11.19.2015
Track & Field and Cross Country inks impressive signing class
Sategna welcomes 20 recruits to team
AUSTIN, Texas – On the heels of a 2015 track and field season that saw the Texas men's and women's teams sweep the Big 12 Conference titles indoors and out, Head Coach Mario Sategna and his staff have signed one of the top recruiting classes in the country during the Fall Signing Period.
Texas Track & Field and Cross Country has inked 19 recruits over the last week during the early signing period. The signees combine to rank No. 1 in the nation six events along with seven more Top Five's and three more events ranked in the Top 20.
"We are very excited to welcome all of these future Longhorns from across the country and their families to The University of Texas," Sategna said. "The staff did a phenomenal job of going out and identifying our needs across the board of where we can continue to have success at the conference and national level."
The men's signing class includes 11 student-athletes with one graduating high school this fall to enroll early at Texas in January and join the team immediately.
On the women's side, there are eight signees for Track & Field and Cross Country with an additional recruit who signed with the women's basketball team that is expected to compete outdoors upon completion of the basketball season.
"With this early signing class you can see we brought in future greats which are going to have an immediate impact in every facet of our men's and women's program," Sategna said. "The future is very bright for The University of Texas men's and women's track and field program. We're well on our way to doing some wonderful things, and again I could not be more proud of the efforts from our entire staff. We have a great foundation and this signing class will help us tremendously as we push for Big 12 and national titles both now and in the coming years for the men and women."
2015-16 Texas Track & Field and Cross Country Signees
Men
Garek Bielaczyc | Salt Lake City, Utah | East HS
Ranked No. 18 in nation in XC by Saucony Flo50
Assistant Coach Brad Herbster: "Garek is a tremendous pickup for the Longhorns. He will be able to contribute in a variety of events on the track. Garek has a tremendous range and is one of the nation's elite distance runners."
Spencer Dodds | Great Oak, Calif. | Great Oak HS | XC/Distance
No. 22 in nation in XC | XC Team ranked No. 2 in nation in Saucony Flo50 | No. 8 in nation in 1600m (4:09)
Assistant Coach Brad Herbster: "Spencer is ranked as one of the top milers in the country. We feel that he has paved the way for an elite type cross country season and can contribute in all three seasons."
Daniel Golden | The Woodlands, Texas | The Woodlands HS | XC/Distance
Texas 6A State Champion XC (individual and team) | 1600m (4:15) | 3200m (9:17)
Assistant Coach Brad Herbster: "Daniel is really important to The University of Texas, he is the first Texas State Champion in cross country we have had since Craig Lutz. Daniel has really good range and will be impactful in the distance events. He is a tough runner who will contribute in his first year."
Ian Kerr | The Bahamas | Western Texas College
Juco Transfer | 100m (10.39) | 200m (20.97)
Associate Head Coach Tonja Buford-Bailey: "Ian will be able to fill some gaps in the shorter sprints, which allows us to continue to build upon our men's sprints program. He competed at the World Youth Championships and currently at the Juco level, so we expect him to be able to contribute right away."
Isaiah Lucas | Houston, Texas | Cypress Falls HS
Ranked No. 2 in the nation in 300mH (36.56) | Ranked No. 4 in nation in 110mH (13.78)
Associate Head Coach Tonja Buford-Bailey: "As a World Youth medalist, Isaiah has international experience that will help him transition smoothly to the college level. He has worked diligently to be an elite hurdler in both events, which will immediately give us the depth we need with our men's squad. We could not be more excited for him to be a Longhorn."
Ika Morton | Lacey, Wash. | River Ridge HS
Will graduate high school early and enroll at UT in January | USATF Jr. Olympics Silver Medal | Long Jump (24-0.25)
Assistant Coach Kareem Streete-Thompson: "Ika exemplifies the type of student-athlete that we are looking for here at the University of Texas. He is a strong student and graduated early and is enrolling in the spring. He brings much needed depth to our horizontal jumps group. He should come in and contribute at the conference level and develop into an NCAA scorer in the coming years."
George Patrick | Brentwood, Tenn. | Brentwood Academy
Ranked No. 1 in the nation in decathlon & heptathlon | New Balance Indoors National Champion in Decathlon | 2015 IAAF World Youth Championships 4th place | Father ranks 15th in UT history in decathlon
Head Coach Mario Sategna: ""We are delighted to have George join our program here at Texas and continue our long tradition in the decathlon, which also includes his father Jason who was an All-America decathlete in 1993."
Andrew Powell | Brentwood, Tenn. | Brentwood Academy | XC/Mid-Distance
Ranked No. 33 in the nation in 800m (1:53) | 1600m (4:19)
Assistant Coach Brad Herbster: "Andrew has incredible potential in the middle distance events and will be able to come in and contribute right away."
