Track and Field Signs Top Talent
EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon Track and Field Head Coach Robert Johnson announced, Thursday, the signing of 13 prep standouts to National Letters of Intent.
“It's been a thrilling few days in our office welcoming the newest members of the Duck family,” Johnson said. “Our staff did a great job compiling a diverse and well-rounded group of student athletes that will be embraced by this wonderful community and will have an immediate impact on our program. I can't wait for them to experience that Hayward Field Magic!”
The new crop of Ducks is not only diverse in its events they fill, the group also spans from nine different states as well as Australia. Included in the class are the nation’s top two boys’ distance recruits, the top two girls’ quarter milers and seven more who have won high school state championships.
The class is expected to be another highly touted one for Oregon. Track and Field News Magazine has ranked Oregon’s 2013 and 2014 women’s recruiting classes as the best in the nation while the men’s classes have been among the top three in the nation during five of the last six seasons.
Lilli Burdon (St. Hilda's School / Queensland, Australia)
Personal Bests: 2:08.74 (800m), 4:21.36 (1500m), 9:36.35 (3000m)
Finished ninth in the 1,500 meters at the 2015 World Youth Championships…New Zealand and Australian U18 Champion in 1,500…Australian Championships finalist in the 1500m…2014 Australian All Schools Champion in the 1500…will join the team in January 2016…watch Lilli run in the finals of the IAAF World Youth Championships
Makenzie Dunmore (McEachern High School / Powder Springs, Ga.)
Personal Bests: 23.79 (200m), 53.28 (400m)
Crowned the 2014 Georgia 400 meter Champion after finishing second as a freshman and sophomore…qualified for state finals in 200 every year…took 3rd at High School National Championships in the 400 in 2015…USATF Junior Olympic National Champion and USATF Youth National Champion in 400 in 2015…ran the 11th fastest high school quarter-mile time in 2015…also ran the sixth fastest 400 in the country during the indoor season (54.71), second fastest junior in the country behind soon-to-be teammate Hannah Waller…watch Makenzie set her personal best at the 2015 high school national championships.
Rhesa Foster (Clovis North High School / Clovis, Calif.)
Personal Bests: 20’3” (Long Jump), 14.06 (100m Hurdles), 24.45 (200m)
Won the bronze medal in the long jump at the 2014 Youth Olympics…was the 2014 AAU Junior Olympic National Champion in the long jump, 100 hurdles and 200 meters…3rd at the California state meet in the long jump as a freshman in 2013…recorded top-10 marks in the country in the long jump as both a freshman (No. 9) and sophomore (No. 5)…her marks were No. 2 in her class both years…injury in volleyball during her junior year limited junior track season… Her father, Robert, is a two-time Olympic hurdler who competed for Jamaica at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics...watch Rhesa win the bronze medal at the Youth Olympics in the long jump.
Drew Hunter (Loudoun Valley High School / Purcellville, Va.)
Personal Bests: 1:52.98 (800m), 4:02.36 (Mile), 8:42.51 (2 Mile)
Three-time Track and Field News All-American, earning the award for the 2-mile in 2014 and 2015 as well as the mile in 2015…named the 2014 Virginia Gatorade Boys’ Cross Country Athlete of the Year and has not lost a race in Virginia over the last two years…six-Time Virginia state champion including three consecutive cross country titles…on the track, won the state championship in the 1,600 and 3,200 in 2014 and repeated at 1,600 meters in 2015…won the High School Indoor National 2-Mile in 2015…finished fourth at the 2014 Footlocker National High School Cross Country Championships…ranks ninth all-time in the high school 2-mile outddors and sixth indoors…took second at the U.S. Junior Nationals at 1,500 meters in 2015 behind current Ducks Blake Haney…Brooks PR Invitational Champion…top-rated cross country recruit according to Milesplit…watch Drew win the 2-mile indoor national championship.
Jackson Mestler (Sheldon High School / Eugene, Ore.)
Personal Bests: 3:55.67 (1500m), 8:34.80 (3000m)
Won both the 1,500 and 3,000m at the 2015 6A Oregon State Championships…placed in the top 10 of the Oregon State Cross Country Championship all four years, finishing 10th as a freshman and then 5th as a sophomore, junior and senior…father, Rick, was a 4-time All-American for Oregon in the steeplechase…mother, Jill, also on Oregon cross country team…watch Jackson win the Oregon state 1,500 meter title at Hayward Field.
Kiana Phelps (Kingsley-Pierson High School / Kingsley, Iowa)
Personal Bests: 179’7” (Discus), 45’0” (Shot Put)
Top-ranked discus thrower in the country last year according to Track and Field News…two-time Track and Field News All-American in the Discus…Iowa state high school discus record holder with a personal best of 179-7…three-time Iowa State Champion…had the best discus mark in the country in 2013…watch Kiana set the Iowa state meet record in the discus last year.
