Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Saluki Track and Field introduces 2019 Signing Class
06/03/2019 | 9:29:00 | Track and Field
Carbondale, Ill. —Southern Illinois Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Rosalind Joseph is pleased to announce the signing of 18 student-athletes to National Letters of Intent.
"I'm excited for this inaugural recruiting class for my staff and I," Joseph said. "The wide range of event disciplines by these student-athletes will be a great dynamic to add to our already strong rosters."
The Salukis signed 18 student-athletes from eight different states, including three from Illinois. The 2019 recruiting class combined to win 25 state championships and totaled 44 top-three finishes at state meets.
"I'm excited to add depth with not only numbers, but strong competitors and dedicated students in the classroom," Joseph said. "The incumbent roster did a great job in hosting student-athletes they felt would be a great addition to the program and who help in our mission to win championships. I'm also glad the incoming class is just as excited to get to Carbondale and get to work!"
Claire Ayers | Washington H.S. | Washington, Mo.
A four-time cross country state qualifier, Ayers is coming off a senior track campaign in which she won her first individual state title and helped account for 17 of Washington High School's 23 points at the Missouri Class 4A state meet. Ayers won the 800m run by more than three seconds with a time of 2:16.06. She also took fourth in the 1600m and helped Washington place seventh in the 4x800 relay. Ayers burst onto the Missouri prep scene after she clocked the fastest 5K time by a freshman (18:58.77) at the 2016 Class 4A state cross country meet to place seventh. The following year, Ayers earned All-Metro first team honors after she placed seventh with a 5K time of 18:47.71. As a junior, she won her first state title as a member of Washington's 4x800 relay team and also reached the podium individually with a runner-up finish in the 800m to go along with a third-place performance in the 1600m.
Josie Brown | Geneseo H.S. | Geneseo, Ill.
A three-time state qualifier in the 800-meter run, Josie Brown will provide Southern with depth in the mid-distance events. Brown reached the podium at the 2019 IHSA Class 2A state meet with a third-place finish in the 800m run with a time of 2:21.79 and helped Geneseo add a pair of seventh-place finishes in the 4x400 and 4x800 relays. Last year, she competed in the 800m at the 2018 AAU Junior National Games, where she finished seventh and raced against future teammate Fallon Russell. The 2019 Rock Island Dispatch-Argus Runner of the Year, Brown is also a two-time state qualifier in cross country. During her senior cross country season, Brown finished 28th at the IHSA Class 2A meet with a 5K time of 18:11.83, which was the best finish by a Geneseo female runner at the state meet since 2011.
Trinity Daniels | Homewood Flossmoor | Flossmoor, Ill.
Daniels helped Flossmoor win the 2019 IHSA Class 3A team state title after she claimed runner-up honors in the triple jump with a clearance of 40'-7.25". She also added an 11th place finish in the long jump. A back-to-back state qualifier in the triple jump, Daniels placed fifth in the event at the state meet as a junior. Daniels also has significant AAU experience competing for the Flippen Flyers Track Club. She took sixth in the triple jump at the 2018 AAU Junior Olympic Games after having placed eighth in the event at the 2017 AAU JO Games.
Matisen Ingle | Indianapolis, Ind. | North Central H.S.
Ingle won't have to look far for a familiar face when she arrives in Carbondale, as she is high school teammates with BriYanna Robinson. Ingle's specialty in high school has been the discus, as she qualified for the state meet for the second-straight season in the event. During her senior campaign, Ingle won her first regional title in the discus with a toss of 132'-6". As a junior, Ingle won a sectional title in the discus, took second at the regional meet and went on to crack the top-10 at the state meet with a ninth-place finish.
Olivia Garner | Waldorf, Md. | Westlake H.S.
An accomplished sprinter from Waldorf, Md., Garner is fresh off winning a pair of state titles in the 100m dash and the 4x100 relay at the Maryland Class 2A state meet. The Waldorf, Md. native ran 12.39 to win the 100m dash and was the runner-up in the 200m dash at 25.49. In addition to her win in the 100m dash, Garner ran the third leg of Westlake's third-place 4x200 relay. It capped off an impressive senior season for Garner, who won an indoor state title in the 55m dash with a personal-best time of 7.15. A four-time state champion, Garner also won a state title as part of Westlake's 4x200 relay team as a junior. A 17-time state qualifier, Garner tallied 15 top-five finishes at state meets, including nine top-three performances.
