The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Strong recruiting class to add depth to Track and Field roster
02.05.2014 | Track & Field / Cross Country
First-year head coach Mario Sategna and staff add 23 recruits on National Signing Day
Head coach Mario Sategna announced Wednesday the addition of 23 student-athletes to the Track and Field team, including 21 who will join the team in the fall.
This is a class of high-caliber athletes who will add depth to a men's team coming off a sixth-place finish at June's NCAA Outdoor Championships and to a women's squad currently ranked No. 2 in the nation.
The 10-member men's class of 2014-15 helps bolster the distance unit. It includes sprinter/hurdler Max Dordevic (Portland, Ore. / Jesuit Portland), distance runners Logan Emery (The Woodlands, Texas / The Woodlands), Zach Hamstra (Flower Mound Texas / Flower Mound), Connor Hendrickson (Southlake, Texas / Southlake Carroll), Jake McConnell (Keller, Texas / Keller), Jacob Pickle (Southlake, Texas / Southlake Carroll), Chris Pietraszkiewicz (San Antonio, Texas / Texas Military Institute) and Wesley Ward (Flower Mound, Texas / Flower Mound), pole vaulter Barrett Poth (The Woodlands, Texas / Klein Oak), and multi-event athlete Reese Thompson (Argyle, Texas / Argyle).
The women added depth across the board. The 11 new athletes who will join the team in the fall include throwers Lauryn Caldwell (Dickinson, Texas / Dickinson) and N'Dia Warren-Jacques (Conroe, Texas / Oak Ridge), distance runners Jessica Ellis (Austin, Texas / Westlake), Alyssa Moody (Round Rock, Texas / Round Rock) and Samantha Young (Southlake, Texas / Southlake Carroll), sprinters/hurdlers Ariel Jones (Houston, Texas / Atascotita) and Caitland Smith (Pelham, Ala. / Pelham), pole vaulters Kally Long (Wimberley, Texas / Wimberley), Shay Petty (San Antonio, Texas / St. Mary's Hall) and Calie Spencer (New Braunfels, Texas / New Braunfels Canyon), and multi-event athlete Alexa Harmon-Thomas (Lawrence, Kan. / Lawrence Free State).
"We are excited about this class on a couple fronts," said Sategna. "This is just day one of the signing period. It shows where we are at and where we are trying to go as a program. To have more than 20 signees on the very first day is an indication there are some great things coming down the road. Secondly, it shows the commitment and diligence of our staff. They put in a great deal of time and hard work over the last few months in connecting with not only our current student-athletes, but also these incoming recruits."
Sategna, who took over a newly combined men's and women's program last summer, sees this recruiting class as the continuation of a new era.
This recruiting class will join the 2013-14 freshmen crop - a group ranked among the best in the nation - in the fall. The 2013-14 women's and men's recruiting classes were ranked second and third in the nation, respectively, by Track & Field News, in Dec. 2013.
"We are not done by any means, this is just the beginning," Sategna said. "We are in a good spot but we are only going to keep moving this thing forward. We addressed some needs to the sprint and hurdles group. At the same time, we wanted to add some throwers and build on some of our strengths."
The men have always had a strong multi-event group, which includes sophomore Johannes Hock, the defending NCAA decathlon champion, and now expanding that area on the women's side with the addition of Harmon-Thomas, a highly-regarded recruit.
"We are very excited about adding Alexa," Sategna said. "We have always been a cut above on the men's side in the multis so to add someone with Alexa's background generates excitement for creating the same tradition on the women's side."
The UT men also have a pair of additions for the spring in sprinter Pieter Conradie (Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa / Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool) and javelin thrower Fabian Jara Dohmann (Fernando de la Mora, Paraguay / Colegio Goethe). Conradie is competing during the indoor season, while Dohmann will be in action once the outdoor season commences.
