Saluki Track and Field introduces 2017 Recruiting Class

CARBONDALE, Ill. — SIU Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Kathleen Raske unveiled her 2017-18 recruiting class Tuesday.

The Salukis signed 29 student-athletes from 10 different states and three countries, including 13 from Illinois. The 2017-18 recruiting class combined for 22 state championships, 13 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-America awards and 67 top-eight finishes at state championship meets.

Women's Recruits
Jewell Bolden
Jumps/Hurdles
Andover, Kansas
Andover Central

Jewell Bolden is one of the most decorated recruits in SIU's 2017 recruiting class. She won seven state titles in Kansas, as she claimed four state titles at Class 3A Wichita Collegiate before moving to Class 4A Andover Central to snag three more. She won four-straight state titles in the 100 hurdles, as she won her fourth in record-setting fashion with a personal-best time of 14.27. In doing so, she broke a 34-year old meet record and concluded an undefeated career in the event against Kansas competition. She also tallied three Kansas state long jump titles, winning two at Wichita Collegiate and adding a third during her senior year at Andover Central. Bolden burst onto the scene as a freshman, as she won the 100m hurdles and the long jump at the 2014 KSHSAA Class 3A meet. She also added a fifth place finish in the 200m dash and a seventh place effort as part of the 4x100 relay. The next season at Wichita Collegiate, she won the 100m hurdles and the long jump again, to go along with a runner-up finish in the 100m and a sixth place showing in the 200m at the state meet. The following season she transferred to Andover Central and again won the 100m hurdles, placed second in the 100m, and added third-place finishes in both the 200m and the long jump. As a senior, Bolden broke the state meet record in 100m hurdles to complete her four-year sweep of the event and added her third title in the long jump. She leaves Kansas ranked No. 11 in the state's rich high school track and field history in the 100m hurdles and 15th in the long jump.

Kayleigh Conlon
Throws
Phoenix, Ariz.
Mountain Pointe H.S.

Kayleigh Conlon arrives in Carbondale after a dominant stretch in the circle at Mountain Pointe High School in Phoenix, Ariz. She is a three-time state champion who qualified for the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) Division I Outdoor State Championships in both the discus and shot put in each of her four years. She finished in the top-five seven of the eight times she competed at the state meet, of which six were top-three finishes. Conlon also etched her name in the Arizona high school record books after she broke the state's shot put record with a heave of 47'-9.50" and added the sixth-best discus throw in state history at 156'-3". Conlon most recently finished ninth in the discus and 10th in the shot put at the 2017 New Balance Outdoor Nationals.

Erin Diemer
Pole Vault
Shelbyville, Ind.
Shelbyville H.S.

Erin Diemer was a four-time state qualifier in the pole vault at Shelbyville High School in Shelbyville, Ind. As a senior, she took second at the Franklin Regional with a personal-best clearance of 11'-8". In doing so, she advanced to the IHSAA state meet, where she placed 18th. Diemer finished as high as 10th in her four appearances at the state meet, doing so as a junior.

Lauren Feagans
Jumps
Pleasant Plains, Ill.
Pleasant Plains H.S.

Lauren Feagans was a three-sport athlete at Pleasant Plains High School, where she excelled at volleyball, basketball and track and field. She was an 11-time IHSA Class A state qualifier and a two-time state medalist, as she most recently competed in four events (high jump, 4x100, 4x200, 4x400) at the state meet. As a junior, she helped Pleasant Plains to a fourth place showing in the 4x400 and added a seventh place finish in the 4x100.

Emily Kern
Throws
Harlem, Ill.
Machesney Park HS

Emily Kern's last name should sound familiar to Saluki fans, as she is the younger sister of All-American thrower Jared Kern. As a senior, Emily earned a spot on the Rockford Register Star/Journal Standard All-Star team after she placed third in the shot put at the IHSA Class 3A Antioch Sectional and advanced to the state meet for the first time in her career.

Jana Kotzman
Sprints/Jumps
Shawnee, Kansas
Johnson County C.C./Shawnee Mission Northwest

Jana Kotzman was a six-time NJCAA Region VI qualifier during her two seasons at Johnson County Community College and brings with her experience competing in both the javelin and the pentathlon. This past season, she earned NJCAA All-Academic Second Team honors after she finished her sophomore season with a GPA above 3.8. Kotzman was an accomplished runner at Shawnee Mission Northwest HS prior to arriving at JCCC, as she ran a leg of the 4x100 that took 12th at the 2015 KSHSAA Class 6A state meet.

