Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Photo by: Will Becque
Saluki Track and Field signs eight during early signing period
12/06/2017 | 2:56:00 | Track and Field
Carbondale, Ill. —Southern Illinois Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Kathleen Raske is pleased to announce the signing of eight student-athletes, Jacob Bryan, Peyton Taylor, Reid Parsons, Brandon Schnitker, Grace McDurmon, Kayla Schiera, Marcellus Fletcher and Mesha Newbold to National Letters of Intent.
"This class represents a great start toward our strategic recruiting plan of filling holes where we need to," Raske said. "This class represents us filling in the gaps and executing a great start to our recruiting plan. Coach Cataldo did a great job not only with recruiting but also with bringing in such a talented group of distance runners during this early signing period."
Jacob Bryan | Carthage, Ill. | Illini West | Distance
A standout distance runner from Carthage, Ill., Bryan led Illini West High School to the Illinois Class A Outdoor Track and Field state title in 2016. He helped score 31 of Illini West's 61 points at the state meet, as he ran the anchor leg of Illini West's state title winning 4x800 relay team. Bryan finished third in the 800m, fourth in the 1600m and ran a leg of Illini West's runner-up 4x400-meter relay. During the 2017 cross country season, Bryan finished eighth at the Class A state meet with a time of 15:08, which was six seconds off of a fourth-place finish. He was the top finisher at the state meet for the Chargers the year before as well, as he placed 29th overall as a junior.
Peyton Taylor | Mt. Pulaski, Ill. | Mt. Pulaski HS | Throws
Hailing from Mt. Pulaski, Ill., Taylor burst onto the scene as a sophomore, as he finished fifth in the discus at the 2015 Illinois Class A Track and Field Championships. It was just the second top-8 finish at the state meet in Mt. Pulaski H.S. history, and the first since the 2005-06 season. Taylor is a four-time state qualifier, as he qualified in both the shot put and the discus as a junior. Taylor also plays basketball and baseball for Mt. Pulaski as well. He earned all-conference as part of the Hilltoppers' basketball team.
Reid Parsons | Kalamazoo, Mich. | Comstock HS | Distance
A native of Kalamazoo, Mich., Parsons qualified for the Michigan Division II Cross Country Championships in each of his four seasons. As a sophomore, Parsons broke his own school record by more than 13 seconds at the state meet to finish ninth and earn All-State honors. On the track, Parsons was a two-time state qualifier in the 3200m, and finished 10th in the event as a junior with a mark of 9:36.36.
Brandon Schnitker | Nashville, Ill. | Nashville HS | Distance
A native of Nashville, Ill., Schnitker has qualified for the Illinois Class A Cross Country meet in each of his four seasons, including a 14th overall finish in 2016. Schnitker most likely won't need an introduction to his newest teammate, Jacob Bryan, as the two competed often both on the course and on the track. During Schnitker's junior season, he finished :13 seconds ahead of Bryan to place 14th at the state cross country meet, and later that year, edged out Bryan to earn second in the 800m. In all, Schnitker is a five-time state qualifier on the track.
Grace McDurmon | Evansville, Ind. | Evansville Mater Dei HS | Distance
A standout for the Wildcats at Evansville Mater Dei, McDurmon has racked up six top-five finishes at the sectional meets and three top-five finishes at regional meets during her prep career. She qualified for the Indiana State Championship meet in the 1600m as a sophomore and went on to finish 27th. She also qualified for the Indiana Cross Country State Championship meet in each of the past two seasons.
Kayla Schiera | Sandwich, Ill. | Sandwich HS | Distance
A native of Sandwich, Ill., Schiera is a six-time state qualifier on the track and a three-time state qualifier in cross country. Most recently, Schiera placed eighth at the 2017 Illinois Class 2A Cross Country Championships with a 5K time of 17:24. It marked the third consecutive year that Schiera earned All-State distinction after placing ninth as a junior and a 17th place finish two years ago. Schiera became just the third three-time All-Stater from Sandwich in cross country. As a junior on the track, Schiera finished fourth in the 3200m at the state meet, which was the best finish in the event at the state meet in school history.
Marcellus Fletcher | Vinton, Va. | William Byrd HS | Jumps
Fletcher is a sophomore transfer from the University of Tennessee. As a freshman for the Vols, Fletcher placed 14th in the triple jump at the 2017 SEC Indoor Championships. Prior to his arrival at Rocky Top, Fletcher was ranked No. 1 nationally in the boys triple jump while a senior at William Byrd H.S., where he was an All-American with a triple jump mark of 51'-1". He also posted a long jump mark of 24'-2" and a personal-best time of 14.40 in the 110m hurdles. In all, Fletcher racked up 10 state indoor and outdoor titles in the jumps and also competed internationally, as he represented the United States in a meet at Brisbane, Australia, where he won the triple jump.
Mesha Newbold | Nassau, Bahamas | Queen's College H.S./Iowa Central CC | Sprints/Hurdles
Mesha Newbold finished up a stellar junior college career at Iowa Central Community College, where she was a nine-time national qualifier and a five-time NJCAA All-American. She most recently finished fifth in the 100m hurdles at the 2017 NJCAA Outdoor Championships, and overall earned three of her five All-America honors in the hurdles. During the 2017 indoor season, she qualified for the national meet in the 60m hurdles, the 400m dash and the 4x400 relay. Newbold also has extensive experience competing on the international stage, as she won a gold medal in the 300m hurdles and added a silver in the 4x400 relay while representing the Bahamas at the 2012 CARIFTA Games.