2014-15 Track and Field Signees
Men's
Pieter Conradie# – Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa / Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Sprints)
• Ranked No. 7 in the 400m following a personal-best performance of 46.62 in April 2013
• Bronze medalist in the 4x400m relay at the 2013 World Student Games
• Reached the semifinals of the 400m at the 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships and 2011 IAAF World Youth Championships
• Gold medalist in the 4x100m relay at the Commonwealth Youth Games, where the unit set a South Africa youth record with a time of 41.00
Max Dordevic – Portland, Ore. / Jesuit Portland (Sprints/Hurdles)
• Recorded his personal-best times in both the 200 meters (22.43) and 400m (49.19) at the 2013 Jackson's Open, which were both good enough to rank him first in the state of Oregon. His 200m time also ranked him 41st in the nation, with his 400m ranking him 19th.
• Recorded his personal best (53.38) in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2013 Outdoor US Junior Nationals, ranking him first in Oregon and 27th in the nation.
• Helped Jesuit HS win its second Oregon Class 6A boys track state title in school history in 2013
• Won the 300m hurdles at 2013 BorderDual Track Classic with a PR of 37.15, and also won the 300m hurdles at the 2013 Oregon Relays
Logan Emery – The Woodlands, Texas / The Woodlands (Distance)
• At the 2013 New Balance Nationals –Emerging Elites, finished 12th in the 1500 meters (4:05.17), and also ran the mile in 4:20.82, finishing 11th. His mile time was a personal best and was good enough to rank him fourth in the state.
• Placed second in the 5k at the 2013 UIL Region II Championships with a personal best time of 15:41.40
• Finished sixth in the 1600m (4:16.49) at the 2013 Outdoor Texas 5A State Championships
Zach Hamstra – Flower Mound Texas / Flower Mound (Distance)
• Placed seventh at the 2013 Nike South Regional Cross Country Championships, earning a national bid
• Competed at the 2013 Nike (NXN) Nike Cross Country National Meet
• Placed second in the 5k at the 2013 Marcus I Invitational with a PR of 15:30.00, ranking him 12th in Texas
• Placed fourth in the 5k at the 2013 UIL 5A Cross Country State Championships
• Finished third in both the 1600m and 3200m at the 2013 Texas District 5-5A
• Recorded a 15:01.80 3 mile run at the 2013 Texas 5A Region 1 to rank seventh in the state
Connor Hendrickson –Southlake, Texas / Southlake Carroll (Distance)
• Placed fifth at the 2013 Nike South Regional Cross Country Championships, helping his team earn a national bid
• Placed 58th at the Nike (NXN) Cross Country National Meet, helped his team earn a 14th place finish
• Ran his personal best of 14:59.63 in the 5,000 meters at the 2013 Texas Distance Festival, ranking him third in the state and 26th in the nation
• Helped Southlake Carroll win the 2013 Texas 5A state cross country title for the third year in a row
• Ran the 3000m at the 2013 Arcadia Invitational and recorded a PR of 8:45.33 to rank sixth in the state
• Placed fifth in the 5k at the 2013 UIL 5A Cross Country State Championships
• Won the 3200m at the 2013 Texas Relays with a PR of 9:10.77, ranking him seventh in the state
• Recorded a 15:00.00 3 mile run at the 2013 Texas 5A Region 1 to rank sixth in the state
Fabian Jara Dohmann# - Fernando de la Mora, Paraguay / Colegio Goethe (Javelin)
• 2013 Paraguay Champion in the javelin with a career-toss of 236-8 (72.14m)
• Pan American Junior javelin champion in 2010 with a throw of 201-1 (61.29m)
• Ranked No. 8 among South American youth following his senior campaign
Jake McConnell - Keller, Texas / Keller (Distance)
• Recorded a personal-best time of 15:47.00 in the 3 mile run at the 2013 Texas 5A Region 1 meet
• Placed 10th in the 5k at the 2013 Texas 5A District 4 Cross Country meet
• Finished second in the 800m at the 2013 Texas District 4-5A with a PR of 1:54.43, ranking him 19th in the state
• Placed third in the 5k at the 2012 Ken Garland NW Invitational
Jacob Pickle - Southlake, Texas / Southlake Carroll (Distance)
• Ranked 43rd overall in the final 2013 Individual National Rankings in Cross Country by DyeStat
• Ran a personal best 14:57.00 in the 5k at the Foot Locker South Regional finishing 11th at the meet, and ranking second in the state of Texas
• Finished 22nd (15:28.00) in the 5k at the Nike Cross National (NXN) Championships
• Helped Southlake Carroll win the 2013 Texas 5A state cross country title for the third year in a row.
