Track & Field, Cross Country Announce Signees

The Nebraska track and field and cross country programs announced the addition of 22 student-athletes to the 14 previously announced, bringing their total number of signees for the 2016-17 season to 36. Ten signees are distance runners who will be on the Huskers' cross country team as well.

Of the 36 new additions, seven are from Nebraska and three are hometown Huskers (Jace Anderson, Southeast; Trey Williams, North Star; Elsa Forsberg, Southeast). 

A total of 21 women and 15 men are set to join the Huskers in the fall. The breakdown of the events of the signees is: jumps (14), distance (eight), sprints (four), middle distance (three), throws (three), multi events (two), pole vault (two) and hurdles (one).

WOMEN 
Sarah Conlon, Roseville, Minn. (Roseville), Distance
Graduated from Roseville High School in Roseville, Minn….set 1,600m (5:12.03) and 3,200m (10:46.29) school records at South St. Paul High School as a freshman…finished sixth in the 3,200m at the Minnesota AA state meet in 2013 as a freshman at South St. Paul…set a cross country 5K best of 18.31.50 and a 4K best of 14:42.60… also attended Edina High School.

Briana Eskridge, Miami, Fla. (Northwestern), Jumps
Attended Northwestern High School in Miami, Fla….won the Florida 3A high jump state title and finished second in the long jump and third in the triple jump…set prep bests of 5-8 (1.72) in the high jump, 19-0 (5.79) in the long jump and 40-6 (12.34) in the triple jump.

Tessa Fornari, Clarkston, Mich. (Our Lady of the Lakes), Distance
Attended Our Lady of the Lakes in Clarkston, Mich….won the Michigan D4 cross country state title, as well as the 1,600m and 3,200m state titles on the track…posted a 5,000m best time of 18:14.50 and a 1,600m best of 5:06.39.

Kierra Griggs, Bloom Township, Ill. (Bloom Trail), Sprints
Attended Bloom Trail High School in Bloom Township, Ill….placed second in the 400m at the Illinois 3A State Championships as a senior…placed 14th at the New Balance Nationals in the 400m with a prep-best time of 54.97…recorded a time of 25.31 in the 200m…took third in the 400m as a junior.

Lucy Hoelscher, Excelsior, Minn. (Minnetonka), Middle Distance
Attended Minnetonka High School in Excelsior, Minn….finished as the runner-up in the 800m at the Minnesota AA State Championships as a junior and was fourth as a senior and sophomore, as well as fifth as a freshman…was a three-time state champion with Minnetonka’s 4x800m relay team…won the 4x400m relay state title as a freshman and took second as a sophomore...ran an 800m personal best of 2:12.33.

Taylor Johnson, San Jose, Calif. (The King's Academy), Jumps
Attended The King's Academy in San Jose, Calif....set personal bests of 18-8 1/2 (5.70) in the long jump and 35-2 (10.71) in the triple jump...finished 11th in the long jump as a senior at the California state meet...set four school records, including the 100m (12.44w), 200m (26.02w), long jump (18-8 1/2) and triple jump (35-2). 

Chelsey Jones, Mandeville, La. (Mandeville), Middle Distance
Attended Mandeville High School in Mandeville, La….was a three-time Louisiana 5A state champion in the 800m…became the Louisiana state record holder in the 800m with a time of 2:12.04…also set a prep-best time of 55.11 in the 400m and was the state runner-up as a junior…brother, Charles Jones, is a running back for the Kansas State football team.

Judi Jones, Lenexa, Kan. (St. James Academy), Distance
Attended St. James Academy in Lenexa, Kan….set a 3,200m school record of 11:17.83 and a 1,600m school record of 5:05.72 as a senior…took third in the 1,600m and eighth in the 3,200m at the Kansas 5A State Championships…as a junior, finished third in the 1,600m and fifth in the 3,200m at the state meet.

Raynesha Lewis, Cahokia, Ill. (Cahokia), Jumps
Attended Cahokia High School in Cahokia, Ill…won the Illinois 2A state long jump title in 2015 and finished fourth in the triple jump…as a senior in 2016, placed third in the 100m hurdles and fifth in the triple jump at the state meet…was third in the long jump and triple jump as a sophomore…posted a long jump personal best of 19-1 (5.81) and a triple jump personal best of 40-6 (12.34), both South Seven Conference records.

Petra Luterán, Szárliget, Hungary (Tatabányai Árpád Gimnázium), High Jump
Attended Tatabányai Árpád Gimnázium in Hungary…was the Hungarian national runner-up in 2015 in the high jump…best clearance was 5-11 1/2 (1.82)…finished fourth at the Youth Olympic Games in 2014.

