(Hurdles, Sprints, Jumps, & Relays)
Coach Kung enters his 11th year with the program and 8th year as head coach specializing in the hurdles, sprints and relays. Throughout his 16 years of coaching, he has coached numerous CIF-SDS individual champions and state qualifiers as well as winning 2 CIF-SDS Div. II Team Championships at La Jolla High, 2 CIF-SDS Div III Team Championships and 2 CIF-SDS Div II runner up titles at Sage Creek . He has helped Sage Creek build a reputation for great long sprinters, hurdlers and relay teams.

He hopes to continue building up the reputation of excellence as a full track and field program in San Diego.

Email: Dkung@carlsbadusd.net

(Distance)
Coach Jason Jacobson begins his 5th year with the program. He has been coaching cross country for over 20 years in California and in Oregon.  His cross country teams have won multiple league and section titles.  He has had athletes and/or teams advance to the XC State Meet 20 years, including 8 straight team D-IV state meet appearances and winning the 2010 D-IV Boys State Meet.  He has helped many of his athletes advanced to the State Meet in Track & Field. 

(Throws)
Coach Erl Cabanas enters his 6th year as an assistant throws coach. A former collegiate sprinter, himself, he has coached 3 national champions and several medalist in the javelin, as well as a multiple athletes to the CA state championships. As well as sent 2 Bobcats to the CA State Track and Field Championships.

Coach Megan Mattson enters her 1st year as an assistant hurdles coach. A Bobcat alumni, she ran from 2015-2018 as a hurdler/sprinter. She was the CIF-SDS DII Champion in the 300H in both her junior and senior years, holds 3 school records (100H, 300H and 400m) as well as the first female Bobcat to qualify for the CIF State meet. She continued her hurdle career at UC San Diego, where she is ranked #7 in program history in the 100H. 

She is excited to continue to build upon the reputation of excellence Sage Creek has established.

(Sprints/Hurdles)

Coach Kelli Hancock enters her 1st year with the program as an assistant coach specializing in the Sprints and Hurdles. Previously, she coached sprints and hurdles for 5 years at La Jolla High School where she helped the Vikings secure 5 CIF-SDS Div III team and 1 individual state championships. In her high school athletic career, she was a 2-time CIF-SDS champion (300h, 4x4) and 5-time CIF State qualifier (100h, 300h, 4x4). In college, she studied Biomedical Engineering and earned 10 NCAA DIII All-American accolades as well as 4 national championship titles with her team at Washington University in St. Louis. Kelli is eager to share her love of track and field and the lessons it has to offer with Sage Creek student-athletes. 

(Horitzontal Jumps)

Dr. Whitney Johnson enters her 1st year with the program as an assistant coach specializing in the Horizontal Jumps. She had an accomplished collegiate career as a former UCSD Triton triple/long jumper with numerous All American accolades, a Div II National Champion, school & conference record holder and an inductee into the San Diego Hall of Champions. What better way to pay tribute to all of her wonderful coaches and former teammates than to share that experience to shape the rising jumpers at Sage Creek High.

Coach Hixon coached pole vault in high school and club programs in northern California for 12 years and at Carlsbad and La Costa Canyon high schools in the 2021-2022 season. He has coached vaulters that successfully competed in qualifying and final competitions at the California State Championships between 2013 and 2019. He vaulted in high school and college at Santa Monica City College and San Fernando Valley State College (now Cal State University, Northridge) and since retiring has competed in the pole vault at various Masters Track and Field competitions in Idaho, Oregon and California.

Coach Lavanya Pandey enters her first year with the program, supporting as an assistant distance coach following a season of assistant coaching Sage Creek Cross Country. She’s a Bobcat alumni, having co-led her team to multiple 1st place finishes (2018, 2019) at CIF State DIV Cross Country Championships. She continued her athletic and academic career at UCLA, running for their cross country and track programs for two years while studying biophysics.  

Coach Lavanya looks forward to bringing her expertise, built from great coaches and mentors and teammates over the years, back to support student-athletes where it all started—at Sage Creek!