2025 Track and Field Roster
Helena Janku
- Class:
- Junior
- Hometown:
- Kentfield, CA
- High School:
- Redwood HS
- Position:
- Middle Distance
- Major:
- Environmental studies
2022-23 UC Santa Cruz Newcomer of the Year
School Record/C2C Championship record in the 5000 (17:52.12)Â
Track and Field
2025 Season - Junior
Earned the 2024-25 Track and Field C2C Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors … Earned the 2025 NCAA Indoor Track and Field All-Region student-athletes Honors … Earned two times the C2C Athlete of the Week honors … Competed in the 1500 (4:44.19), 3000 (10:05.50), 5000 (17:01.71), DMR … Ran 10:05.50 in the 3000, placing first and ran a 17:56.41 in the 5000, placing first in the 2025 Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Indoor Championships, recognized as Track Athletes of the Meet.
- 2024:
- Champion and PR in the 10,000 (35:58.24) at the C2C Outdoor Conference Championships
- PR in the 5000 (17:52.12) and 3000 (10:10.90) taking 1st in both at the 2024 C2C Indoor Track & Field ChampionshipsÂ
- PR in the Mile (5:13.94) at Portland Indoor #2
- 2023:
- Scored points for the Banana Slugs in each 2023 C2C Conference race she ran: Champion in the Indoor DMR, 2nd place in the outdoor 5000m, 3rd in the outdoor 1500m, and 4th in the indoor mile.
- Clocked the fastest 5k ever run by a Banana Slug freshman woman with a time of 17:52.73 at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic
- 2023 All-Region in the West for the Indoor DMR
2024 Season - Junior
Earned the USTFCCCA 2024 NCAA Division III Women’s Cross Country All-Academic Athletes … Earned the 2024 All-C2C Scholar-Athlete of the year award … Competed in the 6k (21:13.2) … Ran a personal best of 21:13.2 in the 6k at the 2024 43rd Annual UCR Cross Country Invitational … Ran a 22:20.8 in the 6k, placing first at the 2024 Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships … Ran a 21:28.4 in the 6k, placing seventh at the NCAA Division lll West Region Cross Country Championships … Ran a 22:00.5 in the 6k at the 2024 NCAA Division lll Cross Country Championships.
- 2023:
- Placed 1st and PR'd in the 6K (21:55.5) at 2023 C2C Cross Country Championships
- Part of the first women’s team in Banana Slug Cross Country history to qualify for NCAA DIII XC Nationals, where they placed 22nd in the nation.
- 2022:
- Placed 6th at the 2022 C2C XC Conference Championships, earning first-team all-conference honors as a freshman.
- Competed for the Redwood High School Giants in Cross Country and Track & Field
- 3x CIF Cross Country State Qualifier
- 3x Varsity XC Captain
- 2x Varsity Track & Field Captain
- Varsity XC Rookie of the Year (2018)
- Varsity XC Coach’s Award (2021)
- Stevenson College
- Favorite thing about UCSC: The Natural Beauty
- Graduation Goals: Interior Designer
- Favorite Athlete: Eliud Kipchoge
- Favorite Superhero: Black Panther
- Favorite Color: Mango Orange
- Hobbies: Skiing, reading, spending time with friends, surfing, listening to music, fashion design