Maddie Rabing (Lakeridge High School / Lake Oswego, Ore.)
Personal Bests: 47’10” (Shot Put), 144’0” (Discus), 148’8” (Hammer)
Rabing is a three-time 6A Oregon state champion, winning both the shot put and discus in 2015 as well as the shot put in 2014…carried an undefeated record in the discus and the shot put throughout the 2015 season…named the 2015 Oregon Gatorade Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year…her personal best of 47-10 in the shot put was the 16th-best throw in the country in 2015…the distance also ranked eighth among juniors in the country…watch Maddie talk about her sweep at the Oregon state meet last year.
Katie Rainsberger (Air Academy High School / Colorado Springs, Colo.)
Personal Bests: 2:08.87 (800m), 4:40.92 (Mile), 10:49.47 (3200m), 16:23.4 (5k xc)
Was the fastest 5,000 meter cross country runner in the country during her senior season and ran to an undefeated record this fall…notched the fifth fastest high school mile time in the country last year as a junior…2014 Track and Field News All-American in the mile…named 2014 Colorado Girls Gatorade Cross Country Athlete of the Year…five-time 4A Colorado State Champion after winning back-to-back cross country titles as well as the 800, 1600, and 3200 on the track in 2015…has five runner-up state finishes as well….placed sixth at Nike XC Championships in 2014 and 2013….her mother Lisa won the 1985 Boston Marathon, the last American woman to win the race…watch Katie win her second-consecutive state cross country championship.
Alexis Rigmaiden (St. Louis Catholic High School / Lake Charles, La.)
Personal Bests:157’1” (Javelin)
Two-Time Louisiana state champion in javelin, winning in 2014 and 2015…also finished sixth at the state meet in the shot put while leading her team to a fourth place finish in 2015…ninth best high school performer in the javelin in 2015, fifth best in the junior class.
Deajah Stevens (Benjamin Cardozo High School / College of Sequoias / Bayside, N.Y.)
Personal Bests: 23.18 (200m), 53.63 (400m)
California Junior College State Champion in the 400m and 200m at the College of Sequoias while also finishing as the state runner-up in the long jump…2012 High School Indoor Nationals runner-up in the 200 as a senior…as a high school senior ranked in the top ten nationally in the 200, 300 and 400 meters indoors…three-time New York State Champion…No. 9 All-time U.S. high school girl in the 300 meters indoors (37.90)…will join the team in January 2016…watch Deajah win her heat at the 2012 high school indoor national championships.
Levi Thomet (Kodiak High School (AK) / Kodiak, Ala.)
Personal Bests: 4:07.60 (Mile), 8:48.32 (2 Miles), 14:40.44 (5000m)
Thomet is a 10-time Alaska State Champion…won 3-straight Alaska Cross Country State Championships to go with his sweep of the 800, 1600 and 3200 at both 2014 and 2015 Alaska State Championships…six-time Alaska Gatorade Boys’ Athlete of the Year winning both the track and field and cross country awards in each of his first three years at Kodiak High School…as a high school junior, finished 16th at Footlocker Cross Country National Championships and finished 15th as a senior…on the track as a junior, finished in the top ten in the 5,000 meters at both the U.S. Junior Championships and high school national championships...finished 4th at U.S. junior nationals in the 5,000 as a senior…ran the second fastest indoor 2-mile time in the country (8:48.32) to finish second at high school indoor nationals…ranks seventh all-time in the indoor high school 2-mile…watch a documentary on Levi.
Austin Tamagno (Brea Olinda High School / Brea, Calif.)
Personal Bests:1:52.33 (800m), 4:06.26 (Mile), 8:54.13 (3200m)
Went undefeated during his senior cross country season this fall…named the 2014 California Gatorade Boys’ Cross Country Athlete of the Year…2014 California state cross country champion, leading Brea Olinda to victory as a team…won the 2015 1,600 meter state championship…finished fifth at the 2014 Footlocker National High School Cross Country Championships…took sixth at the 2014 U.S. Junior Championships in the 1,500…ranked in the top 10 nationally for high school milers both his sophomore and junior seasons…No. 2 high school Junior last season in the mile behind fellow Oregon signee Drew Hunter…second-ranked cross country recruit by Milesplit…watch Austin take sixth at last year’s high school national cross country championships.
Hannah Waller (Buchanan High School / Clovis, Calif.)
Personal Bests: 53.14 (400m), 23.91 (200m), 11.97 (100m)
Fastest high school junior in the country last year over 400 meters…2015 California State Champion in the 400, winning by more than a second…qualified for the finals at the California state meet as a freshman, sophomore and junior…recorded the 9th fastest 400 meter time in the country last in 2014, the fastest in California…finished 8th in California State Meet in the 200…took 3rd at the Brooks PR Invitational in the 400…watch Hannah run at the Brooks PR Invitational last year.
