NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk State University head men's track coach Kenneth Giles announced Friday the addition of seven athletes who will compete for the Spartans beginning in 2006-07.
The signees are: distance runner Paul Barno (Kapsabet, Kenya/Moi University), sprinters Randy Lee (Washington, D.C./Archbishop Carroll HS), Ian Morgan (Amityville, N.Y./Amityville Memorial HS) and Carlton Phipps (Lynchburg, Va./E.C. Glass HS), jumpers Marlon Woods (Norfolk, Va./Booker T. Washington HS) and Henry Vaughn (Norfolk, Va./Lake Taylor HS), and multi-event standout Corey Vinston (Hampton, Va./Phoebus HS).
"This is a great recruiting class. Each student-athlete has competed at a high level and knows the importance of winning in the classroom and on the track," said Giles, who guided the Spartans to the MEAC cross country, indoor and outdoor track titles in 2005-06. "We have added depth in the jumps with the addition of the top three jumpers in the state, and getting the top sprinters and jumpers from Virginia is very important to us. This class will allow us to stay on top of the MEAC for years to come."
Barno, who will have three years of eligibility remaining, comes from the same university that produced current MEAC cross country champion and conference track outstanding performer David Kemboi. Barno has run times of 1 hour, 6 minutes for a half marathon, 14:18 for 5,000 meters and 29:51 for 10,000 meters.
"Paul will make an immediate impact at NSU," Giles said. "I expect him to battle David Kemboi for conference and regional supremacy in the distance events."
Lee is a standout in the 400 and 500 for Archbishop. He ran one of the five-fastest times in the nation for a high school 500 runner this past year, at 1:04.39. His top time in the 400 was 47.11. Giles said Lee should help replace graduating NSU senior Donald Singleton in the 400.
Morgan was the 2004 state champion in the 200 meters. He has run times of 14.14 in the 110 hurdles, 21.40 in the 200 and 47.90 in the 400. Giles expects Morgan to add depth to the NSU sprints and relays.
Phipps also ran a top-five national time in the 500 meters indoors last season, running a 1:03.99 to win the state AAA title. He also boasts a top time of 1:53.69 in the 800, and also finished second in the Northwest Region indoors in the 300. Phipps should add depth in what is already a strong event for the Spartans, the 800.
Woods won the indoor and outdoor state titles in the high jump as a senior, and also won the 2006 Nike Indoor Nationals with a best effort of 6-10. He was also the state outdoor runner-up in the long jump (24-2).
"Marlon is a blue-chip recruit, an All-American," Giles said. "He is an immediate impact performer."
Vaughn was the runner-up to Woods in the outdoor high jump. He has cleared a height of 6-8 in his prep career.
"I think Henry will be a 7-foot high jumper for us in the future," Giles said. "He will definitely add some quality depth for us in that event."
Vinston is the most versatile of the signees. He currently has the best certified outdoor long jump in the country for high school athletes. He won six events – believed to be a meet record – at the Peninsula District outdoor meet, and scored in five at the outdoor state meet this spring. He has top times of 10.64 in the 100, 37.97 in the 300 hurdles, 48.59 in the 400, and has top distances of 6-8 in the high jump, 25 feet in the long jump and 49-3 in the triple jump.
"I believe Corey is the best all-around track athlete in the state and the nation, and possibly a future Olympian," Giles said. "He and Marlon are probably the two best high school recruits at NSU in the Division I era."