Britney Mosby | Belleville, Ill. | Belleville West
Hailing from nearby Belleville, Ill., Mosby will provide SIU with much needed depth in the horizontal jumps. Mosby most recently qualified for the IHSA Class 3A state meet in the triple jump, where she finished ninth. It ended a stellar senior campaign for Mosby, who broke the Belleville West school record in the triple jump at the Southwestern Illinois Relays with a leap of 39'-3.75". Prior to her senior year, Mosby transferred to Belleville West from Cardinal Ritter, where she won a pair of Missouri Class 3A state titles as a sophomore. Mosby won the triple jump with a mark of 37'-4.50" and helped Cardinal Ritter's 4x200 relay team win state with a time of 1:42.89.
BriYanna Robinson | Indianapolis, Ind. | North Central H.S.
Robinson is a thrower from Indianapolis, Ind. who took second in the discus and third in the shot put at the IHSAA Class 5 regional meet to qualify for the state meet for the second-straight season. As a junior, Robinson won a sectional title in the shot put and earned a spot on the podium at the IHSAA sectional meet with a third-place finish to move on to the state meet. Competing at the IHSAA state meet for the first time, Robinson took sixth with a toss of 42'-3.75". Robinson also threw the shot at the 2018 AAU Junior Olympics, where she placed 13th.
Fallon Russell | Shawnee, Kansas | Bishop Miege H.S.
Russell is coming off a senior season in which she helped Bishop Miege finish third at the state meet with four top-eight finishes, including a pair of second-place performances. Russell took second in both the 800m (2:19.85) and the 1600m (5:18.93) and helped the Stags take fourth in the 4x800. An accomplished two-sport athlete, Russell won a state title as a defensive stopper on Bishop Miege's nationally-ranked women's basketball team. Russell took up running track and cross country as a junior and has thrived ever since. She qualified for the state cross country meet in each of her two seasons, which included a runner-up finish at the Kansas Class 4A state meet. Russell competed against Josie Brown in the 800m at the 2018 AAU Junior National games and finished 10th. An All-Metro honorable mention selection for cross country, Russell also gets it done in the classroom as she earned Academic All-State honors.
Deayvion Smith | St. Louis, Mo. | Trinity Catholic
A 12-time state qualifier, Smith won a Missouri Class 3A state title in the 400-meter dash as a junior. As a sophomore, Smith ran the fastest qualifying time in the 400m dash but had to settle for second. She also added top-eight finishes at the state meet in the high jump, the 200m dash and the 4x200 relay. The following year, Smith was not to denied in the 400-meter dash, as she won the event with a time of 57.14. As a senior, Smith helped Trinity Catholic win a team state title after she took second in the high jump and helped the Titans to a runner-up finish in the 4x200 relay.
Dylan Beaird | Wayne H.S. | Huber Heights, Ohio
A nationally-ranked high school weight thrower, Beaird comes to SIU by way of Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio. Beaird recently won his first state title in the hammer throw with a personal-best toss of 207'-8" at the 2019 Ohio High School Hammer Championships after he finished third as a junior. Beaird has a leg up on most high school seniors as he has significant experience throwing the weight and hammer. Beaird placed eighth in the hammer throw at the 2018 New Balance National Outdoor Championships with a toss of 198'-8". During the 2019 indoor season, Beaird threw the weight 63'-5", which was the 11th-best toss by a U.S. high schooler.
Jelle De Jong | Netherlands | McNeese State
A transfer who will be eligible to compete next season as a sophomore, De Jong is a multi-event athlete who spent his freshman year at McNeese State. De Jong only competed during the indoor season and scored in the heptathlon with a sixth-place finish at the Southland Conference Indoor Championships. A 6-foot-7 all-around athlete, De Jong consistently ranked in the top-five of the Netherlands' junior rankings during his prep career and his best events include the shot put, javelin and long jump.
