SFA Track Signs Fourteen To Letters Of Intent
6/2/2001 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
June 2, 2001
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 2, 2001
CONTACT: Rob Meyers
NACOGDOCHES, Texas -- Stephen F. Austin head track and field coach Phil Olson has announced the signing of fourteen student-athletes to national letters of intent to continue their education and run track for SFA next fall. Included in the group of fourteen are seven women and seven men.
"I am very pleased with the class of student-athletes we have been able to sign to this point. I feel that we have a number of people coming that should be able to step in and help right away. Not only have we signed these fourteen student-athletes, but we also have a number of student-athletes that have agreed to walk-on the squad next fall. Overall, our numbers will be up significantly, and anytime you can add depth to your team, you will be much stronger," said Olson.
Among the seven signees for the Ladyjack track squad are four student-athletes that will run cross country and compete in distance events during the track season. Laura Bothun from Lubbock Coronado High School earned All-State honors this past year as a member of Coronado's fourth place cross country team at the state championships. Jessica Partin of Priddy, Texas also earned All-State honors as a senior helping her team to a fourth place finish at the Class A Cross Country Championships in the fall. Partin also finished third in the 3200-meter run at the state track meet this spring, and was a two-time state qualifier in track.
Joining those two in the distance programs will be Leann Shaw of Johnson City, another All-State cross country runner. Shaw finished seventh this past year at the Class AA State Championships and was a regional finalist in both the 1600 and 3200-meter runs this past spring. Emily Hufstedler of Graham also earned All-State cross country honors this past fall, finishing eleventh at the Class AAA state championship. Hufstedler was also a state finalist in the 1600-meter run this spring.
SFA also added a second member of the Graham High School squad when Lindsay Kirkland agreed to attend the university in the fall. Kirkland won the state championship in the 300-hurdles this spring in Austin, and also competes in the high jump and long jump. She will compete in the heptathlon as a collegiate.
Two East Texas products round out the Ladyjack signing class with Shametra Boykins of Karnack leading the way. Boykins won state titles in both the long jump and triple jump in 2001, and was also a member of the state champion 4x100 and 4x200 meter relay teams from karnack High School. Karnack won state track titles in 1998, 2000 and 2001 during her high school career.
Anne Henderson of Kaufman has also agreed to continue her education at SFA next fall. The state runner-up in the 200-meters also qualified for the state track meet in the 100-meter dash as well. Henderson was the regional champion in the 200-meters.
The Lumberjack track team also picked up commitments from seven student-athletes, among them six high school seniors and one transfer. Also included in that group is one student-athlete that had already committed to play football next year for the `Jacks.
Matt Hoelscher of College Station signed in February to play football at the university, and will also compete in throwing events for Olson and the track team. Hoelscher has a personal best of 190' in the discus, finishing third at the state meet this spring. He is currently ranked among the top 15 in the nation among high school discus throwers.
Josh Hufstedler of Graham has also agreed to transfer to SFA from McMurry University, where he was a two-time Division III qualifier in cross country. Hufstedler will also compete in distance events on the track team.
The `Jacks also signed one hurdler on the men's side, inking Jonathan James of Houston. James is a two-time district champion in both the 110 and 300 hurdles. SFA also added a sprinter in Darryl Williams of Humble. Williams was a member of Humble's state qualifying 4x400 meter relay team and has also run times of 10.6 in the 100 and 21.6 in the 200-meter dash.
SFA also added two more distance runners that will also compete in cross country in the fall. Haile Teklai of Arlington, Virginia has committed to the `Jacks and will compete in both the 1600-meter run in track and cross country in the fall. Teklai was a state finalist at Washington-Lee High School in both events.
Bryan Waugh of Weatherford has also joined the SFA program after a top fifteen finish at the regional cross country meet as a senior. Waugh has also competed in distance events on the track.
The SFA cross country team will host the Southland Conference Championships next fall.
