South Carolina signs some more talent

[dl]

This is a release from South Carolina Sports Info:

these are of the letters we have received signed so far today. pretty
great class - there will be some more.

Nov. 12, 2003

Gamecock Track and Field Inks Four
Women?s Class Could be USC?s Best Ever

Columbia, SC ? The USC track and field team has announced the signing of
four national-caliber athletes to National Letters of Intent today.
They are: Jason Richardson (Cedar Hill, Dallas, Texas), Natasha Hastings
(Randolph, Rosedale, N.Y.), Leroy Dixon (South Bend, Ind.), and Shalonda
Solomon (Poly, Long Beach, Ca.).

?I am elated these athletes chose to come to the University of South
Carolina. We have had some outstanding student-athletes compete here and
this might be our best group of signees yet,? said USC Head Coach Curtis
Frye. ?Hopefully we can help them reach their Olympic dreams in
addition to graduating from college. These are four very very talented
athletes. They will be able to help our team immediately.?

According to Track and Field News, USC?s women?s track and field
recruiting class was ranked No. 1 in 2001 and No. 3 nationally in 1999.
The men?s class received honorable mention honors as one of the top
classes last year.

Mini-Bios on the Four
Men Track and Field
Leroy Dixon - (Kansas City, Kansas Community College)- Graduated from
South Bend, Indiana LaSalle High School in 2002. One of top Junior
College sprinters returning this year. Personal Best 100m-10.37,
200m-21.08


Jason Richardson - (Cedar Hill High School, Cedar Hill Texas)- No. 1
returning 110m and 400m hurdler in the country (ranked No. 2 last year
by Track and Field News). World Youth Champion, Texas State Champion
and second fastest time of all time in the hurdles. Personal Best:
110H-13.51, 400H-50.73.


Women?s Track and Field
Natasha Hastings - (A.P. Randolph High School, N.Y.)- No. 1 ranked 400m
runner returning this year. Pan American Junior Gold medallist with the
4x400 m relay. World Youth Championships Gold medallist. Personal Best:
400: 52.09

Shalonda Solomon-(Long Beach Poly High School)- No. 1 ranked 100m and
200m junior athlete in the world. Pam American Gold medallist in 100m,
200m, 4 x100. As a junior was fourth in the voting for National Athlete
of the Year. Personal Best: 100m: 11.25, 200m: 22.93.

[dl]

Re: South Carolina signs some more talent

I wouldn't yet call this class as good as that which entered school in the fall of '01 (and which helped SC win an NCAA title in '02), but it could end up being so.

Re: South Carolina signs some more talent

>I wouldn't yet call this class as good as that
>which entered school in the fall of '01 (and
>which helped SC win an NCAA title in '02), but it
>could end up being so.>>

Not if they use Lashinda Demus as an academic advisor.

[michael lewis]

Re: South Carolina signs some more talent

Jason Richardson is a future superstar. Watched him on tv World Youth Championships last summer. Phenomenal one-lap hurdler, ran both hurdles finals within something like an hour plus or minus change.

Re: South Carolina signs some more talent

I remember reading about him and saying he was interested in Stanford. He also visited USC (west). I guess he was more interested in athletics than academics. That is the only reason I can see for him choosing USC (east).

[blacklily]

Re: South Carolina signs some more talent

Not if they
>use Lashinda Demus as an academic advisor.

Good line! However, almost all the South Carolina recruits so far are also very good students, which Demus hardly was not.

[dl]

Re: South Carolina signs some more talent

Here are the lastest signees for TCU:

Flyin' Frogs Ink Eight To National Letters of Intent

Four Men, Four Women Added To TCU Stable of Tracksters

Nov. 17, 2003

The TCU Flyin' Frogs track & field program signed four men and four women to national letters of intent during the early signing period, according to head coach Monte Stratton.

"Our goals, as always, are to compete at the national level," said Stratton. "We believe this group of athletes can help us in that quest as we continue to move forward."

On the men's side, TCU signed two high school runners to NLIs. The prep athletes include Bradley Reed, a sprinter from Greenville (Texas) High School who finished third in the state 4A 100-meter dash as a junior; and Jacob Hernandez, an 800-meter specialist from Magnolia (Texas) High School, who was a state champion in 4A as a sophomore and a runnerup in 5A as a junior. He recorded a best time of 1:51.79 as as junior.

The men also added a pair of junior college transfers from Barton (Kansas) County Community College. Dexter Faulk is the defending national junior college champion in both the indoor 60-meter hurdles and the outdoor 110-meter hurdles, logging times of 6.71 and 13.45 respectively. Faulk's teammate Kedar Inico is the defending 400-meter champion at the junior college level, with a personal best time of 46.20 in the quartermile event. Inico is expected to join the squad in the spring of 2004.
 

 
On the women's side, TCU added four prep standouts, two sprinters and two distance runners. Virgil Hodge, one of the top prep sprinters in the nation last spring, highlights the quartet. Hodge, originally from St. Kitts, graduated from Washington Irving High in the Bronx, New York. She represented St. Kitts at the World Track & Field Championships last summer. Hodge, who is expected to join the squad in the spring of 2004, owns a personal best time of 23.85 in the 200 meters. Jordan Durham was the Texas Class 3A state champion in the 400 meters last spring at Kennedale High School. Cassie Hostick and Halie Bullin will remain teammates at TCU after running together at Cedar Park High (Texas) High School. Both will run the distance events on the track and will compete for the Frogs' cross country team in the fall.