If you have been watching on Twitter, there has been a steady stream of signed athletes announced for Tech track over the past 4 weeks. Raiderwill has done a great job of keeping track of those announcements and posting something about them. I thought I would wait until the Twitter storm had abated before I put out a recap of the signing class. I am glad I waited -- the total signing class has been fantastic for the Red Raiders -- I mean "challenge for the conference title - challenge for a top-5 national ranking" kind of class for both the men and women.
I will look at each gender divided into 2 groups: 1) the group that as signed in November, 2019 through March, 2020; and 2) the additions that have been announced in June and July.
WOMEN - the early signing was small, just 2 in that original announced class and 1 of them did not end up staying in the class. But, this 2nd wave has been spectacular -- suddenly this class has turned into one of the best in the country and it is largely transfer students with established collegiate credentials.
Early Signing:
MEN - the Tech men already had a very good class after the early signing period, but they added some world-class competitors in the 2nd wave of signees.
Early Signing
Huge recruiting class for Tech! Huge in numbers and huge in immediate scoring power! I will look at which seniors are returning for their bonus senior year (to make up the pandemic-scuttled 2020). I know that I have seen Tweets about Derrius Rodgers returning for the men and Sara Limp, Tiara Williams, Chinne Okoronkwo, D'Jenne Egharevba, and Kaylee Hinton for the women.
I will look at each gender divided into 2 groups: 1) the group that as signed in November, 2019 through March, 2020; and 2) the additions that have been announced in June and July.
WOMEN - the early signing was small, just 2 in that original announced class and 1 of them did not end up staying in the class. But, this 2nd wave has been spectacular -- suddenly this class has turned into one of the best in the country and it is largely transfer students with established collegiate credentials.
Early Signing:
- Baylee Thompson, from Jacksboro - the 2019 3A champ in the SP and DT. I have seen Baylee throw many times -- she will be a very good collegiate thrower. Tech may have the luxury of redshirting her in 2021.
- Kiara Lester - Tr from Penn State - no indoor eligibility left, 1 season outdoor - the Big 10 indoor champ in the 400, who was 3rd outdoors in the same event in 2019. Will contend for a top-3 spot at conference and could be a national qualifier as well. The 4x400 relay has the potential of breaking the school record outdoors.
- Callie Jones - Tr from Southern Miss - 1 year left indoors, 2 years left outdoors - the C-USA champ in the hep outdoors in 2019, she was also 3rd in the open javelin (her PR in that event would have won the Big 12 JT by 20 feet in 2019). She qualified for nationals in the javelin in 2018 and was just a few points away from going to nationals in the hep in 2019
- Kiah Dubarry-Gay - a freshman from Great Britain - English Jr indoor 200 champ. Already running times in the 200 that get her into the finals of the Big 12 and not far off national qualifying. She will have 4 full years of eligibility to compete at Tech -- and she will have a really cool accent.
- Nayanna Dubarry-Gary - a freshman from Great Britain and twin to Kiah -- she was the English Jr indoor 400 champ this past indoor season at the same meet that Kiah won the national 200 title. She should be a qualifier in the conference 400 and will be in the mix for that super 4x4 relay that Tech should field in 2021. More cool British accents on interviews!
- Sidney Sapp - Tr-Wichita State - runnerup in the American Conference HJ, she has jumped 5-10.75 and was only 1/4 inch off national qualifying as a freshman in 2019. I love seeing Tech get another national contender in the HJ. She will be a junior indoors and a soph outdoors.
- Joanna Archer - Tr-Monroe Col (JC) and Guyana - she won the indoor and outdoor JC 800 in 2019 and finished 2nd this past indoor season (they were able to contest the JC indoor national the week before the D-1 national meet was cancelled). She should have a good shot at a top-5 spot at conference and with some improvement (being coached by Coach Kittley) of just a few seconds, she is a national qualifier.
- Aria Tate - Tr-Colorado State - she is a multi-athlete, but with finals potential in both the open HJ and 60H/100H. At the 2019 outdoor Mountain West meet, she was 5th in the heptathlon and 7th in both the HJ and 100H; then, indoors this past March she was 5th in the indoor pentathlon, 6th in the 60H and 9th in the HJ. Her PR's would have her scoring in the Big 12 in every one of those events. She will be a senior indoors and a junior outdoors
- Kayla Alexander - Tr-Louisville - after a nondescript freshman year (at the ACC meet, she was 14th in the 100H and 22nd in the LJ outdoors), Kayla showed drastic improvement in her sophomore year -- 6th the ACC 60H and 8th in the LJ. She will have have 2 years of eligibility indoors and 3 years outdoors.
- Taniya McMillian - Tr-Wichita State - did not score in the American Conference sprints as a student at Wichita State, but at the Corky/Crofoot in Lubbock in 2019, she ran a Wichita State school record time of 23.68 in the 200 and qualified for the national prelim meet. She is conference competitive in the 100, 200 and 400 and she will have 2 years indoors and 3 years outdoors of eligibility.
