Feb. 23, 2012
STANFORD, Calif. --Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track and Field Edrick Floreal is proud to announce the signees of the Class of 2016. The talented group will add to the depth and quality of the Men's and Women's Track and Field Teams.
MEN
The Men's Track and Field and Cross Country class of 2016 contains 16 signees. Floreal is very pleased to sign such a large group of talented athletes that include a World Championship competitor, multiple high school All-Americans, Footlocker finalists and individual State Champions. Coach Floreal added, "Our goal for 2011 was to assemble a class of national caliber athletes as well as adding to our depth at the Pac-12 level. We wanted guys who are hungry for success and willing to work to attain it. We feel that these young men both complete and strengthen our team."
Adrian Austin - Tomball H.S. - Tomball, TX
Austin is a short and long hurdler from Southeast Texas. He was a double winner at the Texas District 13 - 5A meet in both the 110m hurdles and the 300m hurdles. He ran personal bests last spring of 14.25 in the 110m hurdles and 38.50 in the 300m hurdles. Austin was also a USATF Junior Olympic semi finalist in 110m hurdles.
Nicholas Bayley - Amador Valley H.S. - Pleasanton, CA
Bayley was the league and Sac-Joaquin Section champion at 200m and 400m last year. He is the 3rd ranked returning 400m runner in California based on his 48.44. Last year, Bayley ran under 49 seconds more than any other junior in the state of California. He is the 200m and 400m school record holder and last year was named the Amador Valley H.S. Athlete of the Year.
Kevin Bishop - Monta Vista H.S. - Los Altos, CA
Bishop, a local standout, is no stranger to Cobb Track and Angell Field. Last year, he won the mile at the Stanford Invitational in 4:18.5 after running the 3,000 meters earlier that day. At 3,200 meters, Bishop is the ninth fastest returner in the country with his best time of 8:59.82 coming at the California State Meet in Fresno. He is also the defending indoor state champion at two miles.
Nick Budincich - Loyola H.S. - Los Angeles, CA
Budincich is a versatile thrower from Southern California. He is very accomplished in the discus, shot put and weight throw. He has personal bests of 182-9 in the discus, coming from his runner-up finish at the California State Meet, 61-10 ½ in the shot put and 62-5 in the 25-pound weight throw, which he captured the 2012 California Indoor State Title. After placing second in the shot put and fourth in the discus, Budincich was integral in helping his team capture the 2011 Nike National Team Championship.
Daniel Emery - Lakeview H.S. - Battle Creek, MI
Emery is a future multi-event athlete from Michigan. He has a personal best of 15-3 in the pole vault that was the top jump in Michigan last year and makes him one of the top returning vaulters in the nation. Emery also has bests of 21-1 in the long jump and has cleared 6-4 in the high jump.
Thomas Graham - Cary Academy - Cary, NC
Graham is an accomplished distance runner from North Carolina. He won the NCSIAA state championship all four years of high school. He is a two-time Footlocker finalist, with finishes of 20th as a junior and ninth as a senior. Graham was the runner-up last year at Nike Track Nationals over 5,000 meters with a time of 14:45.42. He just opened his indoor season at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston with a mile personal best of 4:14.75.
Derek Hunicke - Bellaire Episcopal H.S. - Bellaire, TX
Hunicke is a multi-event athlete from the Houston, Texas area. He has bests of 15.44 for 110-meter hurdles, 6-0 in the high jump and 22-4 in the long jump. Hunicke, who is 6-5, also played varsity basketball for Bellaire Episcopal High School.
Levi Jennings - Ridgewood H.S. - Ridgewood, NJ
Jennings, a middle distance runner from New Jersey, is a three-time All-American on the track. He was twice an All-American as a member of his high school's distance medley relay and once as a member of his team's 4x1-mile relay. He has personal bests of 1:54.31 for 800 meters, 4:14.49 for 1,600 meters and 15:41 for 5K cross country.
Charles Kerr - The Lawrenceville School - Uniontown, PA
Kerr is a decathlete and multi-event athlete from Pennsylvania. He was the Junior Olympic bronze medalist in the decathlon with a score of 6481 points. Kerr was the triple jump and 400-meter hurdle league champion and was runner-up in the long jump. He has bests of 22-9 in the long jump, 45-2 in the triple jump and 56.63 for 400-meter hurdles.
