student-athletes were All-Americans with 36 conference champions, including two-time national champion Chaunte Mitchell. Johnson gave Stanislaus its first gold medalist in the 2008 World Indoor Championships when 2007 400 meter D-II national runner-up and 400 school record holder Joel Stallworth was a part of the Team USA 4x400 meter relay. Johnson also helped coached 85 student-athletes to qualify for the NCAA Championships.   Johnson, who is actively involved with serving on committees of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), has served on the executive committee as first vice president and is currently serving as a conference representative. Johnson is a USATF Level I certified instructor and holds USATF Level II certifications in the areas of Endurance, Jumps and Sprints/Hurdles. He has recently completed his IAAF Level V Diploma and USATF Level III certification in Sprints/Hurdles/Relays. Johnson has spoken at different clinics and education schools for LA84, PAUSATF, and USATF.   In 2008, Johnson hosted the NCAA Division II Track and Field National Championships at Mt. San Antonio College and he also has volunteered at numerous NCAA Division I Track and Field Championships and at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials.   Johnson, an Akron, Ohio, native, is a 1994 graduate of Utah State University, where he competed on the Aggies’ track and field team. He was the 1993 Big West Conference 400-meter champion and ran on the victorious 400 and 1600-relay teams and finished second in the 200. Both relay teams established school records at Utah State. During that season’s indoor season, he was the Pac-10/ Big West 400-meter champion (MPSF) and formerly held the school indoor 400-meter record. He obtained his Master's degree in Human Performance in Sport from New Mexico Highlands in 2010.   Johnson earned a provisional qualifying time in the 400-meter hurdles for the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials. He also competed at Cuesta College, a two-year community college in San Luis Obispo. He served as the team’s captain and earned team MVP honors in 1991 and won the WSC conference community college 400 meters and remains the school record holder at Cuesta College.   Johnson also spent three years with the Utah State University Police Department, located in Logan.   Johnson, his wife Erlynn and their daughter Ela reside in Turlock.

Vierra's guidence, three Warriors won conference titles in the men's hammer, men's shot put and women's javelin. Channing Wilson achieved a personal best of 142'11 in the women's javelin, which qualified her for the National Championships, where she finished seventh with another personal best of 148-4 to become an All-American. That throw put her No. 2 on the CSUS top 10 record list. On the men's side, Josh Uikilifi and Thomas Gesser hit huge personal bests to win CCAA titles. Uikilifi won the the shot put with a personal best of 59-2. Thomas pulled out a last round personal best in the hammer 190-10 to win the CCAA title. Both Uikilifi and Gesser went on to DII Nationals where they both acheived personal best and became All-Americans, finishing sixth and eighth, respectively, in their events. Vierra led a great group of throwers that ammassed for 67 overall team points at 2013 CCAA Championships.   In 2012, he had two conference champions in both men's and woman's hammer. Katie Busi won with a throw of 168-9 and Ryan Gates was the hammer champion with a throw of 184-4.   Prior to his collegiate coach career, Vierra competed professionally in the Scottish Highland Games (Throwing) for 18 years. He won five World Championships, 11 U.S. National Championships and 254 U.S. and International competitions. Vierra holds four world records and 10 US and North American Highland Games records.    Vierra is the Co-partner and Vice President of the International Highland Games Federation (IHGF). The IHGF organizes major Highland games events worldwide. Vierra spends most of his summers organizing media and athlete relations for our events in Europe as well as hosting and instructing throwing clinics in the U.S. and overseas.   Vierra attended California State University, Northridge (1990-92), where he competed for legendary Throws coach John Frazier, who is now the Head Coach at UCLA. Vierra was the team MVP in 1992. Prior to CSUN, he obtained his A.A. from Modesto Junior College.   A native of the San Juaquin Valley, Vierra resides in Turlock with his wife Christina and three daughters Brooke (15), Faith (11) and Cheyenne (9). Ryan Vierra

Taylor has served as head coach of the men and womens cross country programs, as well as the distance coach for both the men and womens outdoor track teams and the womens indoor track team since 2007 and was named the Director of Track & Field/Cross Country in June of 2013. Her recent success stories include guiding All-American Courtney Anderson to a NCAA Division II national championship in the 1,500-meter run in 2014. Since becoming the head coach, the distance teams and cross country programs have had 16 All-Americans including consecutive runner-up finishes in the indoor championships by the Distance Medley Relay team. Just this past spring, Taylor coached sophomore Abraham Alvarado to a runner-up finish in the men's 800-meter run. Also as the Director of Track and Field since 2013, Taylor helped guided three other All-Americans in field events. Taylor, formerly Diljeet Mendoza, was a highly successful student-athlete at Cal State Stanislaus from 1999-2002. She brings her middle distance expertise as a student-athlete and head coach to this new position. Taylor was a three-time All-American in indoor and outdoor track and field as a specialist in the 800-meter and 1500-meter runs. She set the school indoor record in the 800-meter in 2002.  That same year she finished second at the NCAA National Championship meet and finished her career second on the outdoor track all-time list in both the 800- and 1,500-meter events. She was named Cal State Stanislaus Female Athlete of the Year and Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2002. Taylor was also the most dominant runner for the Warriors during the time, earning Most Valuable Runner from 2000-2002. She also served as a team captain for the Warriors for two years. Taylor graduated from Cal State Stanislaus in 2002 with a bachelors degree in liberal studies. She graduated with cum laude honors. From 2004-2006, Taylor spent time training with Nikes Farm Elite Team, an Olympic development team that makes its home at Stanford University. She served as an assistant coach to Keith Spataro at Menlo College before taking over as head coach in 2005-06. Taylor is married to former Warrior basketball player Ira Taylor and they live in Turlock. They have two children: Taj and Avi.

Tom Brenda is in his 20th season as the pole vault coach with the Cal State Stanislaus track and field teams. In his time with the program, the Warriors have enjoyed much success highlighted by three NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field national championships. Chaunte Mitchell was National Champion in 2004 and 2005. She set an NCAA Div. II National Record three times in her time with the Warriors and had a best of 13’ 5 ¼”.  In 2009, Kasey Burlingham, in his first season with the Warriors won a National title with a school record personal best of 17’ 8 ½ “. The Junior College transfer increased his best height by over eight inches in one season. The team has had 23 pole vault All-Americans and has set new school records in both the men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor pole vault. Since 2003, Brenda has coached 14 conference pole vault champions. No stranger to the Warriors, Brenda was a two-time all-conference vaulter with the University in 1985 and 1986 and is on the CSUS top-10 all-time list. Brenda graduated from California State University, Stanislaus with a bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1986. Prior to becoming the schools full-time vault coach, he worked with area high schools, Modesto Junior College, as well as teaching numerous clinics. Brenda currently works in the athletic club management business and resides in Turlock.