Lance Gauthney | Reynoldsburg, Ohio | Reynoldsburg H.S.
A sprinter from Reynoldsburg High School, Gauthney is coming off a successful senior indoor season in which he qualified for the OATCCC state meet in four events (60, 200, 400 and 4x400 relay). The Reynoldsburg, Ohio native won gold as part of the Raiders' 4x400 relay team and was the runner-up in the 400-meter dash. He also scored in the 200m dash with a seventh-place finish and took ninth in the 60m dash. As a junior, Gauthney qualified for the outdoor state meet in both the 400m and the 4x400 relay and also competed at the indoor state meet in the 200- and 400-meter dashes.
Travis Hart | Gibson Southern | Fort Branch, Ind.
A distance runner who will compete for both SIU's cross country and track and field teams, Hart is three-time semi-state qualifier in cross country from Gibson Southern High School in Fort Branch, Ind. As a junior, he helped Gibson Southern win a sectional championship and was selected to the Academic All-State First Team. On the track, Hart qualified for the Indiana state meet in the 1,600m, where he ran 4:22.29 to finish 18th.
John Hodges | Pike High School | Indianapolis, Ind.
Hodges transferred to Pike High School prior to his junior season. He immediately made his mark, as he earned runner-up honors at the Shelbyville Semi-State cross country meet to qualify for the Indiana state meet. During track season, he won a conference title in the 1600-meter run with a time of 4:20.58 and added sectional championships in the 1600m and the 3200m runs. That summer, Hodges won gold in the 3K at the 2018 AAU Junior National Games with a more than 10-second PR of 8:53.69 which was just a shade off the national record. As a senior, Hodges helped Pike's 4x800 relay team reach the podium with a third-place finish.
Jaden Johnson | Humble H.S. (Atascocita) | Humble, Texas
Johnson comes to SIU by way of Humble Atascocita High School in Humble, Texas where the sprinter competed in the largest class (6A) in Texas. He helped lead Humble to a District 22 Championship after he helped win the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Johnson has also flourished on the AAU scene, as he helped Track Houston win the 15-16 year old division of the 4x100 relay at the 2017 AAU Junior Olympic Games. This past year, Johnson helped Track Houston reach the podium with a third-place finish in the 4x400 relay at the USATF Hershey National Junior Olympic Championships.
Omar Rodgers | Lane H.S. | Brooklyn, N.Y.
A nationally-ranked hurdler, Rodgers comes to SIU by way of Franklin Lane High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. Rodgers clocked the 19th-best prep time in the 400m hurdles in 2018 at 53.09 and went on to win a state title in the event with a near personal-best time of 53.10. Rodgers also placed eighth in the 110-meter hurdles and ran a leg of the 4x400 relay that finished sixth.
Terry Simuel | Pickerington Central | Pickerington, Ohio
A dynamic two-sport athlete from Pickerington, Ohio, Simuel is a five-time state champion. He burst onto the Ohio prep scene during his freshman indoor season at the OATCCC state meet. He won the 400m dash, helped the Tigers to a win in the 4x400 relay and added a runner-up finish in the 4x200 relay to help Pickerington Central claim the team title. Simuel struck gold again as part of the 4x400 relay team at the 2016 OHSAA outdoor meet and also reached the podium with a third-place finish in the 4x200 relay. As a sophomore, Simuel won a state title as a cornerback/wide receiver on Pickerington Central's nationally-ranked football team and later qualified for the outdoor state track meet in three (4x200, 4x400 and 400) events. As a junior, he was a part of the Tigers' state champion 4x400 relay team (3:17.70) that helped Pickerington Central capture its first-ever boys state team title. As a senior, Simuel was named All-State First-Team in football, won an indoor state title as part of Pickerington Central's 4x200 relay and outdoor state titles in the 4x200, 4x400 and 4x800.
"I'm excited for this inaugural recruiting class for my staff and I," Joseph said. "The wide range of event disciplines by these student-athletes will be a great dynamic to add to our already strong rosters."
The Salukis signed 18 student-athletes from eight different states, including three from Illinois. The 2019 recruiting class combined to win 25 state championships and totaled 44 top-three finishes at state meets.
