Class of 2009 College Signings

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http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/art ... 1225/GPG02

Ashwaubenon track and field star Melissa Flucke signed with the University of Minnesota. Flucke became the third Jaguars athlete to win the D-1 girls state pole vault championship when she won last season.

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http://www.sentinel-standard.com/articl ... orts01.txt

Mattix going green
By ANDREW ROBERTS
Sentinel-Standard sports editor
Published: Wednesday, February 4, 2009 11:19 PM CST

Saranac senior Cody Mattix officially signs his letter of intent to Michigan State with, from left, Saranac coach Erric Smith, father Bill, mother Chris Henningson and pole vault coach Jerry Sessions. Sentinel-Standard/Andrew Roberts

SARANAC - With all of the top college football recruits making their future plans known Wednesday, the biggest signing in Ionia County may be by a track and field star.

Saranac senior pole vaulter Cody Mattix made his next move official Wednesday afternoon in the Saranac media center, signing his National Letter of Intent to compete for Michigan State next year.

With offers from multiple Division I schools, Mattix's decision came down to two things.

“It was the closest school to home and the staff and athletes were friendly and inviting,” Mattix said.

Last season, Mattix finished third at the Division 4 state finals with a vault of 13' 6”.

Along with track coaches Erric and Diana Smith, Mattix also received personal instruction from Jerry Sessions, who has trained some of the top pole vaulters in Michigan and the Midwest.

Sessions said it's always nice to see a student continue their career in college.

“It's Incredible, especially for a kid like Cody,” he said. “He is as kind and generous with competitors as he is his teammates.

“He also has a lot of family support. They drive him and will keep him confident through tough times.”

Saranac coach Erric Smith said he is happy to see Mattix getting noticed.

“I am glad he is getting recognized. He deserves it,” he said. “Many people don't know how good he is, and how he is generous with others. He loves to help other competitors during meets.”

Before graduating and heading to MSU, Mattix will be one of the top athletes on the Saranac track and field team this spring. He will look to get back to the state finals and make another run at a state championship.

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http://www.idahostatesman.com/sports/story/657684.html

TRACK AND FIELD/CROSS COUNTRY

Theresa Waybright, Borah (pole vault), Utah;

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http://www.nwi.com/articles/2009/02/05/ ... 08ce23.txt

Region recruits make it official on signing day
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By Times Staff | Thursday, February 05, 2009 | No comments posted.
Lake Central seniors Kailey Jensen and Ericka Markiewicz won't have to part ways when they graduate from Lake Central High School in a few months.

Jensen and Markiewicz signed National Letters of Intent Wednesday to continue their track and field careers at Division I Jacksonville State in Alabama. Jensen will run cross country and track, and Markiewicz will compete in pole vault, L.C. girls track coach Ron Fredrick said.

Jensen helped the Indians finish second in the state cross country meet in each of the past two seasons. She was also an all-state track selection as a member of L.C.'s 3,200-meter relay team, which finished second in the 2008 state meet.

Markiewicz placed fourth in pole vault at last season's state meet, and she finished sixth the year before.

"I think they will both be very competitive at the next level," Fredrick said. "Kailey has great potential at the next level as she continues to get stronger in the 800 and cross. ... Ericka is also going to be very, very competitive at that level. It's a good fit for both of them, and I expect both of them to do very well. They will be at the right place at the right level."

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http://www.orugoldeneagles.com/ViewArti ... M_ID=17000

ORU Track And Field Signs Three
Release: 02/04/2009


Courtesy: ORU Media Relations


TULSA, Okla. – Oral Roberts University head track and field coach Joe Dial announced the signing of three athletes Wednesday. Those that signed national letters of intent to compete for ORU beginning in the 2009-10 season include Dusty Gehrke, Kendall Reynolds and Sarah Ramsay. These three additions will join Jack Whitt, on this year’s recruiting class.

Gehrke, a senior at Grove High School (Grove, Okla.) is a three-time 4A Oklahoma Champion (2006, ’07, ’08) and is ranked the No. 2 high school pole vaulter in the state of Oklahoma. Gehrke holds a personal best vault of 16-0. He is a three-time state qualifier in the 4x100 relay and a two-time state placer in the 4x400 relay. Gehrke is also an all-state wide receiver for Grove HS and is one of the top 4A wrestlers in the state as well. He was named to the 4A 2008 East Football offensive all stars team and placed fourth at the OSSAA Class 3A State Tournament in 2008, wrestling at 160 lbs.

“Dusty is a tough kid who’s not afraid to jump high,” Dial said. “He has enormous potential as a pole vaulter here at ORU.”

Ramsay, a senior at Owasso High School (Owasso, Okla.) finished fifth last season at the OSSAA Oklahoma 6A state meet in pole vaulting.

“Sarah is one of the top vaulters in the state of Oklahoma and still has room to improve over her college career,” Dial said. “She should help us maintain our dominance in pole vaulting at the Summit League Championships.”

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http://www.orugoldeneagles.com/ViewArti ... M_ID=17000

Whitt Signs National Letter Of Intent With ORU Track And Field
Courtesy: ORU Media Relations
Release: 02/04/2009


Courtesy: ORU Media Relations


TULSA, Okla. – Oral Roberts University head track and field coach Joe Dial announced Wednesday that Jack Whitt has signed a national letter of intent. Whitt, a 6-5 senior from Norman, Okla. (Norman North HS), will start competing for the Golden Eagles in the 2009-10 season.

