PULLMAN, Wash. -- Wayne Phipps, WSU Director of Cross Country/Track & Field, announced the National Letters of Intent and Athletic Aid Agreement signings by 10 student-athletes to compete for Washington State University during the 2016-17 school year.
The men's team signees include: Justin Janke, a distance runner from Spokane, Wash.; Nick Johnson, a hurdler;decathlete from Spokane, Wash.; Kennan Schrag, a distance runner from Issaquah, Wash.; and Daniel Stokes, a sprinter from Diamond Bar, Calif. The women's team signees include: Attina Kamasi, a javelin thrower/heptathlon from Novi Sad, Serbia; Kelsey Kehl, a discus and javelin thrower from Baldwin City, Kansas; Lauren Newman, a long jumper from Yakima, Wash.; Alexis Redfield, a distance runner from Zillah, Wash.; Desiree Stinger, a distance runner from Temecula, Calif.; and Jordyn Tucker, a sprinter from Monrovia, Calif.
Justin Janke, a senior at North Central High School in Spokane, was the 2015 Gatorade Male Cross Country Runner of the Year for the state of Washington. In winning the state 3A cross country individual title, he led the NCHS boys team to its 10th consecutive state title. Last fall Janke also won the BorderClash 17, finished sixth at the 2015 Nike Cross Northwest, seventh at the Foot Locker West Regional, and 25th at the Foot Locker National meet. In the 2016 outdoor season, Janke has reached PRs in the 1500m (3:50.19 - fourth-best nationally), mile (4:07.28 - seventh-best nationally), and 3200m (8:58.69). Janke carries a 4.0 grade point average, was named the Greater Spokane League's Male Scholar Athlete, and plans to major in mechanical engineering at WSU.
Coach Phipps said, “Arguably, North Central is the best high school distance program in the nation. Justin is the top cross country runner in the Northwest winning BorderClash and state titles. Has run under nine minutes for two miles. We had a great signing class last year on the men's cross country team and decided whoever we were going to sign had to be an impact person and we definitely got an impact person with Justin.”
Nick Johnson is a senior at Gonzaga Prep in Spokane where he was a member of the state 4A football championship team. On the track this spring, Johnson has run a PRs in the 110m hurdles (13.94), 300m hurdles (38.48), and thrown the javelin 157-1. His high jump PR is 6-6 and he scored 5,815 points in the decathlon last year for fifth place at the state competition.
Coach Phipps said, “Nick's a fantastic hurdler but will compete as a decathlete for us. He was an outstanding football player and has already done every event in high school. Working with Dino (Dodig) as a freshman will be fantastic and he's a guy who can be an NCAA qualifier for us in his very first year.”
Atina Kamasi is a javelin thrower and pentathlete/heptathlete from Novi Sad, Serbia. She competed for the elite Vojvodina Athletics Club team, coached by her father, Ferenc Kamasi. She threw the javelin a PR distance of 170-10 (52.07m) in winning the Balkan Junior Championships in Pitesti, Romania, last summer. She also finished 10th at the 2015 European U20 Championships in Eskilstuna, Sweden, with a javelin toss of 166-4 (50.71m). Kamasi held the Serbian youth javelin record and has many top placings at Serbian state junior and senior indoor and outdoor championships.
Coach Phipps said, “Atina is a fantastic javelin thrower. She's performing equal to All-American status before she gets here. She will also be a multi events athlete. Javelin is her strength but she will be very competitive at the conference level in the pentathlon and heptathlon.”
Kelsey Kehl is a senior discus and javelin thrower at Baldwin High School in Baldwin City, Kansas. She won the Kansas State HSAA 4A javelin title as a sophomore and finished third last year. Her PR distance in the javelin is 150-4, thrown this spring. She is currently second in Kansas and seventh nationally in the girls prep javelin and is the state of Kansas 4A leader in the discus with a distance of 133-7. Kehl was also an all-league selection as a volleyball player and very involved with student government all four years of high school. She has a 3.5 GPA and plans to major in physiology.
Coach Phipps said, “One of the top javelin throwers in the nation. Coach Taylor getting great javelin throwers. That's been a strong tradition at Washington State so it great to see that continuing. Kelsey's a person who will make an immediate impact for us at the conference level and at the NCAA level.”
Lauren Newman is a senior long jumper/sprinter at La Salle High School near Yakima, Wash. She has a long jump PR of 18-9 3/4, a 100m dash PR time of 12.34, 200m dash PR time of 25.65 and 400m dash PR time of 59.39. Newman has finished in the top four at the 1A state championships the last two years. She was named the 2015 Yakima Valley Sports Commission's Female Track Athlete of the Year. In addition to track and field, Newman was a four-year all-league soccer player. An honors student at La Salle HS, she plans to major in education at WSU.
