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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia women’s track and field and cross country program has received 10 commitments for the 2010-11 season, Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Jason Vigilante announced today.

The group will consist of Brittany Bostwick (Christiansburg, Va.), Briana Brazile (Huntersville, N.C.), Logan Clements (Swarthmore, Pa.), Vanessa Fabrizio (Denver, Colo.), Ali Gillen (Doylestown, Pa.), Ariel Karabinus (Manassas, Va.), Emily Kianka (Pennington, N.J.), Chelsea Ley (Woolwich Township, N.J.), Kathleen Stevens (Blacksburg, Va.) and Katherine Walker (Stafford, Va.).

“For the second year in a row, we have signed a great recruiting class full of young women who are excited about the University of Virginia,” Vigilante said. “A lot of credit goes to our assistant coaches and administration for making this possible. With the addition of three national champions, five All-Americans and six state champions, our program is going in the right direction.”

Brittany Bostwick, from Christiansburg High School, will compete in the multi events for the Cavaliers. A six-time VHSL AA All-State honoree in Virginia, Bostwick was the regional champion indoors in the long jump in 2010, in addition to the regional runner-up in the high jump and 55m. She was also a member of the third-place 4x400m relay team and took seventh in the shot put at regionals.

Briana Brazile is a hurdler from North Mecklenburg High School in North Carolina. A four-time NCHSAA 4A All-State performer, Brazile was the 4A West Region Champion in the 300m hurdles as a senior and a two-time runner-up in the event. She finished sixth at the North Carolina state meet in the 100m hurdles and fourth in the 300m hurdles in 2010.

Logan Clements
is from Strath Haven High School in Pennsylvania. Clements placed 13th at the district championships and was third at the Central League Championships in the javelin.

Vanessa Fabrizio attended Mullen High School in Colorado and will be a middle distance runner for the Cavaliers. A two-time state champion in the 800m, Fabrizio finished fourth at the Mt. SAC Relays and was the runner-up at the Simplot Games in the event. She also finished ninth at Nike Outdoor Nationals in the 800m as a junior.

Ali Gillen comes to UVa from Central Bucks East High School in Pennsylvania. Gillen was the district champion in the triple jump in 2009 and also finished runner-up at the state meet in the 300m hurdles that year. She finished ninth at Penn Relays in the triple jump and concluded the year ranked fifth in Pennsylvania in the 300m hurdles outdoors and fourth in the triple jump indoors.

Ariel Karabinus
is a distance runner out of Osbourn Park High School in Virginia. An All-American as a member of the sprint medley relay in 2008, Karabinus won the 1000m state championship in 2010 and was the state runner-up indoors and outdoors in the 1600m as a senior. She is a 10-time all-state performer, including a four-time cross country honoree, and holds the Panorama Farms High School Girls Course Record. Karabinus finished the year ranked fourth in Virginia in the two-mile and eighth in the mile.

Emily Kianka, from Hopewell Valley High School in New Jersey, is a four-time All-American and two-time national runner-up in the high jump. A two-time Eastern States Champion, Kianka also won three NJ Meet of Champions high jump titles and has been ranked No. 1 in the state for the past two years. She was also the top-ranked high jumper in the United States during her senior indoor season.

Chelsea Ley is a three-time national champion from Kingsway Regional High School in New Jersey. Winning the two-mile and 5000m national titles, Ley is also an eight-time All-American and three-time Footlocker Cross Country National Championship finalist. The Gatorade NJ Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year, Ley finished seventh at the Footlocker Cross Country Nationals in 2009 and eighth in 2008. The 2009 NJ Meet of Champions 3200m Champion, Ley finished her junior season ranked No. 4 in the United States over 3200m and was No. 1 in New Jersey during those indoor and outdoor seasons.

Kathleen Stevens comes to the Cavaliers from Blacksburg High School. A national champion in the distance medley relay as a senior, Stevens was also a member of the squad that set the national record and Penn Relays meet record in the event. A seven-time All-American and seven-time state champion, Stevens won the VHSL AA Cross Country State Championship and was runner-up at the Nike Cross Country Nationals as a senior. She was named the Gatorade Virginia Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year, the Gatorade Virginia Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year and the Roanoke Times Female Athlete of the Year.

Katherine Walker is from Brooke Point High School in Virginia. The 2010 national champion in the 5000m, Walker is a two-time All-American and was named the AAA Virginia Female Athlete of the Year after winning the 3200m state championship outdoors and finishing as runner-up at the state cross country meet. A six-time all-state honoree, Stevens also owns the second-fastest high school time ever run at Panorama Farms. She finished the outdoor season ranked No. 8 in the United States for 3200m and was ranked No. 3 in Virginia for the outdoor two-mile and No. 10 in the mile.

* – photos listed alphabetically

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