Texas A&M adds 13 track and field athletes during November early signing period
Nov 18, 2016 | Track and Field
COLLEGE STATION – Early signing period for track and field this past week included 13 athletes joining the Texas A&M program as they completed their national letter of intent. The group includes four men and nine women who will join the Aggies in the fall of 2017.
"I'm very, very pleased with the people that we did get," noted Texas A&M head coach Pat Henry. "We signed some outstanding people and it's good to have some new Aggies. I think we got two of the best athletes in the country and we have a very good group overall with this class, which includes eight distance runners.
"We will continue to recruit since we have another signing period in April. We're about halfway through and that's where we want to be right now."
Leading the men's newcomers is thrower Gabriel Oladipo of Ft. Bend Hightower, who threw over 200 feet in the discus and 62 feet in the shot put during his junior campaign. Oladipo also has represented the United States in international competition when he competed in the IAAF World Youth Championships held in Cali, Colombia in 2015.
A pair of athletes highlight the women's class joining Texas A&M with Tennessee's Tyra Gittens and Virginia Kerley from Taylor. Through three years of high school Gittens has accumulated 12 State titles, scoring 50 points at the Tennessee State meet in each of the past two years for claiming five individual titles. Winning efforts by Gittens, from The Ensworth School in Nashville, includes the pentathlon at State the past three seasons.
Kerley, who will join a pair of brothers – Fred and Mylik – already on the Aggie track and field team, also claims multiple medals during the Texas State meet. She has earned silver medals in the State 4A meet for Taylor in both the 100m and 200m while producing bronze medals in the long jump and triple jump.
Also in the women's class is another sprinter in Julia Madubuike from McKinney North and hurdler Kennedy Smith of The Woodlands, both of whom have relay experience as well.
The men's newcomers also includes three distance runners who each competed in the State cross country championships held this past weekend in Round Rock. The trio includes Theo Goff of Conroe Oak Ridge, Zephyr Seagraves of College Station and Ryan Yerrow of Katy.
Five distance runners are among the women's newcomers, all of whom have participated in multiple State cross country championships. Included in the group are A&M Consolidated's Rachel Bernardo, Megan Lindquist of New Braunfels Canyon, Michelle Myers of Houston HS in Germantown, Tennessee, Kylie Purifoy of Crandall, and Maddie Vondra of Arlington Heights HS in Ft. Worth.
This Saturday eight members of the track and field team receive their individual NCAA and SEC championship rings during the Texas A&M vs. UTSA football game. Half of that group were seniors in 2016, so the process of replacing them with talented newcomers continues the recruiting process for the Aggie coaching staff.
"I don't ever want to say we are a young team," stated Henry. "If we're a young team that means we didn't recruit well, because if we are recruiting well, in my opinion, you're never young. The level of consistency with our recruiting means you're going to be consistent in your program. That's what we are trying to do."
Texas A&M – November 2016 Early Signing Period
Men
Theo Goff (Conroe Oak Ridge HS, Texas) – 4:21.07, 9:16.31
Finished 13th in the 2016 State 6A cross country meet leading school to seventh-place team finish … Placed fourth in the Region II-6A race as school finished third … Won the Texas A&M Invitational … On the track set career best times of 4:21.07 and 9:16.31 during junior season.
Gabriel Oladipo (Fort Bend Hightower HS, Texas) – 62-0, 209-0
Established career best of 209-0 in discus to win Coaches Coalition National Championships held in Austin during July, also claimed shot put title with a mark of 61-11 …Won discus title at AAU Junior Olympics held in Humble, Texas this past summer while placing second in shot put … Threw 195-1 as State 6A discus runner-up in 2016, also runner-up in TTFCA Meet of Champions with toss of 189-3… In 2015 placed ninth in discus at the IAAF World Youth Championships in Cali, Colombia … Has a career best of 62-0 in the shot put, set in winning the 2016 District 23-6A title … State 6A shot put runner-up in 2015 and finished third in 2016.
Zephyr Seagraves (College Station HS, Texas) – 9:34.96
Finished fifth in the 2016 State 5A cross country meet and was the top finisher associated with a team … As a junior placed eighth in the State 5A meet in leading school to fourth-place team finish … Won Region III-5A cross country title in 2015 and 2016 … On the track, placed third in 1,600m at region meet, and set best of 9:34.96 in 3,200m … Ran 2,000m Steeplechase twice in 2016, placing third at Texas Relays and second in the TTFCA Meet of Champions.
Ryan Yerrow (Katy HS, Texas) – 9:23.44
Competed in State 6A cross country meet the past two years … Led school to an eighth-place team finish in 2016 and was second runner on 2015 squad that placed fifth in State … Claimed District 19-6A and Region III-6A cross country titles in 2016 … On the track set career best time of 9:23.44 in 2016.
