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Head coach Elvis Forde is looking forward to working with the new
student-athletes and has high expectations for the upcoming season.
"This is the strongest recruiting class I have had at Illinois
State for a couple of reasons," said Forde. "First, the large number
of students we are bringing in, and second, the quality of athletes.
"I am excited to see what they can do," added Forde. "Some of
these kids are going to have to mature quickly, and I believe that
they will because they are competitive."
A total of 22 recruits comprised the class: 13 women and nine
men. The group had a combined 20 appearances at their respective
state meets in 2007. One state championship and four top-three
finishes highlighted their accomplishments.
"I think our strong recruiting class is a testament to the
strength of our staff," said Forde. "This will be the first year
that I have really had the opportunity to work with coach Thompson,
coach Bovee and coach Chakouian. They have really done a great job,
not only recruiting, but putting Illinois State Athletics out on the
market. They have talked to coaches and student-athletes and are
really pushing the program in the right direction."
The Redbird men's track and field team added a thrower, a jumper
and a sprinter, along with four middle distance and three cross
country runners. The women's squad gained two throwers, a jumper, a
pole vaulter and three sprinters, along with six middle distance and
cross country runners.
Below are notes on the 2007-08 Redbird track and field signing
classes:
Men
Nicholas Bledsoe will make an impact for the team in the throws.
The Wheeling native and Wheeling High School graduate placed seventh
at the 2007 Illinois High School Association state meet in the shot
put (56-01 feet). He also had a personal-best throw in the shot put
with a toss of 57-07.5 feet earlier in the season.
Drew Holl, a product of Clinton High School, had state qualifying
marks at sectionals in both the long and high jump. In the long
jump, the Clinton native marked a distance of 21-04 feet, and in the
high jump he reached a mark of 6-03 feet.
Palatine native Tyler Perna will join the track program as a
hurdler. The Fremd High School graduate ran the 300-meter hurdles
and qualified for sectionals with a mark of 39.24 seconds. At the
IHSA sectionals, Perna clocked in with a time of 41.33 seconds.
Rounding out the men's signing class are the middle distance and
distance runners. The Redbirds added Jon Roberts (Schaumburg High
School), Luke Ryan (Downers Grove North High School), Daniel Murphy
(New Lenox Providence Catholic High School) and Yosef Tewolde (Elgin
High School) to their lineup.
Roberts placed 23rd at the 2007 IHSA state meet in the
3,200-meter (9:31.79) and holds a personal-best time of 9:22.04 in
the event. The Schaumburg native also placed 23rd at the 2006 state
cross country championship, clocking a time of 14:48 in the 5K.
Ryan, a Downers Grove native, finished his final cross country
season with a 10th-place finish (14:33 minutes) at the IHSA state
meet. During the spring, he placed seventh in the state in the
1,600-meter, clocking in at 4:16.03. He will also help the Redbirds
in distance events.
Murphy, a 400- and 800-meter runner, qualified for the IHSA
preliminaries in the 400 dash and in the 4x400 relay. The Mokena
native finished the 400 in 50:11 seconds and also ran the anchor leg
in the 4x400 relay. His relay team finished with a time of 3:21.40.
Murphy also went to the state preliminaries his junior year in the
800.
Wrapping up the men's signing class was Tewolde, a middle
distance runner from Elgin. Tewolde took fourth in the 800-meter at
the 2007 IHSA state track meet, finishing with a season-best time of
1:54.93.
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Women
Signing as a jumper, Amanda Albrecht of Festus, Mo., placed fifth
in the high jump (5-02 feet) and ninth in the triple jump (35-03
feet) at the 2007 Missouri State High School Activities Association
Championship. Albrecht was also a member of the Herculaneum High
School cross country team, where she placed fourth at the 2006 state
meet, finishing in 20:24.87.
Kaylin Himes, a Rockford native and a product of Guilford High
School, is a sophomore transfer from Olivet Nazarene University. At
Olivet Nazarene, a
member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, she
placed third in pole vault at both the indoor and outdoor NAIA
championships. At the outdoor meet she set a personal best with a
vault of 12-03.5 feet.
Sprinter Yomeaquea Brents joins the Redbirds in the sprints. The
Rockford native held a qualifying time in the 100-meter (12.83) and
advanced into the prelims, where she placed seventh in her heat at
the 2007 state meet.
Tia Harvey, a Rock Island native, had state qualifying times in
both the 100- and 200-meter dashes last season. She finished sixth
in the state in the 100, ending with a time of 12.30 seconds. Her
personal-best 100 dash time of 11.98 seconds gave her a qualifying
mark into the 2007 IHSA state prelims, where she placed first in her
heat. Harvey's best time in the 200 dash was 25.06 seconds.
Megan Thompson hails from Plainfield and is a sophomore transfer
from Arkansas. With the Lady Razorbacks, she ran the 100-meter
hurdles and the heptathlon. Prior to Arkansas, she earned two
all-state, three all-conference and one all-sectional honor while
competing for Joliet West High School.
Palatine native Michelle Brunk joins the women's distance group. Brunk placed 31st at the 2006 IHSA Cross County Championship,
clocking in at 17:48. In the spring, she finished 10th in the
800-meter dash (2:15.67) at the IHSA state championship.
Katie Cooper, of Plano competed in the 2007 IHSA Class A track
and field meet. She placed ninth in the 800-meter, clocking in with
a time of 2:20.05 minutes. She also competed in the 2006 state meet,
where she placed fifth in the 800 (2:19.15) and was the anchor leg
of the sixth-place 4x400 relay team (4:03).
Sarah Glowacki notched a 19th-place finish last year at the
Wisconsin State Division 1 High School Cross Country Championship.
The Wauwatosa, Wis., native ran the 4,000-meter in a time of 15:19.
During her junior year, she had top performances in the 1,600,
running a time of 5:22, and in the 3,200 (11:27).
Jessica Husted finished 22nd at last year's IHSA state meet in
the 3,200-meter run (11:30). The Metamora native also went to the
2006 IHSA state meet for cross county, where she finished the race
in 18:19 (81st place).
Hinsdale native Gina Kapusta finished 34th with a time of 17:50
at the 2006 IHSA Cross Country Championship. Jennifer Kraakevik of
Wheaton was also at the 2006 IHSA cross country state meet, where
she placed 127th (18:48).
The 18 new recruits join Ryan Asta, Kami Klopfenstein, Sonja
Zoric and Matt Mroczynski in the Redbirds' recruiting class of
2007-08.
[Text from
Illinois
State University news release received from Jill Speer]
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