A'veun Moore-Jones
Throws
Mount Vernon, Ill.
Mount Vernon H.S.

Moore-Jones hails from nearby Mount Vernon, Ill., and was a five-time state qualifier in the discus and shot put. As a junior, she finished fourth in the shot put and was the runner-up in the discus at the state meet. It marked the highest finish by a Ram thrower in school history. She did that one better as a senior, however, as she took second in both the shot and the discus. Moore-Jones leaves Mount Vernon High School as its most decorated thrower with four top-5 finishes at the state meet to her credit and exits as the school's shot put and discus record holder.

Tamar Mosby
Jumps
Belleville, Ill.
Drake University/Belleville East H.S.

Tamar Mosby is a transfer from Drake University who will sit out a year due to the Missouri Valley Conference's rule on transferring within the conference. As a freshman at Drake, she finished fourth in the high jump at the MVC Indoor Championships with a clearance of 5'-3.25" (1.61m). Mosby attended Belleville East H.S., where she was a five-time state qualifier and took seventh in the high jump at the IHSA Class 3A state championships as a junior.

Mesha Newbold
Sprints/Hurdles
Nassau, Bahamas
Queen's College H.S./Iowa Central CC

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.

Shauneice Oneal
Throws
Florissant, Mo.
Hazelwood Central HS

Oneal arrives in Carbondale by way of Hazelwood Central High School (Mo.), where she was a four-time state qualifier. This past outdoor season, she finished third in the discus at the 2017 MSHSAA Class 5A state championships with a personal-best toss of 148'-00" and added a fourth place showing in the shot put. It marked the second-straight season in which Oneal qualified in both disciplines, as she took fifth in the discus and 11th in the shot as a junior.

Erin Owens
Sprints
Bloomington, Ill.
Bloomington H.S./Milliken

Erin Owens is a transfer from NCAA Division III Milliken University, where she earned all-conference honors during the 2016 indoor season. A sprinter from Bloomington, Ill., Owens scored in three events (100m, 200m, 4x100) at the 2016 CCIW Outdoor Championships after having earned All-CCIW honors with a third place finish in the 200m dash at the CCIW Indoor Championships. During her prep career at Bloomington High School, Owens qualified for the state meet three times, which included a fifth place finish in the 4x200 relay at the 2014 IHSA Class 3A state meet.

Carinne Parker
Sprints
Chicago, Ill.
Morgan Park HS

Carinne Parker is a two-time state champion from Morgan Park High School in Chicago, Ill. As a sophomore, Parker helped Morgan Park win a IHSA Class 2A title in the 4x200 relay, and followed by running the anchor leg of Morgan Park's 4x400 that also struck gold. In all, she racked up six top-five finishes in her four seasons at the state meet, with three of those coming in her final prep meet. As a senior, Parker qualified in four events, and placed fourth in both the 4x100 and 200m and added a fifth place finish in the 4x200 relay.

Justine Paton
Jumps
Prairie Village, Kansas
Johnson County C.C./Shawnee Mission East

Justine Paton is a junior college transfer from Johnson County Community College. She was a two-time NJCAA All-American high jumper, and qualified for the indoor and outdoor national meets in the event in each of her two seasons at JCCC. Her best finish came in her final appearance on the NJCAA national stage, as she placed seventh with an outdoor PR of 5'-4.25" (1.63m) to earn her second All-America honor. Paton went to high school at Shawnee Mission East in Prairie Village, Kansas and took 10th in the high jump as a senior at the 2015 KSHSAA Class 6A state meet.

Amber Ruiz-Bueno
Mid-Distance/Multis
Willowick, Ohio
Cuyahoga C.C./Eastlake North

Amber Ruiz-Bueno comes to SIU by way of Cuyahoga Community College in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. She was a four-time NJCAA All-American at Tri-C and is the only athlete in school history to earn All-America honors in two individual events at the same national meet. As a sophomore, she took fifth in the 800m at the 2017 NCJAA Division I Outdoor Championships with a personal-best time of 2:13.05. At the 2017 NJCAA Indoor Championships, Ruiz-Bueno claimed three All-America honors, including a fourth place finish in the 1000m. She also placed sixth in the 600m with a personal-best time of 1:32.94, and helped Tri-C's distance medley relay to a seventh place finish. In all, she was a seven-time national qualifier at the junior college level.