“It's been a thrilling few days in our office welcoming the newest members of the Duck family,” Johnson said. “Our staff did a great job compiling a diverse and well-rounded group of student athletes that will be embraced by this wonderful community and will have an immediate impact on our program. I can't wait for them to experience that Hayward Field Magic!”
The new crop of Ducks is not only diverse in its events they fill, the group also spans from nine different states as well as Australia. Included in the class are the nation’s top two boys’ distance recruits, the top two girls’ quarter milers and seven more who have won high school state championships.
The class is expected to be another highly touted one for Oregon. Track and Field News Magazine has ranked Oregon’s 2013 and 2014 women’s recruiting classes as the best in the nation while the men’s classes have been among the top three in the nation during five of the last six seasons.
Lilli Burdon (St. Hilda's School / Queensland, Australia)Personal Bests: 2:08.74 (800m), 4:21.36 (1500m), 9:36.35 (3000m)
Finished ninth in the 1,500 meters at the 2015 World Youth Championships…New Zealand and Australian U18 Champion in 1,500…Australian Championships finalist in the 1500m…2014 Australian All Schools Champion in the 1500…will join the team in January 2016…watch Lilli run in the finals of the IAAF World Youth Championships
Makenzie Dunmore (McEachern High School / Powder Springs, Ga.)Personal Bests: 23.79 (200m), 53.28 (400m)
Crowned the 2014 Georgia 400 meter Champion after finishing second as a freshman and sophomore…qualified for state finals in 200 every year…took 3rd at High School National Championships in the 400 in 2015…USATF Junior Olympic National Champion and USATF Youth National Champion in 400 in 2015…ran the 11th fastest high school quarter-mile time in 2015…also ran the sixth fastest 400 in the country during the indoor season (54.71), second fastest junior in the country behind soon-to-be teammate Hannah Waller…watch Makenzie set her personal best at the 2015 high school national championships.
Rhesa Foster (Clovis North High School / Clovis, Calif.)Personal Bests: 20’3” (Long Jump), 14.06 (100m Hurdles), 24.45 (200m)
Won the bronze medal in the long jump at the 2014 Youth Olympics…was the 2014 AAU Junior Olympic National Champion in the long jump, 100 hurdles and 200 meters…3rd at the California state meet in the long jump as a freshman in 2013…recorded top-10 marks in the country in the long jump as both a freshman (No. 9) and sophomore (No. 5)…her marks were No. 2 in her class both years…injury in volleyball during her junior year limited junior track season… Her father, Robert, is a two-time Olympic hurdler who competed for Jamaica at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics...watch Rhesa win the bronze medal at the Youth Olympics in the long jump.
Drew Hunter (Loudoun Valley High School / Purcellville, Va.)Personal Bests: 1:52.98 (800m), 4:02.36 (Mile), 8:42.51 (2 Mile)
Three-time Track and Field News All-American, earning the award for the 2-mile in 2014 and 2015 as well as the mile in 2015…named the 2014 Virginia Gatorade Boys’ Cross Country Athlete of the Year and has not lost a race in Virginia over the last two years…six-Time Virginia state champion including three consecutive cross country titles…on the track, won the state championship in the 1,600 and 3,200 in 2014 and repeated at 1,600 meters in 2015…won the High School Indoor National 2-Mile in 2015…finished fourth at the 2014 Footlocker National High School Cross Country Championships…ranks ninth all-time in the high school 2-mile outddors and sixth indoors…took second at the U.S. Junior Nationals at 1,500 meters in 2015 behind current Ducks Blake Haney…Brooks PR Invitational Champion…top-rated cross country recruit according to Milesplit…watch Drew win the 2-mile indoor national championship.
Jackson Mestler (Sheldon High School / Eugene, Ore.)Personal Bests: 3:55.67 (1500m), 8:34.80 (3000m)
Won both the 1,500 and 3,000m at the 2015 6A Oregon State Championships…placed in the top 10 of the Oregon State Cross Country Championship all four years, finishing 10th as a freshman and then 5th as a sophomore, junior and senior…father, Rick, was a 4-time All-American for Oregon in the steeplechase…mother, Jill, also on Oregon cross country team…watch Jackson win the Oregon state 1,500 meter title at Hayward Field.
Kiana Phelps (Kingsley-Pierson High School / Kingsley, Iowa)Personal Bests: 179’7” (Discus), 45’0” (Shot Put)
Top-ranked discus thrower in the country last year according to Track and Field News…two-time Track and Field News All-American in the Discus…Iowa state high school discus record holder with a personal best of 179-7…three-time Iowa State Champion…had the best discus mark in the country in 2013…watch Kiana set the Iowa state meet record in the discus last year.