Coach Phipps said, “Lauren will be a great long jumper and sprinter for us. She has reached close to 19-feet so she can be a contributor right away at the conference level in the long jump and be battling for a relay leg. Coach Teevens has done a fantastic job with the women's 4x100m relay and we want to see that continue to go and excel and exceed what we've already established. She's a great all-around athlete who can probably contribute in some other events for us.
Alexis Redfield is a senior distance runner at Zillah High School in Zillah, Wash. She won back-to-back state 1A cross country championship titles and finished 21st at the 2015 Nike BorderClash 17 meet. Last fall she clocked in a time of 18:05.02 for the 5000m, the fastest time on record for the Yakima Valley area. During the spring track seasons, Redfield has scored at the state 1A championships in the 800m, 1600m and 3200m last year and in the 1600m and 3200m the previous two years.
Coach Phipps said, “A great cross country runner from a small school but ran one of the fastest times in all classifications at the state cross country meet. As we continue to build a young women's cross country team, I look to Alexis to be a huge part of that building process.
Kennan Schrag is a senior distance runner at Issaquah High School in Issaquah, Wash. At the 2015 state 4A cross country championships he finished fifth and went on to place 21st at the Nike Cross Northwest meet and 10th at the Nike BorderClash 17. At the 2015 New Balance Indoor National Championships, he finished 16th in the 2-miles with a time of 9:13.81. Schrag completed two years of courses at Bellevue College as a running start student and plans to study kinesiology at WSU.
Coach Phipps said, “We've had our eye on Kennan for quite some time. He had a very solid cross country season, worked hard over the wintertime and qualified for the national high school indoor track and field championships. Ran a huge PR there in the 3000m of 9:13. Our men's cross country program made it to nationals last year with primarily freshmen and sophomores. Adding Kennan to our team adds depth now but he will be someone who has the potential to be a real leader for us down the road.”
Desi Stinger is a senior distance runner at Great Oak High School in Temecula, Calif. She captained the girls cross country teams as a junior and senior and in her three seasons on varsity, the Wolfpack won three state championships. During those XC seasons, Great Oak placed eighth, second and third at the national meets. Stinger was a three-time All-Valley selection and two-time All-Southwestern League first team honoree. Her outdoor PR times include 5:00.30 for the mile and 10:36.51 for the 3000m. She graduates with a 4.0 GPA.
Coach Phipps said, “Desi comes from a legendary cross country program at Great Oak High School where there is unbelievable depth and a very structured program so the transition (to college running) will be very easy. She ran under 10:50 in the two-mile and has run five-flat for a mile. We'll look to her and Alexis to make contributions to a very young women's cross country team.”
Daniel Stokes is a senior sprinter at Diamond Ranch High School in Diamond Bar, Calif. He was a three-time Hacienda League champion in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay. Last year at the California State Championships captured Stokes placed fourth in the 200m and fifth in the 100m. At the 2015 USATF Junior Olympics, Stokes ran the 100m prelims in 10.91 (27th), the 200m prelims in 21.60 (18th), and the 200m semifinals in 21.85 (16th). At the 2016 California Winter Indoor Championships he captured fourth place in the 60m dash with a time of 6.91. His PR times are 10.49w for 100m and 21.35w for the 200m.
Coach Phipps said, “Daniel is a great sprinter who has great range. We will look to take the place of a key member of our 4x100m relay and NCAA first round qualifier, Terrance Chambers, who graduates this year. Daniel will step into that role as a key component of our 4x100m relay and like our current freshman, Ja'Maun Charles, can run in the 100m and 200m and the 400m.”
Jordyn Tucker is a senior sprinter at Monrovia High School in Monrovia, Calif. As a junior, Tucker won the CIF Southern Section Division III 100m (11.77w) and 200m (23.99w) dashes and was on the winning 4x100m relay. She went on to place ninth in the 100m and 200m at the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet. At the 2016 California Winter Indoor Championships, she finished third in the girls 60m dash with a PR time of 7.51. Tucker has won Math and Science Academy awards and plans to pursue a degree in biomedical engineering at WSU.
Coach Phipps said, “Jordyn had a fantastic indoor season running 7.51 in the 60m dash, and she has run under 12-seconds in the 100m, and 23.99 wind-aided in the 200m. We are looking for that women's 4x100m relay to continue the success at the national level and Jordyn will be a key component.”
These student-athletes join previous signees Sam Brixey (hurdler, Boise) and Brittany Aquino (distance, Spokane Valley).