Seven men and five women form core of the Class of 2009
The University of Virginia track and field program has announced that seven men and five women have signed letters of intent to participate in the UVa Track and Field program for the 2005-2006 year. Head Coach Randy Bungard commented on the depth and strength of the group: \"Our signing class is filled with many state champions, a national champion, and Penn Relays champions. They have all distinguished themselves at the high school level, and we look forward to their continued development here at Virginia. Overall, it is one of the top classes we have had since my time here.\"The Cavaliers welcome five women to the program. Bungard stated that \"Our women\'s class addressed some major needs. The throws program continues to build and this class will help that process. In addition, we added some depth in the middle distance and distance side that will keep that group at a national level. We added a couple of sprint/hurdle student-athletes to an already strong group. They will get better by virtue of training with our veterans, and add more depth to the group.\" The Cavalier women have three returning NCAA qualifiers from the 2005 NCAA Championships, and this class will bolster that program.
On the men\'s side, Virginia returns two NCAA qualifiers and welcomes seven men. Bungard said, \"On the men\'s side, this may be the strongest class we have signed. It covers a broad range of events and addresses many of our areas of need. Many of these guys can come in here and make an immediate impact on the program.\"
Here is a closer look at the signing class of 2009:
WOMEN
Amy Bilmanis (Hughesville, MD/Thomas Stone) is the 2005 Penn Relays champion in the discus. She is a four-time Maryland state champion in that event, and has thrown farther than any high school student (men\'s or women\'s) in Maryland in the discus. She has a personal best of 159\'3\" in the discus, which is the state high school record. Bilmanis won the national title in the discus at the 2004 adidas National Outdoor High School Championship. She is currently ranked #7 in the nation in the discus. Her brother Tim was a thrower for UVa from 2000-2003. \"Amy will be a major player from the minute she gets on grounds,\" said Bungard. \"She was a perfect fit for our team and the University. Her brother, Tim, threw for us, and she knows the ACC and she is a very strong competitor.\"
Lauretta Dezubay (Allentown, PA/Freedom) is a three-time Pennsylvania state champion, having won the 1600m in 2003 and the 3200m in both 2004 and 2005. She has personal best times of 4:56.08 in the 1600m and 10:34.13 in the 3200m. \"Lauretta is the top distance runner in Pennsylvania, a strong distance state,\" said Bungard. \"She will be able to step in as a first year and make an impact in cross country right away. In the spring, Lauretta will continue to add depth in the distance events on the track as she is a strong performer there as well.\"
Lauren Echko (Hudson, OH/Hudson) is the 2005 Ohio state champion in the 100m hurdles. She has a personal best of 14.34 in the 100m hurdles, which is the school record. She also holds the school record in the 100m dash and is a member of the school record holding 400m relay. She was an All-Ohio track athlete in 2003, 2004, and 2005. Bungard said, \"Lauren will help us a great deal in the hurdles. We are pretty deep in that area and she will contribute immediately. She has a great deal of room for improvement at the college level.\"
Danielle Light (Oak Hill, VA/Oakton) is the 2005 state champion in the indoor mile. She has personal bests of 4:59.85 in the mile. Split 2:09.9 at the 2005 Nike Outdoor Nationals in the 4X800 relay to help her team to All-American honors. \"Danielle is one of the best middle-distance runners in the state,\" said Bungard. \"We were very excited to be able to keep her at home. She is very talented and has excellent speed. She will be someone who will be able to come in here and contribute right away.\"