Brinae Sanders, Evanston, Wyo. (Evanston), Jumps
Attended Evanston High School in Evanston, Wyo....set a long jump PR of 17-11 3/4 (5.48) and triple jump PR of 35-11 (10.94)...was the long jump runner-up at the Wyoming 4A state meet as a junior and was fourth in the triple jump...posted top-five finishes in the long jump at the state meet as a sophomore, junior and senior...school record holder in the long jump...also played volleyball and basketball.

MEN 
Jace Anderson, Lincoln, Neb. (Lincoln Southeast/UNK), Jumps
Transferred to Nebraska from UNK after a four-year prep career at Lincoln Southeast...finished fifth in the triple jump at the MIAA Outdoor Championships as a freshman at UNK in 2016…placed eighth in the indoor triple jump at nationals…set a triple jump best of 48-7 1/2 (14.82)…set a long jump best of 21-9 (6.63) during the indoor season…won the triple jump at the 2015 Nebraska Class A State Championships…also finished in the top eight in the long jump as a junior and senior.

Kino Dunkley, Black River, Jamaica (Munro College), Throws
Comes to Nebraska from Munro College in Jamaica…won the discus title at the 2016 Penn Relays…recorded top throws of 59-6 (18.14) in the shot put and 191-0 (58.23) in the discus.

Mark Freyhof, Hamilton, Mich. (Hamilton), Distance
Attended Hamilton High School in Hamilton, Mich….finished 10th at the Michigan cross country state meet in 2015…placed second in the 3,200 meters and third in the 1,600 meters at the Michigan state track and field meet as a senior in 2016…set prep bests of 4:24.04 in the 1,600m and 9:26.52 in the 3,200m.

Isaiah Griffith, Detroit, Mich. (Detroit East English), Jumps
Attended Detroit East English High School…posted a long jump best of 22-11 (6.98) and a triple jump best of 48-0 3/4 (14.64).

Elijah Hawkins, Papillion, Neb. (Papillion-La Vista South), Hurdles
Attended Papillion-La Vista South High School…was the 300m hurdles Nebraska state champion in 2015 with a prep-best time of 38.85…finished eighth in the 110m hurdles at the state meet as a senior…finished second with the 4x400 relay with a time of 3:23.44…as a junior, placed fourth in the 110m hurdles and seventh in the 300m hurdles…set a prep best of 14.82 in the 110m hurdles.

Mason Hericks, Watertown, S.D. (Watertown), Sprints
Attended Watertown High School in Watertown, South Dakota…was the South Dakota state champion in both the 100m and 200m as a junior and senior and anchored two state-championship relays as a senior…was named the Class AA outstanding performer at the state meet…won the 2016 Howard Wood Relays 100m…set prep bests in the 100m (10.76) and 200m (21.85)…was named the South Dakota Gatorade Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year in 2016.

Karson LeComte, Mount Prospect, Ill. (Mt. Prospect), Distance
Attended Mt. Prospect High School in Mount Prospect, Ill….at the Illinois Class 3A state meet, finished fifth in the 1,600m in 4:19.24…also anchored the 4x800 relay team to a third-place finish…set a 1,600m prep best of 4:17.04, an 800m prep best of 1:55.59 and a 3,200m prep best of 9:22.12 in the 3,200m.

Mike Mitchell, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. (Tesoro), Jumps
Attended Tesoro High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif….set a long jump indoor prep best of 24-1 (7.34) and an outdoor best of 23-10 1/2 (7.28)…set a triple jump PR of 44-7 3/4 (13.61) outdoors and leaped 43-8 (13.31) indoors.

Lee “Tre” Mitchell, Ladera Ranch, Calif. (Tesoro/Saddleback CC), Jumps
Transferred to Nebraska from Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, Calif….attended Tesoro High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif….as a freshman at Saddleback in 2015, placed eighth in the California Junior College State Championships in the long jump…redshirted in 2016…set a long jump PR of 24-11 1/4 (7.60)…posted a triple jump best of 44-1 1/2 (13.45)… finished eighth in the long jump at the California high school state meet…finished seventh in the long jump at the 2015 USATF Junior Outdoor Championships.

Zach Podraza, Scripps Ranch, Calif. (Scripps Ranch), Multi Events
Attended Scripps Ranch High School in Scripps Ranch, Calif….placed second in the decathlon at the Arcadia Invitational in 2016 with 6,314 points …set prep bests of 42-8 (13.00) in the triple jump, 6-3 1/2 (1.91) in the high jump, 14-8 (4.47) in the pole vault and 5:06.41 in the 1,500m…also played football at Scripps Ranch.

Trey Williams, Lincoln, Neb. (North Star/UNK), Jumps
Transferred to Nebraska after competing in one indoor season at UNK and a prep career at North Star High School…won the long jump title at the 2015 Nebraska Class A State Championships…posted a long jump best of 23-1 3/4 (7.05) at the UNK Charlie Foster Pre-Holiday Classic to win the event…ran the 60-meter hurdles in 8.36.