COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Track & Field has added 21 student-athletes to its 2018 signing class Thursday, with head coach Brett Halter announcing the signings of future student-athletes from seven states, including 12 from Missouri. Among the group is six transfers – four men and two women – five of whom are returning to their home state of Missouri.
In the class, five have won state titles in their respective events, and five come as transfers with D-1 experience already under their belt, including one who has already qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships meet. They are an addition to the highly-touted 19 athletes Mizzou signed in the fall of 2017 which includes IAAF U20 World Champion in the high jump Roberto Vilches, four-time Minnesota state champion Mitch Weber, U.K. graduate transfer Kieran Wood and Missouri Cross Country state champion Victor Mugeche for the men, as well as IAAF U20 silver medalist in the triple jump Mirieli Santos, four-time Missouri state champion Tori Findley nationally-ranked triple jumper Arianna Fisher for the women.
"The work our team and coaches put in over the last year is certainly reflected in the quality of individuals who will be joining our family in a few short weeks," said Halter. "We have had several terrific recruiting classes over the years, however, this class may have set a new bar. The 2018 class collectively has the mindset, personality and ability to build on the work of former Tigers pushing this program toward our championship goals in the classroom, in the community, on the track and in the field."
SIGNEES
Sophia Rivera | Throws
Previous School: Wisconsin
High School: Brentwood High School
Hometown: Brentwood, Mo.
Javelin: 54.97m/180-4
Shot Put: 16.80m/55-1.5
Discus: 49.88m/163-8
Transferring to her home state from Wisconsin where she holds the javelin school record, Sophia Rivera joins the Mizzou throwing squad with an impressive list of accolades already in her name. After redshirting in 2016-17, Rivera was an NCAA West Preliminary qualifier in the shot put and javelin in 2018, and earned a bronze medal in the javelin at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships with a mark of 51.80m (169-11). At the 2018 California Collegiate Open, Rivera set the Wisconsin school record in the javelin with a throw of 53.40m (175-2). At Brentwood High School in Brentwood, Mo., Rivera won eight Missouri state titles, winning four straight titles in the discus (2013-17), three in the shot put (2013-16) and one in the javelin (2016, the inaugural year of the javelin competition in Missouri). As a prep, Rivera won three national titles at New Balance meets, winning the 2015 shot put indoor title, the 2015 shot put outdoor title and the 2015 javelin outdoor title. She also won bronze in the shot put at the 2015 Pan-American Junior Championships, and provided a 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifying mark in the javelin at the 2016 Brentwood Open with a throw of 54.97m (180-4). Rivera's javelin mark still ranks sixth all-time on the U.S High School Girls list.
"We are thrilled Sophia has chosen to come home to compete at Mizzou," said Halter. "I have been fortunate to know Sophia and her family for many years, and I can say for certain that the University of Missouri will be better not because of Sophia the athlete will do in the athletic arena, but because of what Sophia the person will add to the Mizzou community. Sophia will make an immediate impact on our program at every level and I am certainly looking forward to reconnecting with her in the coming weeks."
Caulin Graves | Sprints/Hurdles
Previous School: Drake
High School: Grandview High School
Hometown: Kansas City, Mo.
100m: 10.31
200m: 20.72
Caulin Graves will have two years of eligibility remaining when he joins the Mizzou sprints group. Graves recorded personal bests in the 100m dash and 200m dash during the 2017 season, running a 10.31 and a 20.72 at the Missouri Valley Outdoor Conference Championships. In 2018, Graves helped his 4x100m relay team finish third at the Missouri Valley Outdoor meet with a time of 40.58. Graves was a two-time state champion at Grandview High School in Kansas City, Mo., capturing titles in the 100m dash with a time of 10.84 and 200m dash with a time of 21.35 in 2016.
"We are excited to have Caulin back in his home state," said associate head coach Natasha Brown. "He has the ability to flow between the 100m, 200m and 400m with ease. Already an established national level sprinter, we look to Caulin to lead the way back to the NCAA meets this year."
Dustan Davidson | Distance
Previous School: Oklahoma State
High School: St. Louis University High School
Hometown: St. Louis, Mo.
800m: 1:50.87
1500m: 3:49.02
A transfer from Oklahoma State, Dustan Davidson will add depth to Mizzou's distance squad. After redshirting the 2016-17 season, Davidson competed this past season for the Cowboys, recording a 1500m personal best at the 2018 Arkansas Twilight where he recorded a time of 3:49.02. In high school at St. Louis University High School, Davidson recorded four top-four finishes in the 800m and 1600m at Missouri State Track & Field meets, including a state title in the 1600m as a senior in 2016 where he crossed the finish line at 4:10.97. Davidson also recorded an 800m personal best at the 2016 US Army Midwest Distance Classic, where he finished fifth at 1:50.87.
