COLLEGE STATION - Texas A&M added a talented and versatile group of athletes on national signing day as 17 individuals (10 men, seven women) signed a national letter of intent to join the Aggie track and field program for the 2013-2014 season.
"This first signing group we've had for this season, I'm very pleased with," said Texas A&M head coach Pat Henry. "We addressed some needs and areas that we will be losing some talent in after this season. We gain some great talent with this group that signed with us today. It's a typical class for us. I think we've done well, but we can always do better." More...
| Austin Cook |
throws |
New London, Texas |
Overton |
| Shavez Hart |
sprints |
Freeport, Bahamas |
St. George/South Plains JC |
| Xavier Jimenez |
distance |
Clute, Texas |
Brazoswood |
| Jeffrey Protho |
jumps |
Union City, Calif. |
James Logan |
| Alex Riba |
distance |
O'Fallon, Ill. |
O'Fallon |
| Dallas Rushing |
distance |
Waco, Texas |
Axtell |
| Bralon Taplin |
sprints |
Round Rock, Texas |
Stony Point/South Plains JC |
| Ryan Teel |
distance |
Friendswood, Texas |
Friendswood |
| Cameron Villarreal |
distance |
Arlington, Texas |
Martin |
| Austin Wells |
distance |
San Antonio, Texas |
Clark |
| Lauren Bedrich |
multi-event |
Rogers, Texas |
Rogers |
| Aaliyah Brown |
sprints |
Frankfort, Ill. |
Lincoln-Way East |
| Karis Jochen |
distance |
College Station, Texas |
A&M Consolidated |
| Lyric Lawrence |
hurdles |
Fort Worth, Texas |
Saginaw |
| Shelby Leppin |
sprints |
Cedar Park, Texas |
Cedar Park |
| Shamier Little |
sprints/hurdles |
Chicago, Ill. |
Lindblom College Prep |
| Katie Willard |
middle distance |
The Woodlands, Texas |
The Woodlands |
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Won discus State 1A title in 2012 with a 178-7 and in 2011 with a 176-5 … 2012 State 1A silver medalist in shot put, 55-9 ½, placed 4th (52-2) at State in 2011 … Placed 5th at Texas Relays discus in 2012, and 6th in 2011 … Placed 7th at Texas Relays shot put as a junior, finished 5th as a sophomore.
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Double NJCAA champion in 2012, winning the 100 in 10.28 and 200 in 21.02 … Also part of NJCAA silver medal effort in 4 x 100 relay (39.94) at South Plains … Ran on Bahamas 4 x 100 relay that set a national junior record of 40.26 in claiming bronze medal at 2011 Pan Am Junior Championships … Basketball player who just started competing in track and field during 2010 season.
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Finished 13th in 2012 State 5A cross country meet … Placed 12th in Nike South Regional … Has run a best of 15:35 over 5,000m in cross country … Top time of 9:28.42 over 3,200m.
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Placed 4th in triple jump at 2012 California State meet with a best of 48-10 ¼ … Junior season included runner-up at Arcadia (48-1 ¼) before winning three consecutive meets – Sacramento (48-0 ½), NCS Bayshore (48-3) and NCS Meet of Champions (47-10 ¾ w) … Quarterback at James Logan HS, who went 12-2 this past fall and averaged over 44 points per game in reaching the North Coast Section Division I championship game … Threw 24 TD passes with only a pair of interceptions in 2012.
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2012 St. Louis Post-Dispatch Cross Country Athlete of the Year … 2012 Nike Midwest Region champion … 2011 Illinois 3A State runner-up, placed fourth in 2012 State meet.
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Won 2012 Texas State 2A title in 1,600m with a time of 4:21.55 …. Claimed the 2012 State 1A cross country title in the fall with a 16:40.14, which topped the field by nearly 16 seconds.
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Won NJCAA 400 title in 2012 with a time of 46.00 … Recorded a career best of 45.36 in Lubbock for third place in Red Raider Invitational … Freshman year at South Plains, finished as NJCAA runner-up in 400 indoors (47.00) and outdoors (46.79) … Member of four NJCAA 4x400 relay champion teams in 2011 and 2012, indoors and outdoors … Senior year in high school, won State 5A 400 title in 47.03 after placing third as a junior with a 47.28.