Emma Sexton
Throws
Moscow Mills, Mo.
Troy Buchanan High School

Emma Sexton comes to SIU by way of Troy Buchanan High School, the alma-mater of 2016 Olympian DeAnna Price. Like Price, Sexton played softball in high school, as she helped the Trojans win a program record 30 games in 2016 and claim the MSHSAA Class 4A state title. Sexton took up throwing in April 2017, and her potential was almost immediately evident as she broke the school's javelin record in just her fourth meet with a toss of 111'-10".

Sydney Spranger
Distance
Bettendorf, Iowa
Bettendorf H.S.

Sydney Spranger was a four-sport athlete at Bettendorf (Iowa) High School, as she ran cross country and track while also playing softball and basketball. She will focus on distance running in college, as she was a four-time state qualifier in cross country. As a senior, Spranger qualified for the Iowa Class 4A state meet in the 4x400, the 4x800 and the 800m.

Men's Recruits
Michael Church
Distance
East Peoria, Ill.
East Peoria H.S.

Michael Church joins the Southern Illinois cross country and track and field programs after he qualified for the IHSA Class 2A Cross Country state meet in each of his four seasons at East Peoria High School. As a freshman, he helped East Peoria's cross country team qualify for the state meet for the first time since 1992. On the track, he was a three-time state qualifier in the 1600m. As a junior, he earned a spot on the medal stand with a sixth-place finish in the 1600m, which was the highest finish in the event at the state meet in school history.

James (B.J.) Croft
Sprints
Florissant, Mo.
Hazelwood West H.S.

James Croft arrives in Carbondale from Hazelwood West High School in Florissant, Mo. where he won a MSHSAA Class 5A state championship as part of Hazelwood West's 4x400 relay team in 2016. He was a six-time state medalist, as he earned three in each of his final two seasons to close out his prep career. As a junior, he helped the 4x400 relay team strike gold with a MSHSAA Class 5A record time of 3:17.12. He also posted a fifth place finish in the 200m and claimed runner-up honors in the 4x200 relay. As a senior, Croft finished seventh in the 400m, ran the anchor leg of the 4x200 relay that placed eighth, and helped the 4x400 relay to a third place finish.

Jacob Dewitt
Distance
McHenry, Ill.
McHenry HS

Jacob Dewitt was a two-time state qualifier in both cross country and track and field while a student-athlete at McHenry High School. The McHenry, Ill. native qualified for the IHSA Class 3A state meet in the 1600m as a senior and, as a junior, helped McHenry's 4x800 relay qualify for the state meet.

Theo Hassim
Distance
St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
Sir Winston Churchill HS

Theo Hassim is another sibling of a current Saluki, as he is the younger brother of Cain Hassim. Hassim arrives in Carbondale after a successful prep career at Sir Winston Churchill High School. The St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada native burst onto the scene as a freshman, as he won the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association (SOSSA) midget (9th grade) cross country title, and advanced to finish fifth at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) meet. The following year, he won the Junior (U-15) SOSSA Cross Country title, and again qualified for the OFSAA meet. As a senior, Hassim qualified for the OFSAA Track and Field Championships in three events (2000m steeplechase, 3000m, 4x100).

Adam Kessler
Throws
Lansing, Ill.
Thornton Fractional South/Eastern Illinois

Adam Kessler is a transfer from Eastern Illinois University, where he swept the Ohio Valley Conference shot put titles as a sophomore. He won his first OVC shot put title at the 2017 OVC Indoor Championships with a personal-best heave of 58'-5.25". He followed that with an outdoor personal-best toss of 56'-11.25" at the OVC Outdoor Championships to win his second conference title. Kessler was a two-time state qualifier at Thornton Fractional South, which included a fourth place finish in the shot at the 2015 IHSA Class 3A state championships.

Johnny McGluen
Sprints
Memphis, Tenn.
Whitehaven H.S.

Johnny McGluen hails from Whitehaven High School, a track and field powerhouse in Memphis, Tenn. He won a pair of state titles as a junior, helping the Tigers to a win in the 4x200 relay with a school record time of 1:27.06. He followed by running a leg of the 4x400 relay that struck gold with a time of 3:20.65 and added third place finishes in the 200m and the 400m. In doing so, he helped Whitehaven place second and earn its best finish at the state meet in school history. Earlier this year, McGluen competed at the 2017 New Balance Indoor Nationals in both the 200m and the 400m.

