Nebraska Track and Field 2006-07 Signing Class

2006-07 Nebraska Track & Field Signing Class

Spring Signeees
Women’s Signees
Jennifer Webers, Conifer, Colo. (Conifer HS); Distance ? Webers finished runner-up in both the 1,600- and 3,200-meter run events as a junior at the 2006 Colorado Class 4A state meet and owns personal best times of 5:02.34 in the 1,600 meters and 11:09.60 in the 3,200 meters.

Men’s Signees
Austin Braman, Buffalo, Kan. (Chanute HS); Javelin - Braman is the No. 2 ranked prep javelin thrower in the nation in 2007 after winning the Kansas state class 4A javelin title for ChanuteHigh School in both his sophomore and senior seasons. Braman also set a state high school record in the javelin in May with a throw of 208-7. He owns a career best throw of 217-9, which would have ranked 30th in the NCAA for the 2007 collegiate season.

Adam Dailey, Wahoo, Neb. (Bishop Neumann HS); Sprints/Hurdles ? Dailey claimed three 2007 Class B event titles, including the All-Class Gold Medal in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 38.17. In addition to winning Class B crowns in the 110-meter hurdles (14.65) and 400-meter dash (49.74), Dailey also ran on the Cavaliers’ bronze-medal 4x400-meter relay.

Lehann Fourie, Pretoria, South Africa; Sprints/Hurdles ? Fourie becomes the third South African athlete to join the Huskers in the last three seasons. He specializes in the high hurdles, having clocked a personal best of 13.91, although he also has clocked straight sprint times of 10.84 in the 100-meter dash and 21.56 in the 200. He competed in the hurdles at the 2006 World Championships in Beijing, China, just missing the finals with a clocking of 14.25.

Nicholas Gordon, Kingston, Jamaica (Calabar HS); Jumps - The first Husker signee, Nicholas Gordon, won the 2007 Jamaican high school boy’s championship in the long jump while also placing second in the triple jump. A product of Calabar High School in Kingston, Jamaica, Gordon owns personal-best leaps of 24-9 ? in the long jump and 49-11 ? in the triple jump. The two marks each would rank among the top five national high school performances this season if he competed in the United States, including the No. 2 long jump distance.

Todd Gulizia, Omaha, Neb. (Millard South HS); Distance ? Gulizia won the 2006 Nebraska Class A state cross country championship and tops the 2007 state charts for both the 1,600- (4:18.0) and 3,200-meter run (9:21.50) events. He placed fourth and second, respectively, in the two events as a junior at the 2006 Nebraska Class A state meet.

Tyler Hitchler, Fremont, Neb. (Fremont HS); Throws ? Hitchler owns the No. 2 all-time discus throw in Nebraska prep history of 201-6 and currently ranks third among all national high school athletes with the performance. He earned the bronze medal as a junior at the 2006 Nebraska Class A state meet.

Scott Jorgensen, Brookings, S.D. (Brookings HS); Jumps ? Jorgensen ranks as the top long jumper in South Dakota during his senior season with a top distance of 23-7. He finished runner-up in the event as a junior at the 2006 South Dakota Class AA state meet.

Mikel Thomas, Clovis, Calif. (Clovis HS); Distance ? Thomas has emerged as one of the top distance athletes in the state of California as a senior after winning the Div. II state cross country championship during the fall. He currently ranks fourth in the state in the 3,200-meter run (9:08.34) and 14th for the 1,600 meters (4:14.86) this season, although his personal-best 3,200 mark of 8:59.81 would rate second overall. He placed fourth in the 3,200 meters as a junior at the 2006 California state meet.

Fall Signeees
Women’s Signees
Rachel Butler, Mechanicsville, Va. (Lee-Davis HS); Multi-Events ? Butler won the 2006 Virginia AAA girl’s state triple jump championship in addition to finishing third in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles. She also earned fourth place in the pentathlon at the National Scholastic Indoor Championships in New York City. Butler is coached by Neil Mathews and entered the spring with personal-best marks of 40-0 1/2 in the triple jump; 5-4 in the high jump; 43.41 in the 300 hurdles; and 3,380 in the pentathlon.

Lara Crofford, Newville, Pa. (Big Springs HS); Distance ? Crofford earned silver-medal honors as a junior at the 2005 Pennsylvania Class 3A state cross country meet and in the 3,200-meter run at the 2006 Class 3A state track meet. She finished runner-up at the Pennsylvania state cross country meet for the second consecutive year in 2006. Crofford is coached by Robert Jumper and owns a 3,200-meter personal best of 10:38.07.

Arna Erega, Rijeka, Croatia (First Croation Grammer School of Rijeka); Sprints/Hurdles ? Erega reached the semifinals of the women’s 100-meter hurdles at the 2006 World Junior Championships held in Beijing, China. She owns the Croation national junior record in the hurdles of 13.68, a mark that would rank eighth on Nebraska’s all-time list. Erega also has clocked in at 8.51 for the 60-meter hurdles.