Andrew Price | Bellaire, Texas | Strake Jesuit College Preparatory
District & Area Champion in the 4x400m Relay | All-District & All-Area in 4x100m & 4x200m | State Qualifier in 4x400m
Associate Head Coach Tonja Buford-Bailey: "Andrew has a wide range of experience on the track, we look for him to add depth to the men's relay pool."
Matt Ritchey | Spring, Texas | Klein HS
No. 3 in state in Hammer Throw (190-2)
Assistant Coach Ty Sevin: "Matt is a great addition to our very talented throws group. His passion for throwing and his meticulous approach to his technical skills will enable him to have an immediate impact on our program."
Medric Roberson | Arlington, Texas | Martin HS
Ranked No. 5 in nation in 110mH (13.80) | Ranked No. 10 in nation in 300mH (37.31)
Associate Head Coach Tonja Buford-Bailey: "What's really exciting about Medric is that he spent a lot of time focusing on football. He has all the physical attributes to be an incredible dual hurdler here at Texas. It will be really neat to see what he can do when he is 100-percent dedicated to track and field."
Women
Skyler Bollinger | Temecula, Calif. | Great Oak HS
AAU National Champion in Steeplechase | 1600m 4:56 | 3200m 10:40
Assistant Coach Brad Herbster: "Skyler has tremendous range and will be effective in a variety of events. She is part of a tremendous program and has had good success from the steeplechase to the 2-mile."
Elena Bruckner | San Jose, Calif. | Valley Christian HS
Ranked No. 1 in nation the shot put and discus | No. 10 all-time in U.S. under-18 in both
Assistant Coach Ty Sevin: "I am so excited to welcome the Bruckner's to the Longhorn family. Elena embodies all the qualities that will sustain the legacy of Texas Longhorn throwers. Anytime our University can attract the best athlete in the country in any discipline it's a good day for our program."
Destiny Collins | Great Oak, Calif. | Great Oak HS | XC/Distance
Ranked No. 1 in the 1600m & 3200m | XC Team ranked No. 1 in nation in Saucony Flo50 | California State Championship 1st 3200m, 3rd 1600m | Won every 3200m race she ran in 2015
Assistant Coach Brad Herbster: "Destiny is a game changer for a program. We are thrilled to have her at the University of Texas. Someone of Destiny's caliber and ability for the future is important to any program, at Texas now the work begins in turning her into one of the best ever at this level, Coach Soles has done a tremendous job with her at Great Oak."
Serenity Douglas | Grayson, Ga. | Archer HS
Ranked No. 4 in the nation 400m (53.42)
Associate Head Coach Tonja Buford-Bailey: "I'm very excited about Serenity and what she brings to our women's program as a whole. She's a versatile long sprinter who will also be able to contribute on both relays. What I enjoy most about Serenity is her spirit and dedication to team. It's really a pleasure when you can see those qualities in a young person from the recruitment process. She has the characteristics of many of the great 400m runners that have had so much success here at Texas."
Alexis Duncan | Glenn Heights, Texas | Desoto HS
No. 2 all-time in 100mH (30") with time of 12.95 | Ranked No. 4 in nation in 100mH (13.33) | Ranked No. 8 in nation in 300mH (41.98)
Associate Head Coach Tonja Buford-Bailey: "Alexis is a pure hurdler with both speed and technical strengths who brings a wealth of experience on the national and international level. As a multiple-time Texas State Champion, she knows how to win and has high expectations for herself. That quality will fit well into our women's sprints program here at Texas."
Abby Guidry | Kingwood, Texas | Kingwood HS | XC/Distance
2015 State Championship 7th 3200m, 8th 1600m | 2015 6A Region 2 XC Championship 2nd | 1600m (4:59) | 3200m (10:38)
Assistant Coach Brad Herbster: "Abby will be a big contributor to the program, she has the determination and drive to be very successful at this level."
Joyner Holmes | Cedar Hill, Texas | Cedar Hill HS | (signed with Basketball)
Ranked No. 3 in Texas in Triple Jump (40-7) | Long Jump (18-9) | No. 2 basketball recruit in nation
Assistant Coach Kareem Streete-Thompson: "Joyner is the No. 2 ranked basketball player in the 2016 class and she is also a very talented jumper. She will join our team during the outdoor season as she seeks to improve her distances in the long and triple jump events. She has a championship pedigree and will bring a winning mentality to our team."
Teesa Mpagi | The Woodlands, Texas | The Woodlands HS
Ranked No. 12 in Texas in Triple Jump (39-5.00) | Long Jump (19-00.0)
Assistant Coach Kareem Streete-Thompson: "Teesa has a lot of potential in both horizontal jumps. She is clearly motivated to succeed at the collegiate level and we look forward to her contributions to the team."
Taylor Walker | Temecula, Calif. | Great Oak HS
Great Oak HS XC team ranked No. 1 in nation by Saucony Flo50
Assistant Coach Brad Herbster: "Taylor has enormous talent and is part of a program that knows how to win. Taylor will be a tremendous asset in the 5k and down the road in the 10k. Taylor has the drive and determination we seek to be a major contributor."
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