"Dustan brings some great experience with him from high school and his first two years in college," said assistant coach Marc Burns. "He has the ability to help us from 800m through 1500m and up to cross country."
Charlie Kern | Distance
High School: York High School
Hometown: Elmhurst, Ill.
800m: 1:52.56
5K (XC): 15:09.10
Hailing from Elmhurst, Ill., Charlie Kern will add depth the middle distance and distance groups for Mizzou. Kern earned six top-five finishes at IHSA Track & Field or Cross Country Championship meets, including a pair of runner-up finishes. Kern placed in the top-eight three times at the Cross Country State Championship meet, finishing eighth as a freshman in 2014, second in 2015 as a sophomore and fourth in 2016 as a junior where he set a 3 mile personal best with a time of 14:12.00. Kern also finish fifth at the 2015 Nike Cross Nationals Midwest Regional meet with a 5K personal best time of 15:09.10. On the track, Kern finished fifth in the 1600m at the 2016 IHSA State meet (4:18.20), third in the 800m in 2017 (1:54.26) and second in the 800m in 2018 (1:52.64). He ran an 800m personal best mark at the 2018 DuPage County Boys meet, finishing first at 1:52.56.
"Charlie is a great fit for our program in so many ways, said Burns. "He comes from a high school program where team is emphasized and valued like we do here. He is a great student and has tremendous range as an athlete. Most importantly, he will be a terrific addition to our team as a person. He has great leadership qualities and will fit in well with our team."
Erin Zimmerman | Throws
Previous School: Air Force
High School: Villa Maria Academy
Hometown: Malvern, Pa.
Javelin: 47.52m (155-11)
A transfer from Air Force, Erin Zimmerman will return to track & field after taking a year away from the sport to play volleyball for the Falcons in 2017-18. Back in high school at Villa Maria Academy in Malvern, Pa., Zimmerman finished in the top-10 of the javelin at the PIAA Track & Field State Championships each of her final three seasons, and posted a personal best mark of 47.22m (154-11) at the 2017 PIAA District 1 AAA Championships.
"Both Erin and I are excited to get the javelin back in her hand after a year off for playing volleyball," said Halter. She is ready to bring her 'can-do' enthusiasm to our program. As a part-time javelin thrower in high school, Erin had remarkable success. I think she has a terrific upside now that she can focus solely on developing her javelin technique."
Sydney Johnson | Throws
High School: Beloit High School
Hometown: Beloit, Kan.
Discus: 47.75m (156-8) - No. 17 in the U.S.
Shot Put: 13.66m (44-10)
A three-time Kansas state champion, Sydney Johnson joins the Mizzou throws group with impressive marks in both the discus at shot put. Johnson finished in the top-six in the discus at the Kansas State Track & Field Championships all four seasons in high school, ending with a state title in 2018 with a throw of 46.23m (151-8). Johnson's personal best discus mark of 47.75m (156-8), recorded at the 2018 NCAA League meet, ranks 17th among seniors in the nation. In the shot put, Johnson finished in the top-10 all four seasons at the Kansas State meet, once again ending with a state title as a senior in 2018 with a mark of 12.74m (41-9.5). Johnson's shot put personal best mark occurred at the 2018 Redman Relays, where she produced a mark of 13.67m (44-10).
"Sydney is a great fit for our program here at Missouri," said assistant coach Ross Richardson. "She is a very successful three-sport athlete, a great student and is really involved in her school and community. She has already hit some big personal bests in the outdoor season and we are very excited to see her grow as she focuses solely on track when she gets to Mizzou."
Emily Offenheiser | Throws
High School: Stockton High School
Hometown: Elizabeth, Ill.
Discus: 46.23m (151-8)
Shot Put: 13.67m (44-10.25)
From Stockton High School in Elizabeth, Ill., Emily Offenheiser never finished below eighth-place in the discus or shot put in her four seasons at the IHSA Girls State Track & Field Championships. In the discus, Offenheiser finished her prep career with state championship in 2018, recording a personal best mark of 46.23m (151-8). In the shot put, Offenheiser once again posted personal best mark at the 2018 State meet, finishing second with a throw of 13.67m (44-10.25).
"Emily is the kind of athlete we like to have in our program," said Richardson. She is a three-sport athlete and a multiple-time state qualifier in the shot put and discus. We feel with her great athleticism, she has the potential to throw a lot of different events for us and is going to make a big impact in our program in a couple of years. We are very excited to have her join our throws group."