Alexa Manning (Coram, NY/Longwood) was the 2005 New York state indoor champion in the shot put and has a personal best of 44\'0.5\" in that event. She is also the NY Div. 1 champion in shot and discus as well as the NY Federation Champion in the shot put. \"Alexa is a big part of the resurgence of the throws program at UVa,\" said Bungard. \"She will be one of the crew that Carrie Lane, our throws coach, will develop into a very strong group with alot of depth. Alexa has a great deal of potential, and I look forward to seeing her blossom.\"
MEN
Yemi Ayeni (Kendall Park NJ/ South Brunswick) is ranked second in the country in the discus among high school students as of May 30,2005. He has a personal best of 204\' 8\" in the discus and 59\' 9\" in the shot put. Ayeni placed third in the discus at the 2005 Nike High School National Championships, He also took first in the 2004 NJ Meet of Champions in the discus and was the 2005 Penn Relays champion in the discus. He was also the runner-up in the NJ Meet of Champions in the shot. \"Yemi is a versatile thrower,\" said Bungard. \"He will be able to do a great deal for us. His potential is what intrigued us most. He is a great thrower now, but we have only seen the tip of the iceberg with Yemi. He is going to be very good!\"
Andy Biladeau (Tampa, FL/Jesuit) was a 2004 Footlocker Finalist. He has personal best times of 4:11.06 in the 1600m, 9:04.12 in the 3200m, and 14:30.03 in the 5K. \"Andy is a young man that will come in and compete for a spot in our top five in cross country as a first year,\" said Bungard. \"A Foot Locker finalist, his ability will show itself immediately. He is very excited about being a Cavalier and is ready to be here now.\"
Jedman Carpenter (West Roxbury, MA/Newton North) is the 2005 Massachusetts state champion in the triple jump. He ran the 800m leg in the distance medley at Penn Relays, where his team won the Penn Relays championship. He has personal bests of 48\'6\" in the triple jump and 49.05 in the 400m. \"Jedman is a versatile athlete,\" said Bungard. \"He competes in the jumps and turns around and runs on the 4x800m relay. We certainly won\'t ask him to do that at UVa, but it shows the type of athlete he is. He will primarily be a jumper for us and his potential is huge.\"
Tyler Hendry (St. Petersburg, FL/St. Petersburg) was the runner-up at both the 2004 Golden South Classic in 100m and the Disney Showcase. A National Honor Society member, Hendry graduated summa cum laude and was captain and the MVP of his high school track team. He has a personal best of 10.73 in the 100m. \"Tyler will be big for us in an area where we do not have a great deal of depth,\" added Bungard. \"He will be an integral part of our relays as well as someone that I think will develop into quite a good sprinter of his own. I\'m excited about working with him.\"
Andrew Jesien (Rockville, MD/Walter Johnson) is the 2005 Penn Relays Mile Champion and took third in the Milrose Mile this year as well. The Washington Post All-Met Runner of the Year for Cross Country and Track, Jesien is a four-time Maryland state champion. He scored 30 points at the 2005 Maryland State Outdoor Track & Field Championships and has personal bests of 1:52 in the 800m, 4:10.80 in the mile and 9:19.84 in the 3200m. \"Andrew will be an immediate impact in the middle distance group,\" said Bungard. \"We have been strong in that area and he is the type of athlete that can come in and keep us at a high level in those events. He is very competitive and his fire will be welcome in our program\"
Robert Rankin (Pittsburgh, PA/Upper St. Clair) finished fourth at Penn Relays in 2005 in the shot put and in the Pennsylvania state championships indoors and outdoors behind the national leader in the event. He is ranked in the top-10 nationally among graduating seniors in the shot put. \"Rob will help begin the rebuilding of our throws program,\" said Bungard. \"We are committed to that area and Rob will join Walker Anderson to add some punch to our throws. He is a very strong young man who will flourish under the tutelage of Coach Carrie Lane.\"
Stephen Thompson (Crozet, VA/Western Albemarle) is the Virginia AA state champion in the pole vault and has a personal best of 15\'1\" in that event. \"We are excited about keeping Stephen in Charlottesville,\" said Bungard \"He is one of the best vaulters in Virginia and for him to stay close to home means a great deal to the program. The vault will be a deep event for us next year and Stephen will be a big contributor to that group.\"