NORMAL, Ill..— The Illinois State track and field and cross country program signed 16 to National Letters of Intent, as announced by Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Jeff Bovee Thursday.
"We will have 16 in our signing class for 2015, and when we were putting our priorities together, we were trying to be a balanced program and fill some holes," Bovee said. "Currently we're pretty strong in the distance area and the sprints in both the men's and women's side. Fortunately, we have found some people who will fill some holes for both the men and the women."
The new Redbirds are Allison Hinson, Amanda McClain, Brandy Thomas, Brett Charlton, Demetria Anderson, Derek Wegman, Jabrille Lewis, Jake Glass, Kassie Hoyme, Kennidi Knoblock, Lesly Rocha, Megan Krolack, Rachel Augius, Shandall Thomas, Skyler Arthur and Tessa Holland.
Hinson, Thomas, Hoyme and Glass make up the freshman throwing class for the 2015-16 season. Hinson most recently boasts a 2014 runner-up finish in the shot put for the Missouri 3A state championships, while Thomas claims four top-five finishes at the Michigan state meet. Hoyme is a five-time state qualifier in the shot put and discus and notched two fifth-place finishes in the shot put at the Iowa state meet. Glass will represent the ISU men's squad in the next year, as he placed fourth in the shot put at the 2014 USATF Youth Outdoor National Championships and was the 2014 Kentucky State AAA Championships state champion in the shot put.
Knoblock, Krolack, Rocha and Arthur represent the distance crew for the 2015-16 class. Knoblock most recently placed fourth among hundreds of runners across the Midwest at the prestigious Roy Griak Invitational, showcasing her talent with top competitors. Krolack finished 20th at the Class 2A Illinois state cross country meet, while Rocha notched two top-10 finishes at the 2014 Class 2A state track and field meet in the 3,200-meter run and three-mile race.
Arthur holds a personal-best 5K time of 15:44 and a 3,200 time of 9:44.
The remaining members of the signing class will represent the Redbirds in the sprints and jumps. Charlton is following in his dad's footsteps, running for track and field at ISU. Charlton was the 2014 Class 1A state champion in the 100-meter and helped his team to a runner-up state finish. Anderson was an AAU national qualifier and holds personal-best times of 14.62 and 45.53 in the 100- and 300-hurdles, respectively.
Wegman has only competed in six track and field events thus far in his career, but currently ranks No. 4 in the state of Illinois in the high jump. Lewis was also an AAU national qualifier and holds a personal-best 100-meter time of 10.94. Thomas was a two-sport athlete, competing as cornerback for his Elite 8 playoff football team. He ran 10.77 at the state meet to finish fourth.
McClain was a four-sport athlete and boasts the 2014 individual state championship in the 400-meter dash. She helped her team to a 2014 third-place finish. Holland holds five state medals and is a three-time MVP in track and field. Augius holds a personal-best high jump mark of 5-06.
For more information on these incoming athletes please visit www.GoRedbirds.com, as each signee has a list of accomplishments thus far in their career.
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