Dec. 1, 2004
COLUMBIA, Mo. -
Missouri Track & Field Head Coach Rick McGuire announced Tuesday the signing of National Letters of Intent by eight high-schoolers throughout the country to be added to the Tigers' 2005-06 roster. The core group represents multiple high school state champions, record holders, and national prospects.
"We feel fortunate that we've had a very successful recruiting year so far as evidenced by a brilliant group that signed in the early period," said Dr. Rick McGuire, Head Track & Field Coach. "Our focus in this early period was to continue to build areas of our team that we do well with and we are going to continue our vast depth in those areas. Mostly, more importunely, these are bright kids and tremendous students - the people who will carry on the tradition of Missouri Track & Field."
Darby Kelly (Southlake Carroll HS/Southlake, Texas)
Darby Kelly of Southlake [Texas] Carroll High School is currently ranked in the top 15 of pole vaulters from around the nation going into her senior year with a personal best of 12 feet, 3 inches. She will become one of two Tiger pole vaulters from the State of Texas, joining freshman Tommie Powers of North Richland Hills, Texas.
"I am extremely excited about Darby joining our program," said Dan Lefever, Volunteer Assistant Coach in charge of pole vaulters. "Not only is she a great athlete, but she is a great person. With her strong values, she embodies the type of individual that we want and our team will be better because of her."
Three will be added to the men's distance group in J.C. Butler, Garett Jeffries, and Chris Pullen.
J.C. Butler (Ladue Horton Watkins HS/Olivette, Mo.)
Butler is a very talented middle-distance runner with tremendous speed, carrying personal bests of 47.8 in the 400-meter run and 1:52.76 in the 800-meter run, in addition to a 1:51.4 800-meter relay split. Butler won the MSHSAA Class 3 800-meter title in 2004 and finished 10th at the adidas National High School Championships.
"I look for J.C. to establish himself as the top high school 400- and 800-meter runner in the country this year," said Jared Wilmes, Assistant Coach in charge of men's distance.
Garett Jeffries (Marquette HS/Chesterfield, Mo.)
Another middle-distance addition from the St. Louis suburbs is Garett Jeffries from Marquette High School. Jeffries was the MSHSAA Class 4 3200-meter run champion and runner-up in the 2004 MSHSAA Cross Country Championships. Jeffries has personal bests of 4:18.12 in the 1600-meter and 9:25 in the 3200-meter.
"Garett is a tenacious competitor who will make an immediate impact on the cross country team and the distance events," Wilmes added.
Chris Pullen (St. Joseph Central HS/St. Joseph, Mo.)
Chris Pullen is another addition to Wilmes' crew from the State of Missouri. Pullen, of St. Joseph Central High School, placed fourth at the 2004 MSHSAA Cross Country Championship and has personal bests of 4:19 in the 1600-meter and 9:35 in the 3200-meter.
"Chris has very good range, running effectively in each distance from 800 to 5000 meters," Wilmes said. "Chris is a guy that I wanted to be part of my program for a long time, and I am very excited he will be joining our program next fall."
The Tigers will add three throwers in this early signing period with Krishna Lee, Kendra Greene, and Laura Frye.
Krishna Lee (O'Hara HS/Kansas City, Mo.)
Lee of O'Hara High School in Kansas City is three-time MSHSAA Champion, sweeping the Class 3 shot put and discus titles. Lee also broke the State Class 3 Championship record in the shot put with her personal-best toss of 42 feet, 10 inches (13.05m). Lee has recorded a personal best in the discus of 140 feet, 6 inches (42.82m). Lee will compete in the shot put, discus, weight and hammer throws as a Tiger and plans to major in Business.
"Krishna will be a great addition to our program," said Brett Halter, Associate Head Coach, charged with throws. "Krishna is a fantastic student, athlete and an even better person. I believe Krishna will make an immediate impact with our throwers."
Kendra Greene (Boonville HS/Boonville, Mo.)
Greene of Boonville High School placed second in the 2004 MSHSAA Championships in the Class 3 shot put, behind Lee. Greene actually held the Class 3 shot put record for 20 minutes with her personal best in the discipline of 42 feet, 6¼ inches (12.96m). Greene plans to major in social work and will compete in the shot put and both hammer and weight throws during the 2006 season. Kendra's aunt is recent Tiger grad and two-time All-American Janae Strickland.
"Kendra will continue a family legacy of track and field at Missouri," said Halter. "Kendra is essentially new to the shot put, having only trained for the event last season - which is obviously exciting. Kendra has a very good background in strength training and is an exceptional athlete and person. She will be a perfect fit for our program"
Laura Frye (Ada HS/Ada, Okla.)
Laura Frye of Ada, Okla., will be another strong addition to the Tiger troop. Frye took runner-up at the 2004 Oklahoma High School Championships in the Class 4A shot put competition. Frye's personal best of 40 feet, 11½ inches (12.48m). Frye plans to be one of many track and field Tigers to major in journalism and will compete in the shot put, hammer, and weight throw.
"Laura is an exceptional student and a very diverse athlete, competing in basketball, softball, track, and swimming," said Halter. "Laura has accomplished a great deal in a very small amount of time devoted to track and field. Given the opportunity to focus on the sport, I believe Laura will flourish as a thrower."
Amber Warren (Lutheran HS [St. Charles Co.]/St. Peters, Mo.)
Amber Warren, daughter of Lance and Carrie Warren, will come from Lutheran High School of St. Peters, Mo., to join the women's cross country and distance crew. Warren is a six-time MSHSAA Class 2 Champion, claiming titles in cross country and on the track in 800-, 1600-, and 3200-meter ranges. In 2003, Warren was a National FootlockerTM Cross Country Championship finalist, where she placed 23rd. Owning personal bests of 4:59.1 in the 1600-meter run and 17:53 for the 5000-meter run, Warren will be a strong addition to the Tiger contingent.
"Amber is a great girl, good student and a tremendous competitor," said Rebecca Wilmes, Assistant Coach that works with women's distance. "She is untapped in terms of her competitive ability. She will be a strong addition to our women's cross country team. We're very excited to have Amber as a Tiger next year."
For more information on Missouri Track and Field and Cross Country, visit mutigers.com. The season begins January 14th when the Tigers host the Missouri Invitational in the Hearnes Fieldhouse.