 

Jade Hodson, Hastings, Neb. (Adams Central HS); Throws ? Hodson has won the last two Nebraska Class B girl’s state championships in the shot put. She also placed fifth in 2004 as a freshman. Hodson is coached by Shari Conner and entered her senior season with a career best in the shot put of 43-8.

 

Karyn LaCour, Humble, Texas (Humble HS); Sprints/Hurdles ? LaCour is the defending Texas 5A (largest class) state champion in the 100-meter hurdles. Coached by Ken Janak and Vanita LaCour, she owns a personal best in the hurdles of 13.83, while she has also recorded a mark of 18-10 in the long jump. LaCour has the potential to compete in a variety of events at NU, including the long jump. She ranks 12th nationally in 2007 with a season best of 13.94.

 

Ashley Miller, Tipton, Iowa (Tipton HS); Middle Distance ? Miller is an 11-time Iowa Class 2A girl’s state champion in the 400-meter dash (2005), 800 meters (2004, 2005, 2006), 1,500 meters (2006), 4x400-meter relay (2004, 2005), 4x800-meter relay (2005, 2006) and distance medley relay (2005, 2006). On the cross country course, Miller earned Class 2A state titles in 2004 and 2006 while helping lead TiptonHigh School to four consecutive state team titles from 2003 to 2006. She also claimed two consecutive Drake Relays high school girl’s 800-meter crowns in 2004 and 2005 before adding her third victory last month with a personal-best time of 2:10.10, which ranks ninth nationally. Coached by Jenny King in cross country and Dave Fetterman on the track, Miller entered her senior season with other personal bests of 57.63 for the 400 and 4:47.06 over 1,500 meters.

Audrey Svane, Tioga, Texas (PilotPointHS); High Jump ? Svane is the defending Texas 3A champion in the girl’s high jump. She is coached by Andrew Cook and owns a personal best in the event of 5-9, tying her for seventh nationally for 2007.

Natalie Willer, Elkhorn, Neb. (Elkhorn HS); Pole Vault ? Willer won the Nebraska Class A girl's state pole vault championship with a height of 11-8 last spring for ElkhornHigh School. She previously qualified for the Class B state meet as a sophomore in 2005 and as a freshman in 2004. Coached by Linda Gdowski, Willer leads all Nebraska prep athletes in 2007 with her personal-best vault of 12-10, which ranks as the all-time Class A state record and ties her for eighth nationally.

Men’s Signees
David Adams, York, Neb. (York HS); Distance ? Adams has won the last two Nebraska Class B boy’s state cross country titles, including the All-Class gold medal as a junior in 2005. He added a second All-Class gold on the track last year in the 1,600-meter run after also winning the Class B title as a junior, and added Class B state titles in the 3,200 meters in both 2005 and 2006. Coached by Tom Brink and former Husker Eric Rasmussen, Adams owns personal bests of 1:59.40 for the 800, 4:23.50 in the 1,600 and 9:25.1 for the 3,200.

Matt Conahan, Omaha, Neb. (Millard North HS); Distance ? Conahan swept the 800- and 1,600-meter run events as a junior at the Nebraska Class A state meet, including grabbing the All-Class gold medal for the 800, following a Class A state championship season in cross country. He previously won the intermediate boy’s 2,000-meter steeplechase title at the 2005 USA Youth Championships. Coached by Mike Neeman, Conahan owns personal bests of 1:53.81 in the 800, 4:23.69 in the 1,600 and 9:48.99 in the 3,200.

Brad Doering, Yuba City, Calif. (Yuba City HS); Distance ? Doering earned 18th place in the 1,600-meter run as a junior at the 2005 California Division I state meet, and he added a qualification for the 2006 state cross country meet during the last fall. Coached by Mike Buzbee, Doering owns personal-best times of 4:18.19 in the 1,600 and 9:23.25 in the 3,200.

Paul Hamilton, Sidney, Neb. (Sidney HS); High Jump ? Hamilton has claimed the past two Nebraska Class B boy's state high jump titles for SidneyHigh School. He won the 2006 crown with a then-personal-best height of 6-11, while leaping 6-8 to win as a sophomore in 2005. Hamilton, who is coached by John Ganser, has reached 7-0 as a senior in 2007 to rank second in the state and tied for fifth nationally.

 

Sam Siegel, Lincoln, Neb. (Southwest HS); Throws ? Siegel concluded his junior year by finishing fifth in the shot put and sixth in the discus at the Nebraska Class A state meet. He also qualified for the state meet in the shot put as a sophomore in 2005. Siegel is coached by Ryan Mahoney and owns the Southwest school records of 55-9 in the shot put and 165-0 in the discus.