TOLEDO - Director of track and field/cross country, Kevin Hadsell today announced the signing of nine women student-athletes for the 2010-11 season. Hadsell and his staff will welcome athletes from the states of Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Louisiana and Florida to the UT campus in the fall. Several state champions and nationally ranked runners comprise the group that Hadsell feels is one of the most talented recruiting classes that UT has ever had.
"This is one of the top overall recruiting classes in the Mid-American Conference," said Hadsell, who will enter his 13th season at UT next fall. "We have covered a lot of events in this class. Our program returns almost our entire team for next year and these recruits are only going to help. A tremendous amount of credit goes my assistant coaches, Sara Vergote (Distance) and Adam Kiesler (Sprints/Hurdles/Jumps). We work really well together in all aspects and they are a huge part of our success."
The Rockets' freshman class will join a program that loses only five seniors to graduation and will also welcome back four redshirted athletes from 2009-10. All four returning redshirt athletes--Tanisha Pope, Emily Nadolny, Sarah Garvin and Marissa Chlebowski--are all former All-State throwers.
In addition to their accomplishments on the track and in cross country, the 2010-11 recruiting class is also a very strong group academically. The average GPA of the nine athletes is 3.85 and the average ACT score is 26. "I am very proud of the high academic caliber of student we bring into this university in addition to their abilities as athletes," said Hadsell.
Coach Hadsell on the Distance/XC signees: "I feel as though this is the top recruiting class in the Mid-American Conference this year. We are in a great position to not only challenge for another MAC Championship and national ranking this fall, but also for a team bid to the NCAA Championship Meet. I feel as though these women can contribute in the fall to the depth of the program, and possibly one or two of them could make a huge contribution as well. This is a great group of women and I am excited to start getting them ready for the fall."
Lyndie Brown (Spencerville, OH-Spencerville HS): All-State performer in both cross country and track...Fourth at the 2009 Ohio State Division III Cross Country Championships...Third at the 2010 Ohio State Division III Championships in track at 3200m...Conference, District and Regional Champion at 3200m...All-State in both Cross Country and Track...Personal-best times of 5:14 (1600m) and 11:16 (3200m).
Coach Hadsell on Brown: "Lyndie is a tough, 'Toledo-style' competitor. Her strengths are going to be at 5000m, 10,000m and cross country at the collegiate level. I think she has a very well-rounded approach to life and is going to turn quite a few heads in the next year."
Jessica Phillips (Attica, OH-Seneca East HS): Next in a long line of Seneca East athletes to come to the Toledo Rockets...One of the greatest ranges in the state of Ohio...Qualified for the Ohio State Division III Championships at 400m, 800m, 1600m, 4 x 400m and 4 x 800m... 2009 Ohio State Division III Runner-up at both the 800m and 1600m...Finished 6th at the 2010 in the 1600m and 3rd at 800m at the State Division III Championships...Finished 10th at the 2009 Ohio State Division III Cross Country Championships...Personal-best times of 2:16 (800m), 5:06 (1600m), 11:20 (3200m).
Coach Hadsell on Phillips: "I love her range. She has the talent to become an incredibly good collegiate runner. She is absolutely fearless. She is not afraid to lead and challenge. She pushes the pace from the onset and makes things difficult for the other runners. That's how my athletes have done it for the last 20 years and she fits that mold exactly. I cannot wait for her to have time training with Coach Vergote and me under her belt."
Megan Vogelsong (Defiance, OH-Defiance HS): 2010 Ohio State Division II Champion at 3200m with a time of 10:52.48...2010 Conference and District Champion at both 1600m and 3200m...Regional Champion at 3200 (3rd in the 1600m)...All-State performer in cross country...Ranked by Dyestat.com as one of the Top-100 distance runners in the country and one of the Top-60 senior recruits at 3200m...Personal-best times of 5:02 (1600m) and 10:52 (3200m).
Coach Hadsell on Vogelsong: "Megan is incredibly tough, talented and has a huge upside. Possibly the top distance recruit in the conference, I feel as though she is going to make an immediate impact. However, I feel as though, over time, she is going to be one of the next, 'Great Ones' in our program's incredible history."