Theo Phipps
Sprints/Hurdles
Chicago, Ill.
St. Rita H.S.

Theo Phipps arrives in Carbondale from St. Rita High School in Chicago, Ill. He qualified for the 2017 IHSA Class 2A state meet in four events, tallying three top-eight finishes. He took eighth in the 4x100, 4x200 and 110 hurdles and added an 11th place finish in the long jump. It marked the second-straight season in which Phipps qualified in the long jump at the state meet, as he finished 21st in the event as a junior.

Sam Sikon
Throws
Carbondale, Ill.
Carbondale Community H.S.

Sam Sikon comes to Southern Illinois University from nearby Carbondale Community High School, where he will no doubt go down as one of the most accomplished throwers in school history. As a freshman, Sikon took second in the shot put and fourth in the discus at the state meet, becoming the first male from CCHS to medal in the shot since 1924. The following year, he won state titles in both the shot put and the discus. It marked the first time in school history that an athlete, male or female, had won two state titles at the same meet. Sikon repeated in both the discus and the shot put as a junior, becoming just the eighth male in Illinois high school track and field history dating back to the 1900-01 season, and the first since 1999, to sweep the shot put and discus in back-to-back seasons. As a senior, Sikon claimed his state record third-straight shot put title, and his fifth state title overall. In total, the Carbondale, Ill. native never finished lower than fourth in either the shot or the discus at the state meet.

Alonzo Taylor-Jones
Sprints
Aurora, Ill.
Metea Valley H.S.

Alonzo Taylor-Jones was a two-sport athlete at Metea Valley High School in Aurora, Ill., as he excelled in both football and track. He burst onto the scene his junior season, as he qualified for the IHSA Class 3A state meet in two events. That included a fifth place finish in the 4x100 relay, which was the best finish at the state meet in school history. As a senior, Taylor-Jones ran for over 1,000 yards as a running back for the Mustangs and went on to place 14th in the 100m at the state meet.

Kevin Turner
Sprints/Hurdles
Miami Gardens, Fl.
Barton C.C./American H.S.

Kevin Turner was a two-time NJCAA All-American and four-time national qualifier at Barton Community College, where he specialized in the hurdles. As a sophomore he took sixth in the 60m hurdles to earn his first indoor All-America honor, and followed that up with a seventh place finish in the 110m hurdles at the NJCAA Outdoor Championships. A native of Miami Gardens, Fla., Turner attended American High School, where he won a state title as part of American's 4x400 relay team.

Canoy Tyree
Distance
Charlotte, N.C.
Mallard Creek HS

Canoy Tyree is a distance runner from Charlotte, N.C. who won a state title in the 4x400 as a senior. Running the second leg of the mile relay, Tyree helped Mallard Creek High School post a winning time of 3:20.26. He also placed fourth in the 800m at the same meet, and was a two-time sectional champ in the event. In all, he qualified for the state meet four times during his prep career.

Caleb Vogel
Jumps
DuQuoin, Ill.
DuQuoin H.S.

Caleb Vogel was a three-sport athlete at nearby DuQuoin High School, where he quarterbacked the Indians to the quarterfinals of the state playoffs, scored over a 1,000 points in basketball, and was a two-time state medalist in the high jump. DuQuoin High School's record holder in the high jump, Vogel became the first Indian to medal in the event at the 2016 IHSA Class A state meet with his sixth-place finish. He one-upped himself as a senior, as he cleared 6'-6" to finish second in the high jump at the state meet. For his efforts, Vogel was named the 2017 DuQuoin HS Senior Athlete of the Year, and was also honored with the William G. Theobald Memorial Award, given to the senior athlete who, in addition to earning a varsity letter, excelled in the classroom.

Kyle Zeinemann
Pole Vault
Floyds Knobs, Ind.
Floyd Central H.S.

Kyle Zeinemann is a pole vaulter from Floyd Central High School in Floyds Knobs, Indiana. This past season, Zeinemann won the Evansville Central Regional title with a personal-best clearance of 15'-2". He was the only jumper in the field to clear 14', much less 15'. In doing so, he advanced to the IHSAA state meet for the first time in his career and went on to tie for 14th.

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