SFA Track & Field Inks Nine
4/22/2009 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
April 22, 2009
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin men's and women's track and field team bolstered its roster with the addition of nine athletes head track and field coach Phil Olson announced Wednesday morning. Joe Barb, Mike Brooks, Jordan Clements, Nathan Collier, Barrick Ellis, Kelli Hermes, Haley Parsons, Jonus Rodriguez and Avion Stewart have signed a National letter of Intent, and will continue their education at Stephen F. Austin.
The versatile class brings a wide range of expertise to the SFA campus. SFA has strengthened its sprints, hurdles, jumps, multis, distance and middle distance squads with the nine incoming athletes.
"We are extremely pleased and excited about this year's signing class," said Olson. "We knew going in that we were a young team and frankly, there wasn't much scholarship money coming available. The quality of this class is a testament to the hard work of our coaching staff, who recruited quality students who are exceptional on the track. Each person is an outstanding athlete who we regard as being in the top of their event groups at the state level."
The Lumberjacks have added three athletes to a very talented sprints/hurdles group with the addition of Barb, Ellis and Stewart. The incoming trio has a wide range of versatility that should help SFA in the short and long sprints, as well as in the relays and hurdles.
Barb has been one of the state's top 400-meter runners over the course of the past three seasons. A state qualifier in 2007, Barb was the state runner-up in the 400 meters last season.
"We are real excited about Joe," said sprint/hurdles coach Sean Lonergan. "We feel like he is one of the premier quarter milers in the state. He is also an exceptional student and a great team leader. Joe was instrumental in leading a new high school program to a district championship."
Ellis is a versatile athlete who could help the 'Jacks in a number of events. Ellis is a rare athlete who has the ability to compete in the 60, 100, 200 and 400-meter dashes.
In similar fashion to Ellis, the Lumberjacks will be counting on Stewart's talents to help in several event areas. The Dallas, Texas native, is one of the top hurdlers in the state, but the SFA coaching staff believes he could have an impact on the 'Jacks' sprints squad.
"Barrick is a great team leader," said Lonergan. "We feel he brings a lot to the table for us. He should have an immediate impact on our team."
"Stewart is one of the state's top 110 hurdlers in the 2009 class heading into the final weeks of the season. He has great speed and potential which will be a huge asset to our team," added Lonergan.
Brooks is the lone jumper in the signing class. A long and triple jumper, Brooks has had a ton of success at the high school level in the two events. He recorded a mark of 22-6.00 to finish fourth at the regional championships in the long jump. Brooks advanced to the state championships in the triple jump where he just missed an individual title. The Irving MacArthur product recorded jump of 47-9.00 to finish second overall.
Collier and Parsons are two of the state's top distance runners. Parsons comes to Nacogdoches from Dallas Christian Academy where she excelled at the distance and middle distance event groups, while Collier focused on the true distances.
"We are very excited to have Haley become a Ladyjack," said distance coach Lou Snelling. "She has a tremendous upside, having run only one season of cross country, and being a multi-sport athlete. Haley will have an immediate impact in the conference, especially in the middle distances during the track season. She has the potential to develop into something special."
"Nathan is anxious to finally have a group to train with on a daily basis. As with Haley, it was important for him to be in a team environment that is focused, positive and productive. Being in that situation, Nathan can turn into an impressive collegiate athlete. He definitely fits our traditional mold of Texas talent that we have continued to develop over the years," added Snelling.
Parsons recorded state runner-up finishes in the 400 and 800 meters as a freshman and sophomore. She followed that up by recording a state runner-up finish in the 800 meters, and just missed a state title by finishing second in the 1,600 meters in 2008. She has posted personal bests of 1:00.64 in the 400 meters, and 2:15.00 in the 800 meters. Parsons has posted solid numbers during the 2009 track season as well. She clocked a time of 5:08.65 in the 1,600 meters at the Texas Relays, and improved that mark with a 5th-place finish (5:06.68) at the Jesuit Sheaner Relays.
One of the state's top 2A distance runners, Collier won the cross country regional championships, and advanced to the state meet where he finished second overall this past season. As a sophomore, Collier finished third in the region in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters, while clocking a then personal record of 9:37.09 in 3,200 meters. Collier has recorded personal bests of 4:24.56 in the 1,600 meters, 9:26.68 in the 3,200 meters and 15:47 during the cross country season.
In addition to Parsons and Collier, SFA has also added Rodriguez. The brother of current Lumberjack runner Xavier Rodriguez, Jonus is expected to help with the middle distances. A state qualifier in the 800 meters for Poth High School, Rodriguez will also have the ability to help the 'Jacks in the 400 meters, as well as during the cross country season.
Clements, whose father is an assistant football coach at Baylor, will join a very strong multi-events squad at SFA. A 4A state regional finalist in the 300-meter hurdles, Clements will compete in the heptathlon and pentathlon for the Ladyjacks.
"Jordan is a young lady that we are very excited to have on our team," said multis coach Ron McCown. "She is a well-rounded athlete that I know will work hard and do well immediately."
Along with Clements, the Ladyjacks added Hermes from Victoria Memorial High School. Hermes will add immediate depth to the SFA multis squad being a strong athlete in several different event areas. A 5A regional qualifier in five different events as a sophomore and junior, Hermes also advanced to the regional championships during her freshman season as well.
Hermes comes to Nacogdoches with a personal record of 46.09 in the 300-meter hurdles, 15.50 in the 100-meter hurdles, 37-0 in the triple jump and 10-0 in the pole vault. She is a two-time recipient of the District 27-5A Varsity High Point Award.
"Kelli is a great student and a great athlete," said McCown. "I look forward to having her join our multi's group next year. She also has the potential to help us in several individual events as well."
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