"This class represents a great start toward our strategic recruiting plan of filling holes where we need to," Raske said. "This class represents us filling in the gaps and executing a great start to our recruiting plan. Coach Cataldo did a great job not only with recruiting but also with bringing in such a talented group of distance runners during this early signing period."
Jacob Bryan | Carthage, Ill. | Illini West | Distance
A standout distance runner from Carthage, Ill., Bryan led Illini West High School to the Illinois Class A Outdoor Track and Field state title in 2016. He helped score 31 of Illini West's 61 points at the state meet, as he ran the anchor leg of Illini West's state title winning 4x800 relay team. Bryan finished third in the 800m, fourth in the 1600m and ran a leg of Illini West's runner-up 4x400-meter relay. During the 2017 cross country season, Bryan finished eighth at the Class A state meet with a time of 15:08, which was six seconds off of a fourth-place finish. He was the top finisher at the state meet for the Chargers the year before as well, as he placed 29th overall as a junior.
Peyton Taylor | Mt. Pulaski, Ill. | Mt. Pulaski HS | Throws
Hailing from Mt. Pulaski, Ill., Taylor burst onto the scene as a sophomore, as he finished fifth in the discus at the 2015 Illinois Class A Track and Field Championships. It was just the second top-8 finish at the state meet in Mt. Pulaski H.S. history, and the first since the 2005-06 season. Taylor is a four-time state qualifier, as he qualified in both the shot put and the discus as a junior. Taylor also plays basketball and baseball for Mt. Pulaski as well. He earned all-conference as part of the Hilltoppers' basketball team.
Reid Parsons | Kalamazoo, Mich. | Comstock HS | Distance
A native of Kalamazoo, Mich., Parsons qualified for the Michigan Division II Cross Country Championships in each of his four seasons. As a sophomore, Parsons broke his own school record by more than 13 seconds at the state meet to finish ninth and earn All-State honors. On the track, Parsons was a two-time state qualifier in the 3200m, and finished 10th in the event as a junior with a mark of 9:36.36.
Brandon Schnitker | Nashville, Ill. | Nashville HS | Distance
A native of Nashville, Ill., Schnitker has qualified for the Illinois Class A Cross Country meet in each of his four seasons, including a 14th overall finish in 2016. Schnitker most likely won't need an introduction to his newest teammate, Jacob Bryan, as the two competed often both on the course and on the track. During Schnitker's junior season, he finished :13 seconds ahead of Bryan to place 14th at the state cross country meet, and later that year, edged out Bryan to earn second in the 800m. In all, Schnitker is a five-time state qualifier on the track.
Grace McDurmon | Evansville, Ind. | Evansville Mater Dei HS | Distance
A standout for the Wildcats at Evansville Mater Dei, McDurmon has racked up six top-five finishes at the sectional meets and three top-five finishes at regional meets during her prep career. She qualified for the Indiana State Championship meet in the 1600m as a sophomore and went on to finish 27th. She also qualified for the Indiana Cross Country State Championship meet in each of the past two seasons.
Kayla Schiera | Sandwich, Ill. | Sandwich HS | Distance
A native of Sandwich, Ill., Schiera is a six-time state qualifier on the track and a three-time state qualifier in cross country. Most recently, Schiera placed eighth at the 2017 Illinois Class 2A Cross Country Championships with a 5K time of 17:24. It marked the third consecutive year that Schiera earned All-State distinction after placing ninth as a junior and a 17th place finish two years ago. Schiera became just the third three-time All-Stater from Sandwich in cross country. As a junior on the track, Schiera finished fourth in the 3200m at the state meet, which was the best finish in the event at the state meet in school history.
Marcellus Fletcher | Vinton, Va. | William Byrd HS | Jumps
Fletcher is a sophomore transfer from the University of Tennessee. As a freshman for the Vols, Fletcher placed 14th in the triple jump at the 2017 SEC Indoor Championships. Prior to his arrival at Rocky Top, Fletcher was ranked No. 1 nationally in the boys triple jump while a senior at William Byrd H.S., where he was an All-American with a triple jump mark of 51'-1". He also posted a long jump mark of 24'-2" and a personal-best time of 14.40 in the 110m hurdles. In all, Fletcher racked up 10 state indoor and outdoor titles in the jumps and also competed internationally, as he represented the United States in a meet at Brisbane, Australia, where he won the triple jump.
Mesha Newbold | Nassau, Bahamas | Queen's College H.S./Iowa Central CC | Sprints/Hurdles
Mesha Newbold finished up a stellar junior college career at Iowa Central Community College, where she was a nine-time national qualifier and a five-time NJCAA All-American. She most recently finished fifth in the 100m hurdles at the 2017 NJCAA Outdoor Championships, and overall earned three of her five All-America honors in the hurdles. During the 2017 indoor season, she qualified for the national meet in the 60m hurdles, the 400m dash and the 4x400 relay. Newbold also has extensive experience competing on the international stage, as she won a gold medal in the 300m hurdles and added a silver in the 4x400 relay while representing the Bahamas at the 2012 CARIFTA Games.
Players Mentioned
Sprints/Hurdles
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