"I'm excited to add depth with not only numbers, but strong competitors and dedicated students in the classroom," Joseph said. "The incumbent roster did a great job in hosting student-athletes they felt would be a great addition to the program and who help in our mission to win championships. I'm also glad the incoming class is just as excited to get to Carbondale and get to work!"
Claire Ayers | Washington H.S. | Washington, Mo.
A four-time cross country state qualifier, Ayers is coming off a senior track campaign in which she won her first individual state title and helped account for 17 of Washington High School's 23 points at the Missouri Class 4A state meet. Ayers won the 800m run by more than three seconds with a time of 2:16.06. She also took fourth in the 1600m and helped Washington place seventh in the 4x800 relay. Ayers burst onto the Missouri prep scene after she clocked the fastest 5K time by a freshman (18:58.77) at the 2016 Class 4A state cross country meet to place seventh. The following year, Ayers earned All-Metro first team honors after she placed seventh with a 5K time of 18:47.71. As a junior, she won her first state title as a member of Washington's 4x800 relay team and also reached the podium individually with a runner-up finish in the 800m to go along with a third-place performance in the 1600m.
Josie Brown | Geneseo H.S. | Geneseo, Ill.
A three-time state qualifier in the 800-meter run, Josie Brown will provide Southern with depth in the mid-distance events. Brown reached the podium at the 2019 IHSA Class 2A state meet with a third-place finish in the 800m run with a time of 2:21.79 and helped Geneseo add a pair of seventh-place finishes in the 4x400 and 4x800 relays. Last year, she competed in the 800m at the 2018 AAU Junior National Games, where she finished seventh and raced against future teammate Fallon Russell. The 2019 Rock Island Dispatch-Argus Runner of the Year, Brown is also a two-time state qualifier in cross country. During her senior cross country season, Brown finished 28th at the IHSA Class 2A meet with a 5K time of 18:11.83, which was the best finish by a Geneseo female runner at the state meet since 2011.
Trinity Daniels | Homewood Flossmoor | Flossmoor, Ill.
Daniels helped Flossmoor win the 2019 IHSA Class 3A team state title after she claimed runner-up honors in the triple jump with a clearance of 40'-7.25". She also added an 11th place finish in the long jump. A back-to-back state qualifier in the triple jump, Daniels placed fifth in the event at the state meet as a junior. Daniels also has significant AAU experience competing for the Flippen Flyers Track Club. She took sixth in the triple jump at the 2018 AAU Junior Olympic Games after having placed eighth in the event at the 2017 AAU JO Games.
Matisen Ingle | Indianapolis, Ind. | North Central H.S.
Ingle won't have to look far for a familiar face when she arrives in Carbondale, as she is high school teammates with BriYanna Robinson. Ingle's specialty in high school has been the discus, as she qualified for the state meet for the second-straight season in the event. During her senior campaign, Ingle won her first regional title in the discus with a toss of 132'-6". As a junior, Ingle won a sectional title in the discus, took second at the regional meet and went on to crack the top-10 at the state meet with a ninth-place finish.
Olivia Garner | Waldorf, Md. | Westlake H.S.
An accomplished sprinter from Waldorf, Md., Garner is fresh off winning a pair of state titles in the 100m dash and the 4x100 relay at the Maryland Class 2A state meet. The Waldorf, Md. native ran 12.39 to win the 100m dash and was the runner-up in the 200m dash at 25.49. In addition to her win in the 100m dash, Garner ran the third leg of Westlake's third-place 4x200 relay. It capped off an impressive senior season for Garner, who won an indoor state title in the 55m dash with a personal-best time of 7.15. A four-time state champion, Garner also won a state title as part of Westlake's 4x200 relay team as a junior. A 17-time state qualifier, Garner tallied 15 top-five finishes at state meets, including nine top-three performances.
Sydney Mitchell | St. Louis, Mo. | Cardinal Ritter H.S.
