Redbird Track & Field and Cross Country Sign Five for 2012

Feb. 9, 2012

NORMAL- Ill. The Illinois State men’s and women’s track & field and cross country teams signed five student-athletes to National Letters of Intent (NLI) to continue their academic and athletic careers at Illinois State, as announced by head track & field coach Elvis Forde Thursday.

The 2012 Illinois State recruiting class includes: Ellen Devereux (Decatur, Ill./St. Teresa); Sammi Donovan (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha North); Laura Fredenhagen (Princeton, Ill./Princeton High School); Tyler Morse (Mapleton, Ill./Limestone Community); and Rosemary Onyegbule (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook).

Redbird Track & Field | Cross Country Signees

Ellen Devereux | Decatur, Ill. | St. Teresa High School

Devereux signs her NLI as a three-year starter for the St. Teresa High School track & field team, and a four-year starter for the cross country team. This past season, she finished fifth at the IHSA Class A State Cross Country Championships with a season-best three-mile time of 17:46.00. Throughout the course of the season, Devereux finished first at the U-High Invitational, the EPG Invitational and the Crystal Lake South Invitational. She led her team to back-to-back IHSA State titles in 2010 and 2011. Her junior season in cross country she placed fifth at the state cross country championships with a time of 17:45.00. She is an all-state honorable mention selection, a three-time all-county pick and an all-area runner. She holds a personal-best time of 17:35 in the three mile which she set placing third at the IHSA sectional.

Devereux is also a stand out on the track where she competed in the 1,600-, 3,200- and 800-meter runs, respectively. During her junior campaign, she finished second in the 3,200-meter run at the IHSA Class A Track & Field State Championships and sixth in the 1,600-meter run with times of 11:07.45 and 5:18.30, respectively. She helped the St. Teresa’s women’s track & field team to a conference title in 2011, winning the 1,600- and the 3,200-meter runs. She holds a personal-best time of 5:15.00 in the 1,600-meter run and a personal-best time of 11:09.45 in the 3,200-meter run.

Coach Forde on Ellen . . .
“Ellen is a very good fit for our team,” said Forde. “She loved it here and got along well with our team. We have a very good team and we get better every year, and Ellen can help us do that. She had tremendous success at the state level and understands what winning is all about. She will bring a winning attitude to our program. This is close to home for her and her family is a big part of her life. She is the kind of quality athlete we like to have help build a championship program.”

Sammi Donovan | Waukesha, Wis. | Waukesha North

Donovan commits to ISU with quite a resumé built up during her high school career. In 2011, Donovan finished 13th at the Wisconsin State Cross Country Championships, running a 14:47.90 4K. Throughout the course of the season, she won four meets and finished second in two others. At the Loyola Lakefront Cross Country Invite, Donovan ran a personal-best 5K of 18:31.00. In 2010, she set her personal-best 4K mark at the Arrowhead Invitational, finishing third with a time of 14:29.70.

On the track, Donovan finished fourth in the 1,600-meter run at the 2011 WIAA State Outdoor Championships with a time of 5:07.43, a personal-best. At the 2010 WIAA Division 1 Brookfield East Sectional Meet, Donovan set her career-mark in the 800-meter run, finishing third with a time of 2:20.78.

Coach Forde on Sammi . . .
“Sammi is very young to the sport,” said Forde. “The strides she has made over the last couple of years have really impressed us as a staff. She had a good track season last year and has a strong athletic background. The upside with Sammi is she has been on top with limited training. She likes to run and has a lot of determination, which will contribute to our team goals of becoming championship caliber.”

Laura Fredenhagen | Princeton, Ill. | Princeton High School

Fredenhagen inks her NLI as a three-year starter for the Princeton High School track & field team. A well rounded athlete, she competed in the sprint and relay competitions, as well as the long jump, but here bread and butter is the pole vault. During her junior year of outdoor competition, Fredenhagen vaulted to a personal-best height of 11-04.00, which set the Princeton High School record. She finished fourth at the IHSA Class A State Track & Field Championships in the pole vault with a mark of 10-06.00. She is a two-time competitor at the state level.

Coach Forde on Laura . . .
“Laura is a well-rounded athlete,” said Forde. “She possesses the skills to be a sprinter and a long jumper, but has proven that the pole vault is where she is best suited. We are going to try and utilize her skills to help our team as best we can. To be able to do more than one event at this level shows the quality of athlete she is. She has works hard every day and her versatility is definitely an upside as we move to make our team championship caliber.”

Tyler Morse | Mapleton, Ill. | Limestone Community High School

Morse inks his NLI with an extensive cross country and track & field background. At Limestone Community High School, Morse was a four-year starter for the cross country team and is three-year starter on the track. During his cross country campaign, he finished 19th at the IHSA Class 2A State Cross Country Championships with a 3-mile time of 15:10. At the Canton Invitational, he ran a 16:18.00 3 Miler, finishing first. He followed that up with a 15:20.26 at the Lanphier Invitational, taking another first. He is a three-time competitor at the state level in cross country and his personal-best three-mile time is 14:55.00, set at the Richard Spring Invite this past fall.

Morse is also a stand out on the track. At the 2011 IHSA 2A State Track & Field Championships, he finished sixth in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:22.11. He holds a personal-best time of 4:20.27 in the 1,600-meter run and 9:39.23 in the 3,200-meter run.

Coach Forde on Tyler . . .
“Tyler has gotten better every year since we started watching him,” said Forde. “He had a good cross country season and we expect a good track season as well. He joins us with not a lot of pressure, as our men’s cross country team is really young. We think he can help us right off the bat in the longer distances. There will be a lot of competition with the number of slots available, and we expect him to compete for one of those spots. He can provide that extra step for us to continue to work hard and accomplish our goals.”

Rosemary Onyegbule | Bolingbrook, Ill. | Bolingbrook High School

Onyegbule signed her NLI with an impressive track & field resume built over a career at Bolingbrook High School, where she competed in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes. She ran the 200-meter dash at the IHSA Class 3A Track & Field Championships, where she finished with a time of 25.45. In 2010, Onyegbule competed in the USA Youth Outdoor Track & Field Championships. She holds personal-best times of 12.45 (100-meter dash), 24.45 (200-meter dash) and 59.50 (400-meter dash).She placed third at the Junior Olympics with a 400-meter time of 59.00.

Coach Forde on Rosemary . . .
“Rosemary is a strong sprinter,” said Forde. “She is just the person we are looking for to help build back our dominance at the sprint level. She had a tremendous high school season and when she gets here, she will help put back together the pieces we once had in the sprint events. She is a very good student and her size and strength will definitely help us along the way.”

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