Nylo Clarke | Sprints
Previous School: SIU Edwardsville
High School: Park Hill South Hill School
Hometown: Riverside, Mo.
200m: 21.60
A two-sport athlete at SIU Edwardsville, Nylo Clarke joins Mizzou as a sprinter with three years of eligibility remaining. Clarke played soccer for SIUE before joining the track & field team in the spring, where he placed fifth in the 200m dash at the Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships with a time of 21.60. Originally from Riverside, Mo., Clarke holds the Park Hill South school records in the 200m dash (21.95) and 400m dash (48.00). He finished runner-up in the 400m dash at the 2016 Missouri State Track & Field Championships with his school record performance of 48.00.
"Another talented recruit joining our sprint corps is Nylo Clarke who too is returning to the state of Missouri," said Brown. A former dual-sport athlete, Nylo possesses a perfect blend of speed and endurance that has served him well in the sport of soccer and track and field."
Landon Keefover | Sprints/Hurdles
High School: Antioch High School
Hometown: Antioch, Ill.
100mH: 14.25
300mH: 39.06
From Antioch High School in Antoich, Ill., Landon Keefover earned back-to-back runner-up finishes in the 110m hurdles at the IHSA Boys State Track & Field Championships in 2016 and 2017. He set prep personal bests marks of 14.25 in the 110m hurdles at the 2017 3A Huntley Sectional meet and 39.06 in the 300m hurdles at the 2017 Lake Zurich Country Invite.
"Landon is a great addition to the program," said Brown. "Not only is he a solid hurdler, but he will be able to give some depth to the sprint and relays group."
Ava Curry | Throws
High School: Liberty North High School
Hometown: Liberty, Mo.
Javelin: 44.06m (144-7) - No. 25 in U.S.
A three-time top-three state finisher in the javelin, Ava Curry will be able to focus on the javelin while competing for Mizzou. Curry finished second in the javelin at the 2016 MSHSAA State Track & Field Championships with a mark of 39.65m (130-1), third in 2017 at 41.71m (136-10) and third in 2018 at 41.94m (137-7). Her javelin personal best mark occurred at the 2018 Class 5 District 8 meet, where she won the meet with a mark of 44.06m (144-7). The throw currently ranks 25th among seniors in the nation in 2018.
"Like so many of the javelin throwers in our state, Ava is relatively new to the event," said Halter. "We hope to build upon the tremendous work of she and her coach in building her javelin technique over the last couple of years. Her technical foundation to allow her to settle into our program quickly and get to work."
Arianna Butler | Sprints/Hurdles
High School: Battle High School
Hometown: Columbia, Mo.
Heptathlon: 3,942 points
Staying right at home in Columbia, Arianna Butler comes to Mizzou with vast experience in a number of events. Butler will be inserted into Mizzou's sprints/hurdles group, but has competed in the high jump and multi-events at many track meets, including at the 2017 USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships where she completed in the heptathlon. Her heptathlon personal best score came at the 2017 Great Southwest Classic, where she scored 3,942 points.
"We are excited to add Arianna to our group of multis," said Brown. "She has done really well in the event with minimal experience. I expect significant increases in her current marks once she is able to truly train for each event."
Ivan Barnett | Throws
Previous School: Robert Morris-Illinois
High School: Kirkwood High School
Hometown: Kirkwood, Mo.
Javelin: 59.11m (193-11)
After spending a season at Robert Morris-Illinois, Ivan Barnett returns to the Show Me State and will add depth to Mizzou's javelin group. In high school, the Kirkwood High School product recorded back-to-back third place finishes in the javelin at the Missouri State Track & Field Championships in 2016 and 2017. After a successful prep career, Barnett set the javelin school record at Robert Morris-Illinois after finishing fourth at the 2018 Drake Relays with a throw of 59.11m (193-11). Barnett closed his first collegiate season by finishing 14th in the javelin at the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
"Ivan is a relative newcomer to the javelin and has a terrific upside," said Halter. "We are looking forward to getting him on campus and continuing his development. It will be fun to see where his journey takes him."
Isaiah Haggerty | Sprints
High School: Tyler TK Gorman High School
Hometown: Tyler, Texas
Isaiah Haggerty will join the Mizzou sprints group from Tyler, Texas, where he was a two-sport athlete in track & field and football at Tyler TK Gorman High School.
"I am thrilled to have Isaiah as a member of the program," said Brown. "I see nothing but great things in his future. With his football speed and Texas-tough mentality, Isaiah should do well competing in the SEC. This will be the first time he will be devoting his training to one sport, and he is anxious to get started."