• At the 2013 New Balance Nationals –Emerging Elites, Pickle finished third at the meet in the 2-mile run (9:20.91), ranking him 27th in the nation
• Won the 3-mile run (14:52.60) at the 2013 Texas 5A Region 1, ranking him third in the state.
• Finished second in the 5k at both the 2013 Nike South XC Invitational and UIL 5A Cross Country Championships
Chris Pietraszkiewicz – San Antonio, Texas / Texas Military Institute (Distance)
• Recorded his PR of 15:18.00 in the 5k at the Foot Locker South Regional, ranking him fourth in the state.
• Won the 5k at the 2013 Texas 4A TAPPS State Cross Country Meet
• Finished second in the 3200m at the 2013 Texas 4A TAPPS State Meet with a personal-best 9:28.00
• Earned TXrunning Runner of the Week at the 2013 Southlake Carroll Invitational, after placing fourth in the 5k
• Finished 12th in the 5k at the 2013 Nike Cross National (NXN) South Regional
Barrett Poth- The Woodlands, Texas / Klein Oak (Pole Vault)
• Recorded an indoor personal best 16-2 to finish eighth at the 2014 National Pole Vault Summit in Reno, ranking him 10th in the nation. He also finished fourth at the same event in 2013.
• Finished second in pole vault at the 2013 Texas Relays with an outdoor personal best of 16-10.75 to rank him second in Texas and seventh in the nation.
• Won the 11th Annual Texas Pole Vault Roundup Competition in 2014
• Finished sixth in pole vault at the 2013 US Junior Nationals, and 10th at the 2013 New Balance Indoor Nationals
Reese Thompson – Argyle, Texas / Argyle (Multi-Events)
• Placed second in the 110m hurdles at the 2013 Texas Relays with personal-best time of 14.31
• Ranked in the top 100 in the nation with a personal best 15-6 in the pole vault at the 2012 Outdoor Texas 3A State Meet, gaining bronze at the event
• Won the pole vault at the 2013 Arlington Sequin Invitational and placed second in the long jump with a PR of 22-0
Wesley Ward – Flower Mound, Texas / Flower Mound (Distance)
• Finished sixth in the 3-mile run (15:16.40) at the 2013 Texas 5A Region I, ranking him 15th in the state
• Won the 3,200m at the 2013 Jaguar Invitational with a personal-best time of 9:27.58
• Finished third in the 5k at the 2013 Nike Cross National (NXN) South Regional with a personal-best time of 15:36.60
• Finished 24th (16:15.24) in the 5k at the 2013 UIL 5A Cross Country State Championships
• Ran the final leg on the 4 X 800 meter relay (7:52.81a) unit that won at the 2013 Texas Relays
• Finished second (4:16.54) in 1600m at the 2013 Texas District 5-5A Championship
Women's
Lauryn Caldwell – Dickinson, Texas / Dickinson (Throws)
• Earned second place in the shot put at the 2013 Texas 5A State Championships with a toss of 46-3.50
• Posted a personal-best shot put of 47-7.50 at the 2013 Texas Southern Relays
• Placed third in the discus at the 2013 Texas 5A State Championships with a mark of 149-9
• Recorded a personal-best toss of 157-2 in the discus at the 2013 Clear Creek Relays
• Placed third in the shot put at the 2013 USATF National Junior Olympics with a toss of 44-2.50
• Claimed second in the discus at the 2013 USATF National Junior Olympics with a throw of 146-1
Jessica Ellis – Austin, Texas / Westlake (Distance)
• Captured first place in the 5K at the Texas 5A District 15 Cross Country Championships with a time of 19:22.97
• Placed second in the 3,200 meters with a time of 11:12.91 in the 2013 Texas Region 2-5A Championships
• Placed second in the 5K cross country meet during the 2013 Seven Lakes Invitational with a personal best time of 18:37.08
Alexa Harmon-Thomas – Lawrence, Kan. / Lawrence Free State (High Jump, Multi-Events)
• Won the high jump at the 2013 World Youth Trials and was second in that event at the 2013 U.S. Junior Nationals
