Track's early signing class includes 18 national letters of intent

COLLEGE STATION – Texas A&M has received 18 national letters of intent to the track and field program during November's early signing period. The group includes eight men and 10 women who will join the Aggies next August.
 
"We have signed some good, talented young people across the board in this class," said Texas A&M head coach Pat Henry. "I feel really good about this signing class. This group crosses all disciplines -- distance people, sprinters, jumpers and throwers.
 
"This is only our first group of signees for this class. There will be more to come, but we are extremely pleased to sign the group that we have at this point."
 
Among the athletes signing with Texas A&M 14 are from Texas, while three are from out of state and one is an international athlete.
 
Tahar Triki of Algeria, the international athlete joining the Aggie program, set career best marks of 26-4.25 in the long jump and 55-3.5 in the triple jump this past summer in sweeping the event titles at the Algerian national championships.
 
Nationally-ranked jumpers joining the Texas A&M jumps group are Mason Corbin of Katy Tompkins, a 6-11 high jumper, and Maya Events, a 20-10 long jumper from Parker, Colorado.
 
Evans has won three consecutive long jump Colorado State titles. Her 20-10 leap ranked fifth in the nation in 2017, and is third among rising seniors. Corbin won the State 6A title during his first season competing in track and field and earned field event Athlete of the Year honors through fan voting on the MileSplit Texas website.
 
Additional jumpers signing with Texas A&M include Mason Farley of Joshua, Texas, a 6-10 ¼ high jumper; Allyson Andress of Glen Rose, Texas, a 5-6 high jumper who won the 2017 State 3A title; and Campbell Webb, a 15-3 vaulter from Bryan High School.
 
Among the distance crew signing with the Aggies were the top three seniors from the recent girl's State 6A cross country final – Julia Black (2^nd), Laura Fairchild (6^th), Abbey Santoro (8^th) – along with Carrie Fish (2^nd) in the State 5A final.
 
The pair from Keller High School, Black and Santoro, were the first two runners on their squad as they claimed the State 6A team championship at the UIL State Championships. Fish paced Frisco Liberty to a State 5A team title. Fairchild led Flower Mound to a State 6A fourth-place team finish.
 
In the sprints, Texas A&M adds a state 5A 200 and 400 meter champion in McKinney North's Jania Martin, who has clocked times of 23.58w and 54.58. The women's sprint crew will also have Tierra Robinson-Jones of Bishop O'Dowd in Oakland, California, who finished second in the CIF State Championships and has a best of 53.24 in the 400m, which ranks third among rising seniors. Joining the men's sprint group is Jake Lanier of The Woodlands.
 
Distance runners signing with the Aggies on the men's side include Brady Grant of Lake Travis and Wesley McPhail of Amarillo Tascosa. Grant was a silver medalist in the 2,000m steeplechase in the 2017 AAU Junior Olympics while McPhail finished eighth in the 2016 State 6A cross country meet.
 
New Jersey's Nick Mirabelli, a 213-5 javelin thrower who ranked fifth in the nation in 2017 and third among rising seniors, joins the Aggie throws crew along with Parker Clay of Gonzales, Texas, who is a three-times State 2A TAPPS champion with marks of 43-0 and 130-4 in the shot put and discus, and Natalie Schiefele of San Antonio, a 2017 State 5A TAPPS champion in the shot put and discus with marks of 39-2 ¼ and 132-5, who will throw the javelin while at Texas A&M.
 
November Early Signing Period – Texas A&M Track & Field
 

MEN	Event	School / Hometown
Mason Corbin	Jumps	Katy Thompson HS, Katy, Texas
Mason Farley	Jumps	Joshua HS, Joshua, Texas
Brady Grant	Distance	Lake Travis HS, Austin, Texas
Jake Lanier	Sprints	The Woodlands HS, The Woodlands, Texas
Wesley McPhail	Mid-Distance	Amarillo Tascosa HS, Amarillo, Texas
Nickolas Mirabelli	Javelin	Rancocas Valley Regional HS, Lumberton, New Jersey
Tahar Triki	Jumps	Algiers, Algeria
Campbell Webb	Pole Vault	Bryan HS, Bryan, Texas
WOMEN	Event	School / Hometown
Allyson Andress	Jumps	Glenn Rose HS, Glenn Rose, Texas
Julia Black	Distance	Keller HS, Keller, Texas
Parker Clay	Throws	St. Paul HS, Shiner, Texas / Gonzales, Texas
Maya Evans	Jumps	Lutheran HS, Parker, Colorado
Laura Fairchild	Distance	Flower Mound HS, Flower Mound, Texas
Carrie Fish	Distance	Frisco Liberty HS, Frisco, Texas
Jania Martin	Sprints	McKinney North HS, McKinney, Texas
Tierra Robinson-Jones	Sprints	Bishop O'Dowd HS, Oakland, California
Abbey Santoro	Distance	Keller HS, Keller, Texas
Natalie Scheifele	Throws	St. Mary's Hall HS, San Antonio, Texas

 
MEN
 
Mason Corbin – Katy Tompkins HS, Katy, Texas

• Career best: 6-11 (high jump)
• Named 2017 MileSplit Texas Field Event Athlete of the Year, his first season of HJ competition
• 2017 State 6A Champion in high jump, clearing personal best of 6-11
• Cleared 6-10 in winning District 19-6A title, also won Area and Region meets

 
Mason Farley – Joshua HS, Joshua, Texas

• Career best: 6-10 ¼ (high jump)
• Placed 8^th in 2016 State 5A final after winning district, area and region titles
• Repeated as district champion in 2017, placed third in area and region meets