Women
Rachel Bernardo (A&M Consolidated HS, College Station, Texas) – 2:16.37, 5:03.48, 11:15.57
Qualified for State 5A cross country meet as an individual in 2014 and 2016 … As a senior in cross country she won District 18-5A title, placed 11th in Region III-5A meet … On the track, set career best times of 2:16.37, 5:03.48 and 11:15.57 in 2016 … Swept District 18-5A titles in 800m and 1,600m as a junior, placed third in region 1,600m and fourth in 800m … In 2015, finished second in 1,600m and 3,200m at district, then placed sixth in both races at region.
Tyra Gittens (The Ensworth School, Nashville, Tennessee) – 6-0 ¾, 20-0 ¼, 5337
Has claimed 12 State titles in Tennessee during first three years of high school (200m [2], 100m hurdles [2], high jump [3], long jump [2], pentathlon [3]) … Scored 50 points in State meet twice by winning five events as a sophomore and junior, becoming the first to accomplish the feat in consecutive years … Earned All-America honors from Track & Field News in high jump and heptathlon in 2016 … Cleared a career best of 6-0 ¾ in high jump during heptathlon when she scored 5,337 points to win 2016 AAU Junior Olympics title in Humble, Texas … Previous best score of 5,164 in heptathlon placed second in the New Balance Nationals earlier in the summer … Scored 3,770 points in winning third consecutive Tennessee State title in 2016.
Virginia Kerley (Taylor HS, Texas) – 11.54, 23.54, 19-7 ½, 38-10 ½
Will join two brothers, Fred and Mylik, who already attend Texas A&M and compete in track and field for the Aggies … Bronze medalist in the 100m at the 2016 State 4A meet after placing second in 2015 and fifth as a freshman … Also claimed silver in the 200m at 2015 State meet and then won the TTFCA Meet of Champions … Placed fourth in the long jump at the 2016 4A State meet, producing a career best of 19-7 ½ … Also placed fourth in State long jump as a freshman, and finished third as a sophomore … In triple jump set career best of 38-10 ½ to win 2016 Region IV-4A title, then placed third in State meet.
Megan Lindquist (New Braunfels Canyon HS, Texas) – 5:03.62
Set career best of 5:03.62 in 1,600m in 2015, placing fourth in the Region IV-6A meet … Ran in State 6A cross country meet in 2014 and 2015.
Julia Madubuike (McKinney North HS, Texas) – 11.66, 24.14
Silver medalist in the 100m at the 2016 State 5A meet … Also placed second in 100m at the TTFCA Meet of Champions … Won 2015 TAAF Games of Texas 100m title … Set career best 100m time of 11.66 in 2016 and 24.14 in 200m during 2015 … Anchored 4x100 relay which won 2016 State 5A title and ran second leg when team won TTFCA Meet of Champions … Also anchored 4x200 relay to runner-up finish at State and ran lead-off leg when team claimed title at TTFCA Meet of Champions.
Michelle Myers (Houston HS, Germantown, Tennessee) – 11:12.24
Competed in Tennessee State 3A cross country meet in 2015 and 2016 … Second finisher on team that placed third in 2016 State meet … As a junior finished third in State cross country race and led school to team championship … Won Region 8-3A race twice, in 2015 and 2016, to lead her school to pair of team titles … Set career best of 11:12.24 in 3,200m during 2016 … Won 3,200m title in Tennessee sectional.
Kylie Purifoy (Crandall HS, Texas) – 5:09.38
State 4A runner-up in cross country this fall, competing as an individual … Won district and region titles on the way to qualifying for State … Also ran in State cross country meet as a junior, placing 17th … Set career best of 5:09.38 in 1,600m to place second in State 4A meet also finished seventh in 3,200m at State … Swept 1,600m and 3,200m titles in district and region meets as a junior.
Kennedy Smith (The Woodlands HS, Texas) – 14.01, 44.09
Set career best of 14.01 in 100m hurdles twice in 2016, winning District 16-6A and Area titles … Finished third in the Region II-6A final … Posted career best of 44.09 in 300m hurdles in 2016 to place second in district … Also finished fourth in Area and eighth in Region finals … Ran first leg of 4x100 relay that claimed district title, placed fourth in Area and seventh at Region … In sophomore season, anchored 4x100 relay to district win.
Maddie Vondra (Arlington Heights HS, Ft. Worth, Texas) – 11:07.76, 17:26.70
Competed as an individual in State 5A cross country meet three consecutive years … Placed eighth in State meet as a junior in 2015 to record her best finish … Claimed three straight district titles in cross country … On the track finished second in 5,000m elite race with a time of 17:26.70 during Texas Distance Festival held at Southlake Carroll … Set career best mark of 11:07.76 in 3,200m during 2016 season.
