Vigilante Releases Women's Recruiting Class
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia women’s track and field team has received 11 commitments for the 2009-10 season, Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Jason Vigilante has announced.
The group will consist of Pearl Bickersteth (Dumfries, Va.), Anna Blackwood (Norfolk, Va.), Janelle Clayton (Suffern, N.Y.), Colette Gnade (Waukee, Iowa), Natalia Kuhn (Virginia Beach, Va.), Whitney Rose (Pearland, Texas), Barbara Strehler (Richmond, Va.), Emily Vannoy (Frederick, Md.), Vanessa Walton (Rutesheim, Germany), Danielle Williams (Alexandria, Va.) and Lauren Zarger (Erie, Pa.).
“We’re extremely excited about this class of incoming ladies,” Vigilante said. “This is a very versatile group, where we cover all of the event areas very well. Each of these young women will have a chance to come in and contribute right away, making their mark on the program and adding to the solid foundation that’s already in place.”
Pearl Bickersteth is a high jumper out of Potomac High School. A two-time state runner-up, Bickersteth holds a personal-best clearance of 5’ 11”. She won regional and district championships in the high jump and finished the season ranked No. 4 in the nation.
Anna Blackwood comes to the Cavaliers from Norfolk Academy where she won the conference championship in the 800m and the 1600m. She also won the league title in the 800m and finished third at the state championships in the 1600m during the indoor and outdoor seasons.
Janelle Clayton is a 5’ 7.75” high jumper out of Suffern High School. A two-time state champion in the relay events, she earned All-America honors in the 4x200m relay during the indoor season. She was also the state high jump champion.
Colette Gnade is an all-around top scholar-athlete. In addition to graduating No. 3 in her class from Waukee High School, she was the indoor and outdoor 800m state champion and is ranked 18th in the country in the event. A two-time Drake Relays champion and the regional champion in both the 800m and 400m, Gnade owns a personal-best of 2:08.84 in the 800m and a 56.22 time in the 400m.
Natalia Kuhn is a state champion in the 4x800m relay from Ocean Lakes High School. Kuhn owns a personal-best of 2:13.22 in the 800m and won a regional championship in the event. She was also the fourth-place finisher in the 1000m at the indoor state championships.
Whitney Rose is a graduate of Pearland High School. A two-time 5A state champion in the triple jump, Rose has established a personal-best of 41’ 10.75”, ranking her sixth in the country. She also holds a wind-aided mark of 42’ 0.5”.
Barbara Strehler is a versatile athlete from Trinity Episcopal School who will help aid the Cavaliers’ distance program. An outdoor state champion in the 1600m and 3200m this spring, Strehler also finished runner-up in the 800m at the state meet. Owning a personal-best time of 5:01.54 in the mile, she was the indoor state champion in the mile and 1000m and was the Eastern States indoor mile champion. In addition, she finished runner-up at the Virginia state cross country championships and 15th at the Foot Locker South Regional Championship.
Emily Vannoy is a thrower from Governor Thomas Johnson High School. The Maryland state record holder in the shot put indoors and outdoors, Vannoy holds personal-bests of 48’ 7.75” in the shot put and 147’ 8” in the discus. A multi-time state champion, Vannoy recently won the 2009 national high school shot put championship and is ranked sixth nationally in the event.
Vanessa Walton is another versatile athlete that will add depth to Virginia’s distance corps. Coming to Virginia from Gymnasium Turesheim, Walton has established personal-bests of 9:59.70 in the 3000m, 4:23 in the 1500m and 2:11 in the 800m.
Danielle Williams won the state championship in the 100m and 200m for St. Stephen’s-St. Agnes School this spring. She followed those titles up with a third place finish at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in the developmental 100m. Her personal-bests include a 11.98 time in the 100m and 24.51 mark in the 200m.
Rounding out the class will be Lauren Zarger, the Valedictorian of her graduating class. The Pennsylvania state champion in the 3200m, Zarger owns a personal-best of 10:34.99 in the event, ranking her No. 1 in the state. She also finished in the top-10 at the state cross country championships all four years of high school, including a third-place finish in 2007.
**Photos of incoming Cavaliers listed in alphabetical order
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