Cameron Miller - Stockdale H.S. - Bakersfield, CA
Miller, a long distance specialist, had a breakout cross country season in 2011. After running 15:23 in the D1 race at the California State Meet, he went on to finish sixth at the Footlocker West Regional to qualify for the Footlocker National Championships in San Diego, Calif. Miller has a personal best on the track of 9:10.2 for 3,200 meters.
Andy Rondema - Oregon City H.S. - Oregon City, OR
Rondema, a 6-4-, 200-pound javelin thrower, is the eighth-best returner in the nation with a top throw of 193-4. He was a finalist at the 6A Oregon State Meet last year and broke multiple meet records in the javelin, including the Willamette Falls Invite and East County Classic. Rondema also won the Three Rivers League District Champion last spring.
Steven Solomon - Australia
Solomon is an extremely accomplished sprinter from Australia. Last year, he won the Australia National Championship in Melbourne at 400 meters in 45.58. With this time he achieved the World Championship `B' standard, a 30-year old Australian age group record and most importantly, a spot on the 4x400-meter relay team that competed in Daegu, South Korea at the World Track and Field Championships. Solomon has also run 21.25 for 200 meters.
Garrett Starkey - Basha H.S. - Chandler, AZ
Starkey, son of World Championship bronze medalist Dean Starkey, is a consistent pole-vaulter who had a breakout year in 2011. He is the sixth highest returning vaulter this year and he went undefeated in competitions in the state of Arizona last year. Starkey won both his Division at the State Meet and then followed that up the next week by winning the Arizona Meet of Champions both at 16-0. He improved his personal best with a winning jump of 16-5 ½ at the USATF Arizona Junior Olympic meet in July.
Cale Strong - Wasatch H.S. - Heber City, UT
Strong is a decorated hurdler from right outside Park City, Utah. After placing third at the State Championship in the 110-meter hurdles and fifth in the 300-meter hurdles as sophomore, Strong went on to go undefeated in 300-meter hurdle races during his junior year. He capped off his junior season with a double victory at the State Championships winning the 11 and the 300-meter hurdles. He was also a member of the State Champion sprint medley relay team. Strong has personal bests of 14.59 and 38.35.
Garrett Sweatt - Edwardsville H.S. - Edwardsville, IL
Sweatt is long distance runner from Illinois. He's a very experienced cross-country runner having finished in the top-11 at the state meet each of the last three years with a best finish of fourth. He has a best of 14:20 for three miles on the famous Detweiller Park, the site of the state championship meet. Sweatt also has personal bests of 4:17.30 for 1,600 meters and 9:09.62 for 3,200 meters.
Chris Waschura - Woodside H.S. - Woodside, CA
Waschura, another local standout, took California by storm in the 1,600 meters last year. He is the sixth fastest returner in the nation with his 4:08.29 from the state meet. He was the 800-meter and 1,600-meter CCS Champion before choosing to focus on the 1,600 at the state meet. Waschura holds school records in the 800, 1,600, Mile, 4x800-meter relay and distance medley relay.
WOMEN
The Women's Track and Field and Cross Country class of 2016 is comprised of 12 athletes. Coach Floreal was extremely pleased with this year's signees, that include two World Youth Championship competitors, multiple Footlocker finalists, high school national record holders, All-Americans and State Champions. "Retaining the title of `top recruiting class' from 2011 was our number one goal at the onset of this year's recruiting. We feel that this class of highly talented young women is at least as good if not better then the class we brought in last year. Our staff identified the event areas that needed strengthening, recruited and signed the qualified prospects. We believe this class will strengthen our team and aid in the pursuit of Pac-12 and NCAA top finishes."
Haley Brogan - Lakewood H.S. - Golden, CO
Brogan, a hurdler from Colorado, had a breakout 2011 track season. She finished second at the Colorado 5A State Meet at 300-meter hurdles as well as being a 100-meter hurdle state qualifier. In June, Brogan went on to win the Colorado Junior Olympic title in the 400-meter hurdles in a time of 62.94. Her personal best at 300-meter hurdles is 42.83.
Hannah Brown - Blacksburg H.S. - Blacksburg, VA
Brown is a decorated track runner out of Virginia. She is a five-time individual state champion and also a seven-time relay and team state champion. She is a four-time All-American and ran the 800-meter leg of the national championship distance medley relay team. She has personal bests of 2:09.04 for 800 meters and 4:51.20 for the mile.