Maddie Rabing (Lakeridge High School / Lake Oswego, Ore.)Personal Bests: 47’10” (Shot Put), 144’0” (Discus), 148’8” (Hammer)
Rabing is a three-time 6A Oregon state champion, winning both the shot put and discus in 2015 as well as the shot put in 2014…carried an undefeated record in the discus and the shot put throughout the 2015 season…named the 2015 Oregon Gatorade Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year…her personal best of 47-10 in the shot put was the 16th-best throw in the country in 2015…the distance also ranked eighth among juniors in the country…watch Maddie talk about her sweep at the Oregon state meet last year.
Katie Rainsberger (Air Academy High School / Colorado Springs, Colo.)Personal Bests: 2:08.87 (800m), 4:40.92 (Mile), 10:49.47 (3200m), 16:23.4 (5k xc)
Was the fastest 5,000 meter cross country runner in the country during her senior season and ran to an undefeated record this fall…notched the fifth fastest high school mile time in the country last year as a junior…2014 Track and Field News All-American in the mile…named 2014 Colorado Girls Gatorade Cross Country Athlete of the Year…five-time 4A Colorado State Champion after winning back-to-back cross country titles as well as the 800, 1600, and 3200 on the track in 2015…has five runner-up state finishes as well….placed sixth at Nike XC Championships in 2014 and 2013….her mother Lisa won the 1985 Boston Marathon, the last American woman to win the race…watch Katie win her second-consecutive state cross country championship.
Alexis Rigmaiden (St. Louis Catholic High School / Lake Charles, La.)Personal Bests:157’1” (Javelin)
Two-Time Louisiana state champion in javelin, winning in 2014 and 2015…also finished sixth at the state meet in the shot put while leading her team to a fourth place finish in 2015…ninth best high school performer in the javelin in 2015, fifth best in the junior class.
Deajah Stevens (Benjamin Cardozo High School / College of Sequoias / Bayside, N.Y.)Personal Bests: 23.18 (200m), 53.63 (400m)
California Junior College State Champion in the 400m and 200m at the College of Sequoias while also finishing as the state runner-up in the long jump…2012 High School Indoor Nationals runner-up in the 200 as a senior…as a high school senior ranked in the top ten nationally in the 200, 300 and 400 meters indoors…three-time New York State Champion…No. 9 All-time U.S. high school girl in the 300 meters indoors (37.90)…will join the team in January 2016…watch Deajah win her heat at the 2012 high school indoor national championships.
Levi Thomet (Kodiak High School (AK) / Kodiak, Ala.)Personal Bests: 4:07.60 (Mile), 8:48.32 (2 Miles), 14:40.44 (5000m)
Thomet is a 10-time Alaska State Champion…won 3-straight Alaska Cross Country State Championships to go with his sweep of the 800, 1600 and 3200 at both 2014 and 2015 Alaska State Championships…six-time Alaska Gatorade Boys’ Athlete of the Year winning both the track and field and cross country awards in each of his first three years at Kodiak High School…as a high school junior, finished 16th at Footlocker Cross Country National Championships and finished 15th as a senior…on the track as a junior, finished in the top ten in the 5,000 meters at both the U.S. Junior Championships and high school national championships...finished 4th at U.S. junior nationals in the 5,000 as a senior…ran the second fastest indoor 2-mile time in the country (8:48.32) to finish second at high school indoor nationals…ranks seventh all-time in the indoor high school 2-mile…watch a documentary on Levi.
Austin Tamagno (Brea Olinda High School / Brea, Calif.)Personal Bests:1:52.33 (800m), 4:06.26 (Mile), 8:54.13 (3200m)
Went undefeated during his senior cross country season this fall…named the 2014 California Gatorade Boys’ Cross Country Athlete of the Year…2014 California state cross country champion, leading Brea Olinda to victory as a team…won the 2015 1,600 meter state championship…finished fifth at the 2014 Footlocker National High School Cross Country Championships…took sixth at the 2014 U.S. Junior Championships in the 1,500…ranked in the top 10 nationally for high school milers both his sophomore and junior seasons…No. 2 high school Junior last season in the mile behind fellow Oregon signee Drew Hunter…second-ranked cross country recruit by Milesplit…watch Austin take sixth at last year’s high school national cross country championships.
Hannah Waller (Buchanan High School / Clovis, Calif.)Personal Bests: 53.14 (400m), 23.91 (200m), 11.97 (100m)
Fastest high school junior in the country last year over 400 meters…2015 California State Champion in the 400, winning by more than a second…qualified for the finals at the California state meet as a freshman, sophomore and junior…recorded the 9th fastest 400 meter time in the country last in 2014, the fastest in California…finished 8th in California State Meet in the 200…took 3rd at the Brooks PR Invitational in the 400…watch Hannah run at the Brooks PR Invitational last year.
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