"I'm very, very pleased with the people that we did get," noted Texas A&M head coach Pat Henry. "We signed some outstanding people and it's good to have some new Aggies. I think we got two of the best athletes in the country and we have a very good group overall with this class, which includes eight distance runners.
"We will continue to recruit since we have another signing period in April. We're about halfway through and that's where we want to be right now."
Leading the men's newcomers is thrower Gabriel Oladipo of Ft. Bend Hightower, who threw over 200 feet in the discus and 62 feet in the shot put during his junior campaign. Oladipo also has represented the United States in international competition when he competed in the IAAF World Youth Championships held in Cali, Colombia in 2015.
A pair of athletes highlight the women's class joining Texas A&M with Tennessee's Tyra Gittens and Virginia Kerley from Taylor. Through three years of high school Gittens has accumulated 12 State titles, scoring 50 points at the Tennessee State meet in each of the past two years for claiming five individual titles. Winning efforts by Gittens, from The Ensworth School in Nashville, includes the pentathlon at State the past three seasons.
Kerley, who will join a pair of brothers – Fred and Mylik – already on the Aggie track and field team, also claims multiple medals during the Texas State meet. She has earned silver medals in the State 4A meet for Taylor in both the 100m and 200m while producing bronze medals in the long jump and triple jump.
Also in the women's class is another sprinter in Julia Madubuike from McKinney North and hurdler Kennedy Smith of The Woodlands, both of whom have relay experience as well.
The men's newcomers also includes three distance runners who each competed in the State cross country championships held this past weekend in Round Rock. The trio includes Theo Goff of Conroe Oak Ridge, Zephyr Seagraves of College Station and Ryan Yerrow of Katy.
Five distance runners are among the women's newcomers, all of whom have participated in multiple State cross country championships. Included in the group are A&M Consolidated's Rachel Bernardo, Megan Lindquist of New Braunfels Canyon, Michelle Myers of Houston HS in Germantown, Tennessee, Kylie Purifoy of Crandall, and Maddie Vondra of Arlington Heights HS in Ft. Worth.
This Saturday eight members of the track and field team receive their individual NCAA and SEC championship rings during the Texas A&M vs. UTSA football game. Half of that group were seniors in 2016, so the process of replacing them with talented newcomers continues the recruiting process for the Aggie coaching staff.
"I don't ever want to say we are a young team," stated Henry. "If we're a young team that means we didn't recruit well, because if we are recruiting well, in my opinion, you're never young. The level of consistency with our recruiting means you're going to be consistent in your program. That's what we are trying to do."
Texas A&M – November 2016 Early Signing Period
Men
Theo Goff (Conroe Oak Ridge HS, Texas) – 4:21.07, 9:16.31
Finished 13th in the 2016 State 6A cross country meet leading school to seventh-place team finish … Placed fourth in the Region II-6A race as school finished third … Won the Texas A&M Invitational … On the track set career best times of 4:21.07 and 9:16.31 during junior season.
Gabriel Oladipo (Fort Bend Hightower HS, Texas) – 62-0, 209-0
Established career best of 209-0 in discus to win Coaches Coalition National Championships held in Austin during July, also claimed shot put title with a mark of 61-11 …Won discus title at AAU Junior Olympics held in Humble, Texas this past summer while placing second in shot put … Threw 195-1 as State 6A discus runner-up in 2016, also runner-up in TTFCA Meet of Champions with toss of 189-3… In 2015 placed ninth in discus at the IAAF World Youth Championships in Cali, Colombia … Has a career best of 62-0 in the shot put, set in winning the 2016 District 23-6A title … State 6A shot put runner-up in 2015 and finished third in 2016.
Zephyr Seagraves (College Station HS, Texas) – 9:34.96
Finished fifth in the 2016 State 5A cross country meet and was the top finisher associated with a team … As a junior placed eighth in the State 5A meet in leading school to fourth-place team finish … Won Region III-5A cross country title in 2015 and 2016 … On the track, placed third in 1,600m at region meet, and set best of 9:34.96 in 3,200m … Ran 2,000m Steeplechase twice in 2016, placing third at Texas Relays and second in the TTFCA Meet of Champions.
Ryan Yerrow (Katy HS, Texas) – 9:23.44
Competed in State 6A cross country meet the past two years … Led school to an eighth-place team finish in 2016 and was second runner on 2015 squad that placed fifth in State … Claimed District 19-6A and Region III-6A cross country titles in 2016 … On the track set career best time of 9:23.44 in 2016.