Whitt was named ESPN’s Southwest Region Athlete of the Week on Jan. 14 after being named the 2009 High School Boys Pole Vault Summit Champion, posting a 17-00 vault and then followed it up with a second win at the Arkansas Invite, clearing 16-04. Whitt is ranked No. 1 in the nation amongst all high school boys for the indoor 2009 season and holds a personal best vault of 17-02.75. He was named the 6A Oklahoma State Champion in 2007 and 2008 and he is also undefeated in competition so far this year. Last year, Whitt won the USATF Junior Olympics in a jumpoff at 16-08.75 and he posted the third highest vault in the nation amongst all sophomores in 2007. At the beginning of this season, he was the No. 1 ranked returning high school pole vaulter in the nation.

“Jack is the best pole vault talent I have seen in my coaching career,” Dial said. “I am excited to have the opportunity to coach him for the next four years.”

Whitt will be joined by several others signing with ORU, which will be announced later today at www.orugoldeneagles.com.

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From Milesplit.us:

AL
Bedsole, Laura Hoover Samford University 2009-02-05 PV
Tisher, Neal St Pauls Ole Miss 2009-02-05 PV + Hurdles

OH
Greenlee, Jack St. Xavier University of Michigan 2009-02-04 15'+ Vaulter
Riebold, Jade Olentangy Liberty University of Georgia 2009-02-04 12'9" Pole Vaulter

PA
Ferguson, Ian Springfield (Delco) Bucknell University 2009-01-23 Pole Vault

TX
Bonfield, Jessica Argyle Texas A&M University 2009-02-04 PV
Clark, Hayden Southlake Carroll University of Texas 2009-02-05 PV

VA
Collins, Kate Nelson County Virginia Military Institute 2009-02-04 Pole Vault - 11'9" Best
Kelly, Allen Kings Fork Virginia Military Institute 2009-01-05 Pole Vault - VA 3A Outdoor State Champ, 15'8" Best
Parker, Shelley Brookville Liberty University 2009-02-04 Pole Vault - VA 2A State Champion, 11'0" Best

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http://www.wiuathletics.com/ViewArticle ... ID=3663561

Track/field and cross country sign nine athletes for 2009 season
Courtesy: Greg Lautzenheiser
Release: 02/05/2009

MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois head track and field coach Mike Stevenson has announced the signing of nine track and field athletes for the fall of 2009 that includes four men and five women.

“We are very excited to bring in a good group of talented young student-athletes to our cross country and track and field programs,” said Stevenson. “Each student-athlete brings a unique set of skills to the table, and we are confident they can each contribute to the overall success of the program. This is a good sized early signing class for us, and we will continue to add a few more individuals throughout the spring.”

The men’s recruiting class includes Davin Dollison, Matthew Leal, Chase Marlow and Jeffrey Veal.

Veal will be an addition to the field events as he has been competing in the pole vault at Penn High School.

The Mishawaka, Ind., native was the 2007 and 2008 Northern Indiana Conference pole vaulting champion and was named to the all-conference first team both years. Veal has a personal best mark of 15’00.00’’ in the pole vault and also has competed in the state meet, placing 11th in the event during 2008.

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http://hamptonroads.com/2009/02/noteboo ... ball-honor

Two standouts from Suffolk commit

Two of the state’s top male athletes have made their college choices.

Nansemond River’s James Taylor will sign with Norfolk State and King’s Fork pole vaulter Allen Kelly with Virginia Military Institute.

Kelly, the defending state outdoor pole vault champion, has cleared a state-best 15-8 this season – ranked sixth nationally.

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http://www.tri-cityherald.com/1358/story/470184.html

Jessica Christian (South Dakota).

Christian, who won the state title in the pole vault after a lengthy tiebreaker with Wa-Hi's Shanie Bushman, found out about South Dakota through Bombers coach Jim Qualheim. She hopes to follow in her future coach's footsteps -- Derek Miles, in his second year at USD, placed fourth in the pole vault at the Beijing Olympics.

"I went for a visit a few weeks ago, and just kind of liked it there," she said. "He has a lot of connections that will be beneficial to my learning the sport. That's what drew me there."

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http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/article ... 769550.txt

MINES INKS A PAIR OF RECRUITS FOR TRACK: The South Dakota School of Mines women’s track team received quite a boost recently with the signing of, not one, but two quality recruits — Grace and Marcie Hinker — from Lyons, Colo., to join the Lady Hardrockers for the 2009-10 season.

“Grace and Marcie bring a lot of experience, success and versatility to our women’s team,” Schafer said. “We believe they will be big contributors to the success of the Lady Rocker track and field team.”

Both Grace and Marcie compete in the pole vault. Last year, Grace received third at the Colorado State track meet, clearing a height of 9-feet, 0-inches, while Marcie earned fifth place at State with a vault of 8-6.

Grace also competes in the sprints and relay events and excels in the high jump as well. At last year’s state meet she earned fifth place in the high jump after clearing 5-1.

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http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/article ... 769550.txt

MINES INKS A PAIR OF RECRUITS FOR TRACK: The South Dakota School of Mines women’s track team received quite a boost recently with the signing of, not one, but two quality recruits — Grace and Marcie Hinker — from Lyons, Colo., to join the Lady Hardrockers for the 2009-10 season.

“Grace and Marcie bring a lot of experience, success and versatility to our women’s team,” Schafer said. “We believe they will be big contributors to the success of the Lady Rocker track and field team.”

Both Grace and Marcie compete in the pole vault. Last year, Grace received third at the Colorado State track meet, clearing a height of 9-feet, 0-inches, while Marcie earned fifth place at State with a vault of 8-6.

Grace also competes in the sprints and relay events and excels in the high jump as well. At last year’s state meet she earned fifth place in the high jump after clearing 5-1.