Megan Wright (Miamisburg, OH-Miamisburg HS): All-State performer in cross country and an Ohio State Division I qualifier on the track...Comes to Toledo as a middle-distance recruit who has shown incredible range...School record-holder at 1600m (5:07)...Finished 15th at the 2009 Ohio State Division I Cross Country Championships in 18:58...Finished 6th at the 2010 Ohio State Division I Championships as 1600m...Personal-best times of 2:17 (800m), 5:07 (1600m) and 11:12 (3200m).
Coach Hadsell on Wright: "Megan has great range. She's very tall and good over 800m to 3200m, and has some natural speed as well. I think that she is going to come into cross country ready to be a player on a nationally ranked team."
Sprints/Hurdles/Jumps Signees
Coach Hadsell on Sprints/Jumps/Hurdles Signees: "We had a couple of needs we needed to fill this year. We wanted to add depth to our 100-400 group and we wanted to find a couple of very good hurdlers since our returning top hurdlers are our multi-event athletes."
Amber Brown (Springfield, IL - Southeast HS): One of the top sprinters in the state of Illinois...Captain of the 2010 Illinois State Championship team...Ranked among Top-100 seniors in the nation by Dyestat.com in the 200m with her personal-best performance of 24.71...Finished 3rd in the Illinois State Championships in both the 100m and 200m...Ran a leg of the state championship 4 x 200m relay...State runner-up indoors at 200m...Personal-best times of 12.14 (100m), 24.71 (400m).
Coach Hadsell on Brown: "Amber is going to add significantly to our short sprinting group and really help play a big role on our 4 x 100m relay and possibly the 4 x 400m relay. She is very talented and a very good student. I am looking forward to her progress through the fall. She comes to Toledo with outstanding credentials."
Princetta Cummings (Hahnville, LA-Hahnville HS): 2009 Louisiana State Champion at 100mH (14.56)...All-State at both 100mH and the long jump...Formerly an elite-level gymnast, she has only devoted her time to track and field full-time for less than a year...Personal-best performances of 14.56 (100mH), 18-4 (Long Jump).
Coach Hadsell on Cummings: "Princetta is going to be an incredibly well-rounded athlete in the MAC. She is incredibly strong and has great body awareness. She is very gifted and is only now realizing the wide range of events in which she can be competitive. I think she is a future NCAA-level heptathlete as well as a great triple jumper."
Katrina Rettburg (Canton, OH-McKinley HS): Conference, district, regional champion and state finalist in the long jump...Best of jump of 18-2 at the district championships ranks her as one of the Top-100 recruits in the country in that event...Accomplished high jumper and sprinter...Personal-best performances of 18-2 (long jump), 5-4 (high jump).
Coach Hadsell on Rettburg: "Katrina has the potential to become a great collegiate long and triple jumper. We have one of the strongest traditions in the MAC in the jumps and I believe that she has the ability to add to that tradition. She will help this program right away and push our returning jumpers."
LaShae Sherrell (Hallandale, FL-Hallandale HS): One of the top 200m runners in the state of Florida...Ranked among the Top-100 recruits in the country in the 200m by Dyestat.com with her personal-best time of 24.79...One of the top 100m and long jumpers in Florida...Overcame heart surgery as a junior in high school...Personal-best times of 12.01 (100m) and 24.79 (200m).
Coach Hadsell on Sherrell: "LaShae is a great story. She overcame open-heart surgery to come back as a senior to become one of the top senior class sprinters in the country. She has a lot of talent and is physically very strong. I believe that she is going to be a very good collegiate sprinter and could potentially add some depth to our great jumps crew as well. LaShae and Amber will be a great tandem for the 4 x 100m relays as well."
Jillian Sledge (Flint, MI - Southwestern HS): One of the top hurdlers in the state of Michigan...Finished 3rd at the 2009 Michigan State Championships in the 100mHH with a personal-best time of 14.83...Ran 44.80 in 300m IM...Battled ankle injury in 2010 but still was a state qualifier in an abbreviated season.
Coach Hadsell on Sledge: "Jillian is a great athlete. She had an unfortunate setback with an ankle injury from playing basketball. However, now she has time to heal and the entire fall of conditioning will set her up to help make an impact in the hurdles. She was highly recruited out of Michigan and I am excited she chose Toledo."