Cami Chapus - Harvard-Westlake School - Pacific Palisades, CA
Chapus, as a junior, finished the track season with the top time in the nation in four events (1,500 meters, mile, DMR, SMR). She and her Harvard-Westlake teammates broke the national record in the distance medley relay with a time of 11:22. Chapus won the California state meet at 1,600 meters with a time of 4:40.88 and went on that summer to represent the United States at the World Youth Championships where she ran a phenomenal 4:17.12 for 1,500 meters to finish fifth. Chapus has tremendous range and also runs on her team's 4x400-meter relay team that ran 3:44.05 last spring.
Cayla Hatton - Phillips Academy - Andover, MA
Hatton, very accomplished on the track, is the former USATF Youth Outdoor National Champion over 3,000 meters and runner-up over 1,500 meters. In 2009, she was the youngest competitor in the USATF Junior Outdoor Championships at 1,500 meters. In 2011, Hatton ran her first season of cross country, culminating in a win at the USATF-NE 6K Open Cross Country Championship.
Megan Lacy - Cherokee H.S. - Marlton, NJ
Lacy is a standout distance runner from New Jersey. She's a Footlocker finalist and two-time New Jersey State Champion. Lacy earned All-American status with her fourth-place finish at New Balance Indoor Nationals in the 2-mile. She has personal bests of 4:39.59 for 1,500 meters, 10:27.13 for two miles and 16:50.75 for 5,000 meters.
Rebecca Mehra - Palos Verdes H.S. - Palos Verdes Estates, CA
Mehra is a talented distance runner from California. She is the 2,000 meter steeplechase state record holder for California. Mehra has twice been a state qualifier in the 1,600 meters and once in the 3,200 meters and has personal bests of 4:51.32 for 1,600 and 10:25.01 for 3,200. She is a three-time CIF Southern Section Champion in cross country and was the 2009 California State Champion.
Claudia Saunders - Princeton H.S. - Cincinnati, OH
Saunders is an accomplished hurdler from Ohio. She is the school-record holder in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles as well as the pole vault, 400 meters, 4x400-meter relay and 5K in cross country. Her hurdle bests include 14.29 for 100-meter hurdles, 42.54 for 300-meter hurdles and 60.32 for 400-meter hurdles. She is the defending 100-meter hurdle state champion and this past fall she added the cross country state championship to her resume as well.
Shavanna Talbert - Fond Du Lac H.S. - Fond Du Lac, WI
Talbert is the second-best returning shot putter in Wisconsin. She is a four-time All-State honoree, three times in the shot put and once in the triple jump. She is the two-time defending regional and section champion in the shot put. Her personal best in the shot put is 44-8.
Kyla Walker - White Station H.S. - Memphis, TN
Walker is an extremely versatile athlete from Tennessee. She has won both the long jump and the 200 meters at the Tennessee 3A State Meet. Walker also has experience at 100 meters and 400 meters. She has personal bests of 24.71 for 200 meters, 55.66 for 400 meters and 19-11 in the long jump. She has the 12th-best jump in the nation indoors with her 19-4 ¼, showing her senior season is off to a great start.
Amy Weissenbach - Harvard Westlake School - Los Angeles, CA
Weissenbach is a superstar middle distance runner that had the top 800-meter time in the nation last year with her 2:02.04 from the California State Meet. After winning the 800 meters, she went on to split 53.0 in the 4x400-meter relay. Last spring, she also won Nike Track Nationals in a time of 2:08.91, and went on to represent the United States at the World Youth Championships in Lille, France, where she finished fourth. Weissenbach ran leadoff leg on the national championship distance medley relay that also set a new high school national record with a time of 11:22.
Kaitlyn Williams - Timberview H.S. - Grand Prairie, TX
Kaitlyn Williams is a talented sprinter from Texas. She has personal best of 54.42 for 400 meters and 2:13.39 for 800 meters. Williams was a member of the Texas 4A State Championship team in 2009 and in that same year was a member of the State Champion 4x400-meter relay team. She is the three-time defending district champion at both 400 meters and the 4x400-meter relay and this past year added the 800-meter title as well. Williams also has experience at the Junior Olympic and AAU level having been an age group champion at 400 meters.
Kristyn Williams - Timberview H.S. - Grand Prairie, TX
Kristyn Williams is an established sprinter from Texas. Along with her sister Kaitlyn, she was a member of the Texas 4A State Championship team. She contributed by winning both the 400 and 800 meters as well as running a leg on the 4x400-meter relay team. Later that spring, she ran a personal best for 400 meters of 52.59. In winning the 4A State Title, Williams ran a best of 2:10.23 for 800 meters. She has a best of 25.46 for 200 and has finished in the top-25 at the 4A State Meet in cross country twice to show her range.
