Track & Field signs Salmon to 2018 Recruiting Class

AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Track & Field Interim Head Coach Tonja Buford-Bailey announced the signing of Shiann Salmon to a National Letter of Intent on Tuesday. Salmon joins the nine women's recruits who signed commitments already and brings international experience in her events to the class.

Salmon signs with Texas out of Jamaica where she competes in the 400 meters and 400m hurdles. Just last month Salmon won the U20 section of the 400m hurdles at the CARFITA Games in The Bahamas. In March, Salmon won the Kingston ISSA Championships with a personal best time of 55.78 while also running 52.05 seconds to win the 400 meters.

Salmon's times rank No. 1 in the world for the 2018 signing class in both the 400m hurdles and 400m.

"There is no one like Shiann in the world right now that is not already running collegiate track and field," Buford-Bailey said. "She is the top athlete in terms of the 400 and 400 hurdles available in this signing class with our other signee Sanique Walker being No. 2 behind her. I couldn't be more excited to have Shiann make the decision to be a Longhorn."

With the signing of Salmon, Buford-Bailey hopes to continue the long history of success the Longhorns have had in both the 400 and 400 hurdles. No women's team has won more NCAA titles in the 400 meters.

When it comes to the 400m hurdles, Texas has been the standard as well on both fronts. The Longhorns have had a total of seven Olympians in the 400m hurdles and won four medals. Most recently in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Lifetime Longhorn Ashley Spencer claimed bronze for Team USA and fellow Longhorn Byron Robinson finished ninth for the men.

Salmon joins an already elite signing class of female sprinters, especially from The Caribbean. Texas signed two of Jamaica's top high school sprinters in the fall along with a pair of junior college transfers who hail from Jamaica and the British Virgin Islands. With the addition of Salmon to that group as well as two of the top American high schoolers, Buford-Bailey is excited with how the women's class is stacking up.

"This is one of the finest recruiting classes assembled and we are glad they will all be Longhorns," Buford-Bailey said. "Shiann can come in and make an immediate impact on our team next year. She brings international experience to the table that will help her when we go to conference and national championships. Adding her to this class along with our other international stars Amoi Brown, Shian Hyde, Nelda Huggins and Sanique Walker to go with our top American sprinters, Kynnedy Flannel and Kennedy Simon, really makes this a group that can be a force to be reckoned with when they step on the track. Our goal at Texas is to vie for national titles and this group helps us get there."

2017-18 Texas Track & Field and Cross Country Signees

The University of Texas at Austin Athletics

Track & Field signs Salmon to 2018 Recruiting Class