• Placed second (5-9.75) in the high jump at the IAAF World Youth Championships
• No. 1 ranked in the state of Kansas in the long jump, high jump, 100-mh and 300mh
• Won the 100-meter hurdles in the 2013 Kansas 6A State Championships with a time of 14.11
• Won the 300-meter hurdles (42.70) during the 2013 Kansas 6A State Championships
• Won the long jump in the 2013 Kansas 6A State Championships with a 19-5.00 jump
Ariel Jones – Houston, Texas / Atascotita (Sprints/Hurdles)
• Placed second in the 100-meter hurdles in the Texas 5A State Championship with a time of 13.56
• Placed second in the 200-meter hurdles (41.56) in the Texas 5A State Championship
• Won the Division II 100-meter hurdles at the 2013 Texas Relays with a time of 14.11
Kally Long – Wimberley, Texas / Wimberley (Pole Vault)
• Has a personal-best pole vault of 13-3
• Won the pole vault at the Texas 3A State Championship with a clearance of 12-9
• Placed third in the pole vault at the 2013 New Balance Outdoor Nationals with a mark of 12-6.75
• Earned second in the pole vault at the 2012 Texas 3A State Meet with a clearance of 12-6
Alyssa Moody – Round Rock, Texas / Round Rock (Distance)
• Won the 800 meters at the 2013 Texas District 16-5A Championship with a time of 2:17.32
• Placed sixth in the 800 meters (2:19.37) at the 2013 Texas Region 2-5A Championships
• Earned second place in the 800 meters at the 2013 Texas 5A Area 15-16 Championships with a time of 2:19.40
• Captured the 5K title at the St. Andrew's Cross Country Invitational with a time of 18:56.20
Shay Petty – San Antonio, Texas / St. Mary's Hall (Pole Vault)
• Captured first place in the pole vault at the 2012 Southern Preparatory Conference Championship with a clearance of 12-7
• Earned second place in the pole vault (13-4.50) at the 2013 New Balance Indoor Nationals
• Placed fifth in the pole vault at the 2013 Texas Relays Section A with a mark of 13-0.75
Caitland Smith – Pelham, Ala. / Pelham (Sprints)
• Currently ranked No. 1 in the state of Alabama and No. 6 nationally in the 60 meters (7.49)
• Captured first place in the 100 meters (11.87), 200 meters (25.11) and 400 meters (55.97) during the 2013 Alabama 6A State Championship
• Captured first place in the 100 meters in the Caribbean Scholastic Invitational Meet with an 11.74 mark
• Won the 60 meters (7.55) and 400 meters (56.93) at the 2013 AHSAA Indoor State Championship
• Personal bests: 60m (7.49), 100m (11.73), 200m (23.88), 400m (55.97)
Calie Spencer – New Braunfels, Texas / New Braunfels Canyon (Pole Vault)
• Claimed seventh place in pole vault at the 2013 Texas 5A State Championship by clearing 12-6
• Finished second in pole vault in the Texas Region 4-5A, Texas Area 25-26 and Texas District 25-5A Championship meets with vaults of 11-6
• Ran the opening leg of the 4x200-meter relay that placed third with a time of 1:52.09 at the 2012 Tiger Relays
• Posted a personal best 13.95 in the 100 meters as a freshman in 2011
N'Dia Warren-Jacques – Conroe, Texas / Oak Ridge (Throws)
• Earned third place in the shot put at the 2013 Texas 5A State Championship with a throw of 45-10.25
• Won the shot put at the 2013 Texas Region 2-5A Championship and Texas 5A Area 13-14 Championship with shot puts of 44-7.75 and 45-0.75, respectively
• Captured first in the discus at the 2013 Texas 5A Area 13-14 Championships with a toss of 140-1.00
Samantha Young – Southlake, Texas / Southlake Carroll (Distance)
• Earned second place in the 5k at the 2013 Birdville Flyin' Hawk Invitational with a PR of 18:12.50
• Helped Southlake Carroll win the 2013 Texas 5A state cross country title for the third year in a row
• Finished fifth in 3 mile run at the Texas 5A Region 1 with a personal-best time of 17:56.30
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