STANFORD TRACK AND FIELD SIGNS EIGHT

April 28, 2015

 

STANFORD TRACK AND FIELD SIGNS EIGHT

 

Recruits strengthen strong class

STANFORD, Calif. – The Stanford track and field program signed eight athletes to national letters of intent during the spring signing period.

 

The group consists of two hurdlers, two sprinters, a javelin thrower, high jumper, middle-distance runner, and future heptathlete. They join nine from the fall signing period to create a 15-member class.

 

The class consists of four men and four women. Women’s recruits are hurdler Hannah Labrie-Smith (Encinitas, Calif.), javelin thrower Mackenzie Little (Roseville, New South Wales, Australia), heptathlete Brittany McGree (St. Petersburg, Fla.), and sprinter Missy Mongiovi (Santee, Calif.). Men’s recruits are hurdler Lucas Ege (Hampshire, Ill.), Trevor Rex (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), 800-meter runner Brian Smith (Amstelveen, Netherlands), and sprinter Isaac Westlund (Snohomish, Wash.).

 

Stanford’s fall signees for the men’s class: Grant Fisher (Grand Blanc, Mich.), Will Lauer (Sioux Falls, S.D.), Alex Ostberg (Darien, Conn.). The women’s class: Hannah Long (Pacific, Mo.), Jackie McNulty (Frederick, Md.), Kaitlyn Merritt (Trabuco Canyon, Calif.), Catherine Pagano (Allendale, N.J.), Claire Smith (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada), Nicole Summersett (Austin, Texas).

 

The following is a closer look at each individual from the spring signing period:

 

WOMEN

 

Hannah Labrie-Smith (Encinitas, Calif./Cathedral Catholic HS): Hannah Labrie-Smith is the nation’s No. 4 300-meter hurdler in the class of 2015. In addition to winning back-to-back CIF-San Diego Section titles – the latter in a meet record -- she broke a 31-year-old section 300-meter hurdles record held by Olympic gold medalist Gail Devers, by running 42.24 at the Arcadia Invitational. She dropped her time to 41.67 while finishing second at the California state championships – her second top-three state finish. She won both hurdles at the 2013 CIF-SDS championships and was second in the 100 in 2014. She carries personal bests of 14.36 in the 100 hurdles, 41.68 in the 300 hurdles, 11.91 in the 100 and 24.79 for 200.

 

Mackenzie Little (Roseville, New South Wales, Australia/Pymble Ladies College): Australia’s Mackenzie Little was ranked No. 3 in the world among under-20 women’s javelin throwers in 2014 with a throw of 188-11 (57.60m), a distance exceeding the Stanford record. In 2013, Little set a World Youth Championships record with a throw of 201-8 for the lighter 500 gram implement, winning in a dramatic duel with Cuba’s Yulemnis Aguiar in Donetsk, Ukraine. With the 600g javelin, she was third at the Australian senior championships in 2014.

 

Brittany McGee (St. Petersburg, Fla./Admiral Farragut HS): Brittany McGee is accomplished hurdler and long-jumper who will expand into the heptathlon at Stanford. Already this season, McGee has set personal records in the 100 hurdles (14.14) and 300 hurdles (44.68). She is the defending Florida 1A champion in both events. She also has a personal best long jump of 19-2 ½, and finished third in the state last year.

 

Missy Mongiovi (Santee, Calif./West Hills HS): Missy Mongiovi is the two-time defending CIF-San Diego Section champion in the 400 was a state finalist in that event the past three years, finishing as high as fifth, in 2013. Mongiovi is among the top 20 in the U.S. for her class with a personal best of 54.70, which she earned at the 2013 state meet. Mongiovi also is was the 2013 section 200 champ in a personal best 24.44 and was runner-up last year. She holds school record in every non-hurdle running event from the 100 to the 800. 

 

MEN

 

Lucas Ege (Hampshire, Ill./Burlington Central HS): Lucas Ege is the No. 5-ranked 300 hurdler in the nation for his class. Ege has run an Illinois 2A state record 37.34 while winning the state championship last spring. He finished third in the 110 high hurdles in the same meet, and carries a 14.49 personal best. Ege scored 35 in the ACT and carried a cumulative GPA of 4.2. Ege is the school record-holder in both hurdles races and was named as the Fox Valley’s Male Athlete of the Year.

 

Trevor Rex (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Highlands Ranch HS): Trevor Rex is a high jumper with a best of 6-10, which he achieved at the Highlands Ranch Memorial Invitational last year. Rex was third in the Colorado 5A state finals as a sophomore and seventh as a junior. The 6-foot-3 Rex also is the drum major in the Highlands Ranch marching band.

 

Brian Smith (Amstelveen, Netherlands/International School of Amsterdam): Brian Smith is an American half-miler attending the International School of Amsterdam. Smith has run 1:51.95. Brian’s father, Steven Smith is an astronaut, flying on four Space Shuttle missions between 1994-2002. He  also played on two of Stanford’s NCAA championship water polo teams, in 1978 and 1980, and is a San Jose native.

 

Isaac Westlund (Snohomish, Wash./Archbishop Murphy HS): Isaac Westlund is among the nation’s top 25 in his class for the 400. Westlund was the Washington 2A runner-up in 2014, running a personal best 47.75. He also was a state finalist in the 200,  placing sixth, and has a best of 21.89.  Westlund was the Cascade Conference champion in both events last year, and went on to capture the Northwest/Sea King Bi-District 400 title.

 

 

For more information, contact:

 

David Kiefer
Assistant Athletic Communications Director
Stanford University
dkiefer@stanford.edu
(650) 759-0258, cell