Women
Rachel Bernardo (A&M Consolidated HS, College Station, Texas) – 2:16.37, 5:03.48, 11:15.57
Qualified for State 5A cross country meet as an individual in 2014 and 2016 … As a senior in cross country she won District 18-5A title, placed 11th in Region III-5A meet … On the track, set career best times of 2:16.37, 5:03.48 and 11:15.57 in 2016 … Swept District 18-5A titles in 800m and 1,600m as a junior, placed third in region 1,600m and fourth in 800m … In 2015, finished second in 1,600m and 3,200m at district, then placed sixth in both races at region.
Tyra Gittens (The Ensworth School, Nashville, Tennessee) – 6-0 ¾, 20-0 ¼, 5337
Has claimed 12 State titles in Tennessee during first three years of high school (200m [2], 100m hurdles [2], high jump [3], long jump [2], pentathlon [3]) … Scored 50 points in State meet twice by winning five events as a sophomore and junior, becoming the first to accomplish the feat in consecutive years … Earned All-America honors from Track & Field News in high jump and heptathlon in 2016 … Cleared a career best of 6-0 ¾ in high jump during heptathlon when she scored 5,337 points to win 2016 AAU Junior Olympics title in Humble, Texas … Previous best score of 5,164 in heptathlon placed second in the New Balance Nationals earlier in the summer … Scored 3,770 points in winning third consecutive Tennessee State title in 2016.
Virginia Kerley (Taylor HS, Texas) – 11.54, 23.54, 19-7 ½, 38-10 ½
Will join two brothers, Fred and Mylik, who already attend Texas A&M and compete in track and field for the Aggies … Bronze medalist in the 100m at the 2016 State 4A meet after placing second in 2015 and fifth as a freshman … Also claimed silver in the 200m at 2015 State meet and then won the TTFCA Meet of Champions … Placed fourth in the long jump at the 2016 4A State meet, producing a career best of 19-7 ½ … Also placed fourth in State long jump as a freshman, and finished third as a sophomore … In triple jump set career best of 38-10 ½ to win 2016 Region IV-4A title, then placed third in State meet.
Megan Lindquist (New Braunfels Canyon HS, Texas) – 5:03.62
Set career best of 5:03.62 in 1,600m in 2015, placing fourth in the Region IV-6A meet … Ran in State 6A cross country meet in 2014 and 2015.
Julia Madubuike (McKinney North HS, Texas) – 11.66, 24.14
Silver medalist in the 100m at the 2016 State 5A meet … Also placed second in 100m at the TTFCA Meet of Champions … Won 2015 TAAF Games of Texas 100m title … Set career best 100m time of 11.66 in 2016 and 24.14 in 200m during 2015 … Anchored 4x100 relay which won 2016 State 5A title and ran second leg when team won TTFCA Meet of Champions … Also anchored 4x200 relay to runner-up finish at State and ran lead-off leg when team claimed title at TTFCA Meet of Champions.
Michelle Myers (Houston HS, Germantown, Tennessee) – 11:12.24
Competed in Tennessee State 3A cross country meet in 2015 and 2016 … Second finisher on team that placed third in 2016 State meet … As a junior finished third in State cross country race and led school to team championship … Won Region 8-3A race twice, in 2015 and 2016, to lead her school to pair of team titles … Set career best of 11:12.24 in 3,200m during 2016 … Won 3,200m title in Tennessee sectional.
Kylie Purifoy (Crandall HS, Texas) – 5:09.38
State 4A runner-up in cross country this fall, competing as an individual … Won district and region titles on the way to qualifying for State … Also ran in State cross country meet as a junior, placing 17th … Set career best of 5:09.38 in 1,600m to place second in State 4A meet also finished seventh in 3,200m at State … Swept 1,600m and 3,200m titles in district and region meets as a junior.
Kennedy Smith (The Woodlands HS, Texas) – 14.01, 44.09
Set career best of 14.01 in 100m hurdles twice in 2016, winning District 16-6A and Area titles … Finished third in the Region II-6A final … Posted career best of 44.09 in 300m hurdles in 2016 to place second in district … Also finished fourth in Area and eighth in Region finals … Ran first leg of 4x100 relay that claimed district title, placed fourth in Area and seventh at Region … In sophomore season, anchored 4x100 relay to district win.
Maddie Vondra (Arlington Heights HS, Ft. Worth, Texas) – 11:07.76, 17:26.70
Competed as an individual in State 5A cross country meet three consecutive years … Placed eighth in State meet as a junior in 2015 to record her best finish … Claimed three straight district titles in cross country … On the track finished second in 5,000m elite race with a time of 17:26.70 during Texas Distance Festival held at Southlake Carroll … Set career best mark of 11:07.76 in 3,200m during 2016 season.
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