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2012 Houston Chronicle Cross Country Athlete of the Year … 2011 and 2012 Texas 4A State champion in cross country … Won State double in track in 2012 with titles in 1,600m (4:15.69) and 3,200m (9:14.82) … Two-time Nike Nationals qualifier in cross country.
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Finished sixth in 2012 Nike South Regional … Set a career best of 4:17.85 in 1,600m and 9:31.37 in 3,200m … Won district title in 1,600 and placed eighth in Region I-5A meet.
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2012 San Antonio Express-News cross country Runner of the Year… Finished 11th in State 5A cross country meet after placing second at Region IV-5A meet … Placed ninth at Nike South Regional meet and went on to finish 51st at Nike national meet in Portland … As a junior in spring of 2012, finished fourth in 3,200m at State 5A meet with a career best 9:18.17 … In 2011, won AAU Junior Olympics title in 3,000m … Has set school records in 1,600m, 3,200m and 5,000m.
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2012 State 2A runner-up in 100 hurdles (14.35w) and 300 hurdles (43.07) … Also placed seventh in long jump and eighth in triple jump at State meet along with a leg on sixth-place 4 x 400 relay … As a sophomore in 2011, placed second in 300 hurdles (43.79) at State 2A meet while finishing fourth in 100 hurdles and ran leg on bronze medal 4 x 400 at State.
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2012 Illinois Gatorade State Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year … Won 2012 Illinois State title in 200 (24.18) and finished second in the 100 (11.67), added a pair of runner-up finishes in 4x100 and 4x400 relays … Swept sprint titles at Arcadia last season in 100 (11.48) and 200 (23.96) with career best times … Has won 60 and 200 meters indoors at Texas A&M High School Classic the past two years … Won Illinois State 3A 100m title as a freshman in 2009 with a time of 11.57 and was part of 4x100 and 4x400 relays which each placed sixth.
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Named the 2012-2013 Gatorade Texas Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year … Defended her State 5A cross country individual title this past fall with a time of 17:18.1 over 5,000 meters … Won 2011 State 5A cross country title with a time of 11:12.44 on a 3,200m course … Placed fifth nationally at both the Nike Nationals and Foot Locker meets … Won Nike South Regional in a time of 17:17.3 and placed second at Foot Locker South Regional.
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Qualified for 2012 State 5A final in both 100 and 300 hurdles … Won pair of 2012 Region I-5A titles in both hurdle events with times of 14.42 and 43.57 … Finished sixth in 100 hurdles (14.41) at USATF Youth Championships.
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Recorded a best of 7.87 in 60m during prelims of Texas A&M High School Classic, placed fifth in consolation final … Won 2012 District 25-4A title in 100 and finished third in Region IV-4A final … Runner-up in district pole vault as a junior.
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Three-event Illinois State 2A Champion in 2012 … Claimed State titles in 400 meters (54.19), 100 hurdles (14.02) and 300 hurdles (42.80) while finishing as runner-up in 200 (24.48) … Personal best times include 53.46 in 400, 13.79 in 100 hurdles and 57.44 in 400 hurdles … Ran 53.46 as runner-up at 2012 AAU Junior Olympics … Placed third at USATF Junior Olympics with her 13.79 … Recorded 57.44 as 2012 US Junior champion, and posted a 57.46 in semifinals of World Junior Championships, but did not finish final … Won 2012 Arcadia 400 title in then career best 53.79 … Placed third at Arcadia in 300 hurdles (42.95) and fifth in 100 hurdles (14.14) … As a sophomore in 2011, won Illinois State 2A title in 100 hurdles (14.16) and 400 meters (54.85) while placing third in 200 (24.53).
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Won 2012 State 5A title in 800 meters in a time of 2:10.31 … Posted a career best of 2:10.01 to claim Region II-5A title with a meet record as a junior … Reached 2011 State final in 800m after winning region title in 2:11.66, but was disqualified … Also finished second in 1,600m at region meet and placed ninth in State final as a sophomore … Posted a best of 4:58.91 in 1,600m at 2011 regional qualifiers meet.
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