Dylan Johnson | Throws
High School: Kearney High School
Hometown: Kearney, Mo.
Javelin: 54.08m (177-5)
A three-time finalist in the javelin at the MSHSAA State Track & Field Championships, Dylan Johnson will continue his success in the event in a Mizzou uniform. Throwing for Kearney High School, Johnson finished eighth in the javelin at the 2016 and 2017 state meets before earning bronze at the 2018 state meet. Johnson recorded a personal best mark of 54.08m (177-5) with a first-place finish at the 2018 Class 4 Sectional meet.
"Dylan is coming from a school rich in throwing history," said Halter. "He will be bringing a tremendous work ethic and skill set with him. Dylan is a well-rounded athlete with tremendous athleticism which will allow us to explore multiple events with him in addition to the javelin."
Lilly Hamilton | Distance
High School: Palmer Ridge High School
Hometown: Monument, Colo.
5K (XC): 18:43.20
Heading east from Monument, Colo., Lilly Hamilton will add depth to the Mizzou distance team. In cross country, Hamilton recorded a 5K personal best time at the 2016 Desert Twilight XC Festival, crossing the finish line at 18:43.20.
Kalescia Thomas | Jumps/Multis
High School: Francis Howell High School
Hometown: Saint Charles, Mo.
100mH: 15.00
300mH: 46.84
LJ: 4.98m (16-4)
An experienced athlete in jumps and hurdles events, Kalescia Thomas joins the Mizzou program with visions of becoming a multi-eventer. Thomas has posted personal best times of 15.00 in the 100m hurdles at the 2017 Class 5 Sectional 2 meet, 46.84 in the 300m hurdles at the 2018 Northwest Invitational and 4.98m (16-4) in the long jump at the 2018 Lindenwood High School Classic. Thomas recorded an eighth-place finish in the 100m hurdles at the 2018 MSHSAA State Track & Field Championships, crossing the finish line at 15.40.
"Kalescia is a well experienced athlete in the short hurdles and sprints," said assistant coach Iliyan Chamov. "Her passion about track & field and dedication in the classroom is a great example of a Mizzou student-athlete. Kalescia will continue with hurdles, and will start building career as a multi-eventer."
Cason Suggs | Sprints
High School: Washington High School
Hometown: Washington, Mo.
A two-sport standout at Washington High School in Washington, Mo., Cason Suggs will look to focus on sprints at Mizzou. The brother of Mizzou Men's Basketball student-athlete Ronnie Suggs, Cason averaged 10 points and seven rebounds per game as a junior for Washington. Suggs will focus on the 400m dash at Mizzou.
"We are excited to have Cason as a member of the team," said Brown. He is fairly new to the sport and brings a fresh optimistic perspective to the program. He will be developing his talents in the 400m dash."
Olivia Evans | Throws
High School: DuPont Manual High School
Hometown: Louisville, Ky.
Coming west from Louisville, Ky., and joining the Mizzou throws squad is Olivia Evans. Evans is a three-time finalist in the discus and shot put at the Kentucky State Track Meet, recording a sixth-place finish in the discus in 2017 before placing fourth in the discus and fifth in the shot put in 2018.
Camryn Ramsey | Throws
High School: Odessa High School
Hometown: Odessa, Mo.
Javelin: 39.17m (128-6)
A three-time top-three finisher in the javelin at the Missouri State meet, Camryn Ramsey is another piece of the javelin squad assembled in the recruiting class. Ramsey finished fourth in the javelin in 2016 as a sophomore at the MSHSAA State Track & Field Championships, third in 2017 and fifth in 2018. Ramsey set her javelin personal best mark in a runner-up finish at the 2018 MRVC Conference Championship meet, producing a mark of 39.17m (128-6).
Kelley Hackbarth | Distance
High School: Downers Grove South High School
Hometown: Downers Grove, Ill.
800m: 2:18.06
Joining her older sister, Michaela Hackbarth, at Mizzou will be Kelley Hackbarth from Downers Grove South High School in Downers Grove, Mo. Hackbarth recorded an 800m personal best time of 2:18.06 at the 2018 Distance Night in Palatine.
Abby Hake | Distance
High School: Helias Catholic High School
Hometown: Jefferson City, Mo.
Making her way up highway 63, Abby Hake from Jefferson City, Mo., will join the Mizzou distance squad. Hake improved her placement each season at the MSHSAA State Cross Country Championships at Helias Catholic High School, beginning with a 78th-place finish as a freshman in 2014, then 34th in 2015, 20th in 2016 and finally a 10th-place finish in 2017 as a senior.
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