Mitchell is a five-time state champion and a 12-time state qualifier from Cardinal Ritter high school in St. Louis, Mo. She most recently won a pair of state titles at the 2019 MSHSAA Class 3A state meet as part of Cardinal Ritter's 4x200 relay and 4x400 relay teams. Individually, she also scored in the 400-meter dash at the state meet with a sixth-place finish. During her prep career, Mitchell will provide immediate help in the horizontal jumps as well as the multis and she showcased her athleticism by qualifying for the state meet in five different events- 300m hurdles, long jump, 400m dash, 4x200 and 4x400 relays. As a junior, Mitchell won two relay state titles and was the state runner-up in the long jump with a clearance of 17'-10.75".
Britney Mosby | Belleville, Ill. | Belleville West
Hailing from nearby Belleville, Ill., Mosby will provide SIU with much needed depth in the horizontal jumps. Mosby most recently qualified for the IHSA Class 3A state meet in the triple jump, where she finished ninth. It ended a stellar senior campaign for Mosby, who broke the Belleville West school record in the triple jump at the Southwestern Illinois Relays with a leap of 39'-3.75". Prior to her senior year, Mosby transferred to Belleville West from Cardinal Ritter, where she won a pair of Missouri Class 3A state titles as a sophomore. Mosby won the triple jump with a mark of 37'-4.50" and helped Cardinal Ritter's 4x200 relay team win state with a time of 1:42.89.
BriYanna Robinson | Indianapolis, Ind. | North Central H.S.
Robinson is a thrower from Indianapolis, Ind. who took second in the discus and third in the shot put at the IHSAA Class 5 regional meet to qualify for the state meet for the second-straight season. As a junior, Robinson won a sectional title in the shot put and earned a spot on the podium at the IHSAA sectional meet with a third-place finish to move on to the state meet. Competing at the IHSAA state meet for the first time, Robinson took sixth with a toss of 42'-3.75". Robinson also threw the shot at the 2018 AAU Junior Olympics, where she placed 13th.
Fallon Russell | Shawnee, Kansas | Bishop Miege H.S.
Russell is coming off a senior season in which she helped Bishop Miege finish third at the state meet with four top-eight finishes, including a pair of second-place performances. Russell took second in both the 800m (2:19.85) and the 1600m (5:18.93) and helped the Stags take fourth in the 4x800. An accomplished two-sport athlete, Russell won a state title as a defensive stopper on Bishop Miege's nationally-ranked women's basketball team. Russell took up running track and cross country as a junior and has thrived ever since. She qualified for the state cross country meet in each of her two seasons, which included a runner-up finish at the Kansas Class 4A state meet. Russell competed against Josie Brown in the 800m at the 2018 AAU Junior National games and finished 10th. An All-Metro honorable mention selection for cross country, Russell also gets it done in the classroom as she earned Academic All-State honors.
Deayvion Smith | St. Louis, Mo. | Trinity Catholic
A 12-time state qualifier, Smith won a Missouri Class 3A state title in the 400-meter dash as a junior. As a sophomore, Smith ran the fastest qualifying time in the 400m dash but had to settle for second. She also added top-eight finishes at the state meet in the high jump, the 200m dash and the 4x200 relay. The following year, Smith was not to denied in the 400-meter dash, as she won the event with a time of 57.14. As a senior, Smith helped Trinity Catholic win a team state title after she took second in the high jump and helped the Titans to a runner-up finish in the 4x200 relay.
Dylan Beaird | Wayne H.S. | Huber Heights, Ohio
A nationally-ranked high school weight thrower, Beaird comes to SIU by way of Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio. Beaird recently won his first state title in the hammer throw with a personal-best toss of 207'-8" at the 2019 Ohio High School Hammer Championships after he finished third as a junior. Beaird has a leg up on most high school seniors as he has significant experience throwing the weight and hammer. Beaird placed eighth in the hammer throw at the 2018 New Balance National Outdoor Championships with a toss of 198'-8". During the 2019 indoor season, Beaird threw the weight 63'-5", which was the 11th-best toss by a U.S. high schooler.
