March 27, 2008

Nine Athletes Sign With Pitt State Track & Field

    PITTSBURG -- Pittsburg State University head track & field/cross country coach Russ Jewett announced that nine athletes -- three women and six men -- have recently signed letters of intent to join the Gorillas for the 2009 season.
    Ayanna Johnson from Lincoln (Mo.) College Prep, Josie McCracken from Highland (Mo.) High School and Marissa Quillin from Wichita Southeast High School all will join the Pitt State women’s track & field program next year, while Tyler Anliker of Emporia High School, Eric Harden and Greg Wright of Lincoln College Prep, Grant Hartman of Fort Scott High School, Ben Loats of Blue Valley High School and Christian Smith of Miami (Okla.) High School will join the Pitt State men’s track & field program next year.

    Johnson, a Kansas City, Mo., native, has earned Missouri Class 3A All-State honors as a sprinter at Lincoln Prep. She helped the 400m relay team to a fifth-place effort and the 800m relay team to a sixth-place showing at the 2007 state meet.
    “Ayanna is an outstanding sprinter, and she will help us immediately on the 4x100 relay,” Jewett said. “She has the potential to develop into a conference-level scorer in the near future in both the 100m and the 200m. Ayanna is also an outstanding student.”

    McCracken, an Ewing, Mo., native is a two-time Missoui Class 2A state champion in the sprints. She captured state titles in both the 100m and 200m as a sophomore in 2006 and she helped Highland’s 400m relay to a third-place showing that year.
    “We are ecstatic to be able to attract an athlete of Josie’s caliber,” Jewett said. “She is among the best sprinters to graduate from Missouri high schools this year. She will strengthen our team in the short sprints immediately and has the potential to be a national qualifier in time. Josie is also a good long jumper, and with her speed, she has much room to improve in that event.”

    Quillin, from Wichita, is a two-time All-State performer in the middle distance races as well as a standout performer in cross country. She placed seventh in the 800m at the 2006 Kansas Class 6A state meet and she placed sixth in the 1,600m at year as well.
    “Marissa will immediately add to our depth in cross country,” Jewett said. “In the spring, she will probably specialize in the 800 and 1500.”

   Anliker, an Emporia native, garnered Kansas Class 5A All-State honors in cross country as a junior in 2006. He also has enjoyed a successful prep career in the distance races in track & field.
    “Tyler has the credentials and the work ethic that will enable him to make an impact on our distance program the next few years,” Jewett said. “He comes from an outstanding high school program and is used to winning, which is definitely an asset.”

    Harden and Wright, both from Kansas City, Mo., each are Missouri Class 3A All-State sprinters. Harden helped Lincoln Prep’s 1600m relay to a fourth-place finish at the 2007 state meet, while Wright helped the 400m relay to a fifth-place showing and the 800m relay to a sixth-place finish in 2007.
    “Eric and Greg are not only outstanding sprinters, but they are excellent students as well,” Jewett said. “Eric will help us probably more in the long sprints and Greg more so in the short sprints and also in the long jump. They both will have a very good chance at making our relays as freshmen and will undoubtedly score for us in conference championships in the near future.”

    Hartman, a Fort Scott native, has been a standout performer in the javelin at Fort Scott High School with a personal-best mark of 175 feet, nine inches in the discipline.
    “We are very happy to have Grant join our program next year,” Jewett said. “He is one of the best javelin throwers in southeast Kansas, and is a very hard
worker. That work ethic will certainly pay off in big throws down the road. We think he could be all-conference not too long down the road.”

    Loats, an Overland Park, Kan., native, placed fourth at the Kansas Class 6A state meet in the 1600 meters as a junior in 2007. He’s the top returning athlete in the state in the discipline in 2008. He also has enjoyed a standout prep career in cross country as well.
    “Ben is among the best high school milers in the state of Kansas, and we are very pleased he has chosen Pittsuburg State,” Jewett said. “He will make our strong mid-distance corps even stronger, and he has the potential to be an All-MIAA performer in the near future.”

    Smith, from Miami, Okla., has enjoyed a highly successful prep career in the sprint races at Miami High.
    “Christian will give us more of the depth we need in the short sprints and 4x100,” Jewett said. “With hard work and avoidance of injuries, he could help us
in the near future.”

    Six additional high school athletes signed with the Pitt State track & field program in February.

2009 Pitt State Men’s Track & Field Signees
Tyler Anliker, Emporia, Kan./Emporia High School
Eric Harden, Kansas City, Mo./Lincoln College Prep
Grant Hartman, Fort Scott, Kan./Fort Scott High School
Ben Loats, Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley High School
Jon Sanell, Leawood, Kan./Shawnee Mission South High School
Christian Smith, Miami, Okla./Miami High School
Greg Wright, Kansas City, Mo./Lincoln College Prep

2009 Pitt State Women’s Track & Field Signees
Jordan Esry, Hamilton, Mo./Penney (Mo.) High School
Ayanna Johnson, Kansas City, Mo./Lincoln College Prep
Tesia Lahm, Carl Junction, Mo./Carl Junction High School
Josie McCracken, Ewing, Mo./Highland High School
Marissa Quillin, Wichita, Kan./Southeast High School
Lauren Renfrow, Blue Springs, Mo. Blue Springs High School
Heidi Smith, Richfield, Kan./Elkhart High School
Kaley Temaat, Dodge City, Kan./Dodge City High School