February 7, 2008

Six Athletes Sign With Pitt State Track & Field

    PITTSBURG -- Pittsburg State University head track & field/cross country coach Russ Jewett announced that six athletes -- five women and one man -- signed letters of intent Wednesday (Feb. 6) to join the Gorillas for the 2009 season.
    Jordan Esry from Penney (Mo.) High School, Tesia Lahm from Carl Junction (Mo.) High School, Lauren Renfrow from Blue Springs (Mo.) High School, Heidi Smith from Elkhart High School and Kaley Temaat from Dodge City High School all will join the Pitt State women’s track & field program next year, with Esry, Renfrow and Temaat also planning to compete in cross country as well.
    Jon Sanell, from Shawnee Mission South High School, will join the Pitt State men’s cross country and track & field programs next year.

    Esry, a Hamilton, Mo., native, helped Penney High to four consecutive Missouri Class 1A state cross country titles from 2004-07 and she helped guide her prep track & field squad to the 2007 Missouri Class 2A state crown as well. She placed second individually at the 2007 1A state cross country meet and she finished among the top three competitors at state in all four seasons. In track & field, she helped PHS capture three straight 3,200 meter relay state titles (2005-07).
    “We believe that Jordan is one of the best distance runners to graduate out of high school in Missouri in 2008,” Jewett said. “She is equally accomplished in both cross country and track, which is very important to us. She has demonstrated great range in her ability to excel at distances from the 800m all the way up to the 5k. She also is an outstanding student.”

    Lahm, a Carl Junction, Mo., native, has earned Missouri Class 3A All-State honors in both the high jump and triple jump. She placed fourth at state in the high jump and fifth in the triple jump in 2007. She holds the CJHS record in the high jump (5-7) and she helped the 400m relay squad set a school record in 2006 as well. Lahm also is an accomplished volleyball player as well.
    “We are extremely fortunate to have Tesia join our track & field team next year,” Jewett said. “She is one of the best senior athletes in the immediate four-state area. She is an outstanding all-around athlete and has the potential to eventually compete near the top in our conference in the high jump and the triple jump.”

    Renfrow, from Blue Springs, Mo., is a three-time All-State cross country performer. She placed fifth at the state meet as a sophomore in 2005. Renfrow also has been a highly successful distance runner in track & field as well.
    “Lauren has had a great deal of success as a high school cross country competitor and she will undoubtedly be an important contributor to our cross country team in the very near future,” Jewett said. “While she has done well on the track, I think she has tremendous potential to improve at the collegiate level in the longer distances that are not contested at the high school level.”

    Smith, a native of Richfield, Kan., captured the Kansas Class 2A state title in the shot put as a junior in 2007, after garnering a state runner-up finish as a sophomore in 2006.
    “We are very excited to have Heidi join our program next year,” Jewett said. “She has performed very well at the high school level in the shot put, and we believe she has tremendous potential to improve in that event. She also will compete in the hammer throw for us and she has the physical tools to develop into a strong performer in time.”

    Temaat, from Dodge City, Kan., earned Kansas Class 6A All-State honors in track & field with a fifth-place showing in the 1,600 meters as a freshman in 2005. She also enjoyed a highly competitive cross country career at DCHS.
    “Kaley will make an immediate and positive impact on our cross country and track & field teams,” Jewett said. “She has proven versatility, logging fast times from the 800m on the track up through the 4k in cross country.”

    Sanell, a native of Leawood, Kan., earned Kansas Class 6A All-State honors with a third-place showing at the 2007 state championships. He also has enjoyed a highly successful track & field career in the distance races as well.
    “Jon is one of the best distance runners in the Kansas City metropolitan area, and he will certainly make a significant contribution to the success of our cross country and track & field teams,” Jewett said. “I think he can make our top seven in cross country as a freshman. He has very good endurance and above average speed, so when track season comes we will have come choices as to what his primary event will be.”