Jelle De Jong | Netherlands | McNeese State
A transfer who will be eligible to compete next season as a sophomore, De Jong is a multi-event athlete who spent his freshman year at McNeese State. De Jong only competed during the indoor season and scored in the heptathlon with a sixth-place finish at the Southland Conference Indoor Championships. A 6-foot-7 all-around athlete, De Jong consistently ranked in the top-five of the Netherlands' junior rankings during his prep career and his best events include the shot put, javelin and long jump.
Lance Gauthney | Reynoldsburg, Ohio | Reynoldsburg H.S.
A sprinter from Reynoldsburg High School, Gauthney is coming off a successful senior indoor season in which he qualified for the OATCCC state meet in four events (60, 200, 400 and 4x400 relay). The Reynoldsburg, Ohio native won gold as part of the Raiders' 4x400 relay team and was the runner-up in the 400-meter dash. He also scored in the 200m dash with a seventh-place finish and took ninth in the 60m dash. As a junior, Gauthney qualified for the outdoor state meet in both the 400m and the 4x400 relay and also competed at the indoor state meet in the 200- and 400-meter dashes.
Travis Hart | Gibson Southern | Fort Branch, Ind.
A distance runner who will compete for both SIU's cross country and track and field teams, Hart is three-time semi-state qualifier in cross country from Gibson Southern High School in Fort Branch, Ind. As a junior, he helped Gibson Southern win a sectional championship and was selected to the Academic All-State First Team. On the track, Hart qualified for the Indiana state meet in the 1,600m, where he ran 4:22.29 to finish 18th.
John Hodges | Pike High School | Indianapolis, Ind.
Hodges transferred to Pike High School prior to his junior season. He immediately made his mark, as he earned runner-up honors at the Shelbyville Semi-State cross country meet to qualify for the Indiana state meet. During track season, he won a conference title in the 1600-meter run with a time of 4:20.58 and added sectional championships in the 1600m and the 3200m runs. That summer, Hodges won gold in the 3K at the 2018 AAU Junior National Games with a more than 10-second PR of 8:53.69 which was just a shade off the national record. As a senior, Hodges helped Pike's 4x800 relay team reach the podium with a third-place finish.
Jaden Johnson | Humble H.S. (Atascocita) | Humble, Texas
Johnson comes to SIU by way of Humble Atascocita High School in Humble, Texas where the sprinter competed in the largest class (6A) in Texas. He helped lead Humble to a District 22 Championship after he helped win the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Johnson has also flourished on the AAU scene, as he helped Track Houston win the 15-16 year old division of the 4x100 relay at the 2017 AAU Junior Olympic Games. This past year, Johnson helped Track Houston reach the podium with a third-place finish in the 4x400 relay at the USATF Hershey National Junior Olympic Championships.
Omar Rodgers | Lane H.S. | Brooklyn, N.Y.
A nationally-ranked hurdler, Rodgers comes to SIU by way of Franklin Lane High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. Rodgers clocked the 19th-best prep time in the 400m hurdles in 2018 at 53.09 and went on to win a state title in the event with a near personal-best time of 53.10. Rodgers also placed eighth in the 110-meter hurdles and ran a leg of the 4x400 relay that finished sixth.
Terry Simuel | Pickerington Central | Pickerington, Ohio
A dynamic two-sport athlete from Pickerington, Ohio, Simuel is a five-time state champion. He burst onto the Ohio prep scene during his freshman indoor season at the OATCCC state meet. He won the 400m dash, helped the Tigers to a win in the 4x400 relay and added a runner-up finish in the 4x200 relay to help Pickerington Central claim the team title. Simuel struck gold again as part of the 4x400 relay team at the 2016 OHSAA outdoor meet and also reached the podium with a third-place finish in the 4x200 relay. As a sophomore, Simuel won a state title as a cornerback/wide receiver on Pickerington Central's nationally-ranked football team and later qualified for the outdoor state track meet in three (4x200, 4x400 and 400) events. As a junior, he was a part of the Tigers' state champion 4x400 relay team (3:17.70) that helped Pickerington Central capture its first-ever boys state team title. As a senior, Simuel was named All-State First-Team in football, won an indoor state title as part of Pickerington Central's 4x200 relay and outdoor state titles in the 4x200, 4x400 and 4x800.
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