Southern Utah Track & Field Receives 25 Commitments for 2008-09

CEDAR CITY, Utah ? July 2 ? Southern Utah track & field head coach Eric Houle announced that the University had received 25 commitments to the cross country and track & field program for the 2008-09 season. The signees will look to help the Thunderbirds continue their strong tradition after the men and women swept The Summit League cross country titles in 2007.

“These recruits will help us be even more competitive at the conference and national level,” Houle said of the group. “We'll look to this group to continue to drive the success of our program.”

Included in the group are distance runners Nigel Sharp (Regina, Saskatchewan/Campbell HS) and Nate Jewkes (South Jordan, Utah/Bingham HS) joining the men's side. With Jo Gullo (West Haven, Utah/Freemont HS), Kiersten Blauer (Parowan, Utah/Parowan HS) and Kristen Sly (Spanish Fork, Utah/Spanish Fork HS) joining the women's harriers.

Sharp will bring a 15th-place finish at the Canadian Junior Nationals after running an 8:40-time in the 3,000-meters. Jewkes finished second at the 5A Utah State Country Championships in 2007.

Gullo recorded a personal-best time of 5:14 in the 1,600-meters, with Blauer bringing a 2A state championship in the 3,200-meters and a second-place finish at the state level in the 1,600-meters. Sly has PR's of 5:12 in the 1,600-meters and 11:12 in the 3,200-meters, finishing fourth at the 5A state championships in the event.

The group of sprinters and jumpers is headlined by Phillip White (West Haven, Utah/Freemont HS) and Zane Hunzeker (Brigham City, Utah/Box Elder HS) on the men's side and Jasmine Paicely (St. George, Utah/Dixie HS) and Shelby Sayer (Dallas, Oregon/Dallas HS) on the women's side.

White finished in the top four of the state in both the 400-meters (48.14, second) and 200-meters with a fourth-place finishing time of 21.90. Hunzeker was a state runner-up in the pole vault after clearing the bar set at 14 feet six inches.

Paicely recorded a personal-best of 14.91 in the women's 100-meter hurdles and followed that with a fourth-place finish in the 100-meter dash. Sayer will also bring experience in the hurdles with a PR of 45.8 in the 300-meter hurdles.

The season will officially kick off for the new recruits and the rest of the Thunderbirds when the cross country team opens at Idaho State on August 30.

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Players Mentioned

Kiersten Blauer: 5' 5"; Freshman

Zane Hunzeker: POLE VAULT; Freshman

Jo Gullo: DISTANCE; Freshman

Nigel Sharp: DISTANCE; 5' 8"; Freshman

Shelby Sayer: HURDLES; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Kiersten Blauer
: 5' 5"; Freshman

Zane Hunzeker
: Freshman
: POLE VAULT

Jo Gullo
: Freshman
: DISTANCE

Nigel Sharp
: 5' 8"; Freshman
: DISTANCE

Shelby Sayer
: Freshman
: HURDLES