 
Brady Grant – Lake Travis HS, Austin, Texas

• Career best times: 6:06.33 (2k Steeple), 9:16.03 (3200m), 15:21.3 (5k XC)
• Silver medalist in 2,000m steeplechase at 2017 AAU Junior Olympics
• 2017 Texas Relays runner-up in 2,000m steeplechase
• 2017 State 6A cross country – 24^th
• 2017 Region IV-6A – 4^th (3200), 8^th (1600)

 
Jake Lanier – The Woodlands HS, The Woodlands, Texas            

• Career best times: 21.10w, 21.54 (200m)
• 2017 District 12-6A runner-up in 200m, third place area, fifth place region

 
Wesley McPhail – Amarillo Tascosa HS, Amarillo, Texas

• Career best times: 4:20.83 (1600m), 15:03.7 (5k XC), 14:28.2 (3 mile XC)
• 2016 State 6A cross country – 8^th place
• 2017 Region cross country – 2^nd place

 
Nick Mirabelli – Rancocas Valley Regional HS, Lumberton, New Jersey

• Career best marks: 213-5 (Javelin)
• Won 2017 NJSIAA Sectional and NJSIAA Group titles
• Runner-up at 2017 Penn Relays

 
Tahar Triki – Algiers, Algeria

• Career bests: 26-4 ¼ (8.03) long jump, 55-3 ½ (16.85) triple jump
• Four-time national champion – three long jump titles, one triple jump title
• 2017 World University Games silver medalist – long jump
• 2017 World University Games fifth place – triple jump
• 2016 World Junior Championships fourth place – long jump
• 2015 African Junior Championships bronze medalist – long jump

 
Campbell Webb – Bryan HS, Bryan, Texas

• Career best marks: 15-3 (Pole Vault)
• 2017 District 18-5A winner, Region 3-5A 7^th place
• 2017 USATF Gulf Association runner-up

 
WOMEN
 
Allyson Andress – Glen Rose HS, Glenn Rose, Texas

• Career best: 5-6 (high jump)
• 2017 State 3A gold medalist, equaling her career best of 5-6
• 2016 State 3A silver medalist, establishing career best of 5-6
• Won District 11-3A titles as a freshman and sophomore, runner-up in 8-4A as a junior
• Matched her personal best of 5-6 to win area and region titles in 2017

 
Julia Black – Keller HS, Keller, Texas

• Career best times: 5:05.55 (1600m), 11:05.68 (3200m), 17:25.4 (5k – XC)
• 2017 State 6A cross country silver medalist, 2016 State 6A 5th place
• Member of 6A State champion Keller team in cross country – 2016, 2017
• Nike Cross Nationals South Regional – 8^th (2017), 11^th (2016), 10^th (2015)
• 2017 Region I-6A – 6^th (3200), 8^th (1600)

 
Parker Clay – St. Paul HS, Shiner, Texas / Gonzales, Texas

• Career best marks: 43-0 (Shot Put), 130-4 (Discus)
• TAPPS 2A State Championship – Shot put champion in 2016, 2017
• TAPPS 2A State Championship – Discus champion in 2017, 2^nd in 2016

 
Maya Evans – Lutheran HS, Parker, Colorado

• Career bests: 11.79 (100m), 24.35 (200m), 20-10 (Long Jump)
• 2015, 2016 & 2017 Colorado State Champion in long jump
• Gold medalist at 2017 Great Southwest Classic in long jump
• Runner-up in 2016 New Balance Nationals

 
Laura Fairchild – Flower Mound HS, Flower Mound, Texas

• Career bests: 4:56.35 (1600m), 10:55.10 (3200m), 17:37.6 (5k XC)
• Placed sixth in 2017 State 6A cross country meet, leading school to fourth-place finish
• Placed seventh in 2014 State 6A cross country meet as a freshman
• Nike Cross Nationals South Regional – 6^th (2017), 35^th (2016), 22^nd (2015), 15^th (2014)
• Finished ninth in 1600m at 2017 State 6A meet

 
Carrie Fish – Frisco Liberty HS, Frisco, Texas

• Career best times: 5:06.54 (1600m), 10:54.97 (3200m), 17:29.5 (5k XC)
• 2017 State 5A cross country silver medalist, leading school to team title
• 2016 State 5A cross country seventh place, leading school to third place
• Nike Cross Nationals South Regional – 2^nd (2017), 13^th (2016)
• 2017 State 5A meet – 3^rd (3200), 4^th (1600)

 
Jania Martin – McKinney North, McKinney, Texas

• Career best times: 7.90 (60m), 11.76 (100m), 23.58 (200m), 54.58 (400m)
• 2017 State 5A gold medalist in 400m
• 2016 State 5A gold medalist in 200m, 2017 State 5A silver medalist in 200m

 
Tierra Robinson-Jones – Bishop O'Dowd HS, Oakland, California

• Career best times: 24.18 (200m), 53.24 (400m)
• CIF State Championships – 400m, 2^nd (2017), 4^th (2016), 7^th (2015)
• 2016 USATF Junior Championships – 4^th place (400m)
• CIF North Coast Section – 1^st place (200m) 2016, 2017

 
Abbey Santoro – Keller HS, Keller, Texas

• Career best times: 5:00.45 (1600m), 10:49.38 (3200m), 17:24.0 (5k XC)
• State 6A cross country – 8^th place (2017), 3^rd (2016), 3^rd (2015)
• Member of 6A State champion Keller team in cross country – 2016, 2017
• Nike Cross Nationals South Regional – 10^th (2017), 3^rd (2016), 8^th (2015)
• 2017 Region I-6A – 4^th (1600), 4^th (3200)

 
Natalie Scheifele – St. Mary's Hall HS, San Antonio, Texas

• Career best marks: 39-2 ¼ (Shot Put), 132-5 (Discus)
• 2017 TAPPS 5A State champion in shot put
• 2017 TAPPS 5A State champion in discus