- Maria Ramos-Sotomayor - from Peru originally, she is transferring from D-2 New Mexico Highlands -- she was 2nd in the Rocky Mountain AC javelin in 2019, but that same throw would have gotten her 2nd in the Big 12 that same year. Paired with Callie Jones (see above), Tech suddenly has 2 javelin throwers capable of top-3 in the conference and both capable of getting to nationals in the event.
- Kayli Johnson - Tr- Michigan State - 11th in the Big 10 outdoors SP in 2019, she is obviously a leader (co-captain of the Mich State team). While she has rarely scored at the Big 10 meet (the Big 10 is really strong in the throws) her PR's could get her to the Big 12 finals in the SP, Discus and hammer. That same throw that got her 11th in the Big 10 SP in 2019, would have gotten 3rd in the Big 12 that same year. She will be a senior indoors and a junior outdoors (she will come in as a grad transfer).
- Sharon Chumo - Tr-Monroe, from Kenya - solid addition in the distances -- outdoors in 2019, she got 5th in the JC 5K and 10K. Her 10K time would get 9th in the Big 12 -- she drops just a few seconds off her time and she is a potential finalist in the conference 5K/10K
- Cammy Jenkins - Fr from Lubbock Cooper -- one of just a few freshmen in this batch, she won the 2019 Dist 3-5A 1600 and 3200 and just missed going to state by one second in the 1600, getting 3rd. Like most American HS kids, it will probably take her 2-3 years to get conference competitive -- in a perfect world, she redshirts in 2021.
- Then, there were a couple of walkon kids: Nevaeh Pantoja, from Hebron and Edna Rotich, from Leander Rouse.
MEN - the Tech men already had a very good class after the early signing period, but they added some world-class competitors in the 2nd wave of signees.
Early Signing
- Courtney Lindsey was arguably the best JC sprinter in this year's class - outdoors in 2019, he was 2nd in the 200 and 3rd in the 100 (ran a wind-legal 10.11 in the prelims) and indoors this year, he was 2nd in the 60 and the 200. His times at the JC national meet in 2019 would have won the Big 12 200 (by .01 over Tech's Andrew Hudson) and would have been 2nd in the Big 12 100 (by a tenth running behind Tech's Divine Oduduru). Will contend for the Big 12 title in both sprint races and has national title potential as well. Will have 2 years left indoors and 3 outdoors.
- Terrence Jones, a freshman from the Bahamas. The Bahamas Jr Champ in 2018 in the 200 and 400 and the Caribbean Jr Champ in the 400 (3rd in the 200). He comes in as a top-3 conference prospect in both races, as well as a national qualifier prospect in both as well
- Owen Likins, freshman from Texarkana Texas HS. At the 2019 5A state meet, Owen was 2nd in the 800 and 4th in the 1600. He ran well indoors in 2020 -- winning the TAMU HS Inv 800 and 1600 on the same weekend. Lots of potential, his best shot at getting conference competitive quickly is probably in the 800.
- Konner Wood - freshman from Holliday -2nd in the 3A DT (#47 in the U.S.) I have seen him throw many times -- lanky kid with huge potential who will benefit from a redshirt year.
- Paxton Wood - freshman from Andrews - 2nd in the 4A DT (ranked #11 in the U.S. in 2019). Another kid with huge potential who would really benefit from a redshirt year to get stronger -- will be throwing with his former HS teammate Jacob Mechler at Tech.
- Rory Maguire - freshman from Midland Lee - 9th in the 6A PV in 2019 -- will need considerable improvement to be conference competitive
- Edward Rush - freshman from Castle Rock, CO - 6th in the CO 5A 1600 -- shows some potential as he dropped his PR in the 1600 from 4:45 as a soph to under 4:20 as a junior, then had his senior year wiped out by the pandemic
- Start off with 2 potential All-Americans in the multis - the first is Gary Haasbroek, from Australia and a transfer from UTSA -- 2 time All-American indoors in the heptathlon. He is also very competitive in the open LJ and the PV -- his marks indoors in 2020 at the CUSA meet would have won the Big 12 hep, gotten 4th in the LJ and 6th in the PV. Still has 2 years indoors and 3 years outdoors
- Fynn Zenker, from Germany, where he was 2nd in the German Under-23 Decathlon in 2018. His marks at that meet would have gotten him 3rd in the Big 12 in the Decathlon and 7th in the open Javelin. With his Aussie teammate, he gives Tech 2 legit All-American prospects in the decathlon.
- Mohamed Fares Jlassi, from Tunisia, where he won the Mediterranean Under-23 400 in 2018 and was 8th in the World Jr 400H in 2016. He has a stunning PR in the open 400 of 45.44, but apparently will train alongside Norman Grimes in the 400H. Gives Tech a legit chance to put 2 people into the national finals in the 400H and even possibly go 1-2 at the Big 12 meet.
- Jordan Williams, Tr-Bethune Cookman - at the 2019 MEAC outdoor meet, he got 2nd in 200 and 3rd in the 400. You may think that was not that big a deal, but those times he ran at the MEAC would have gotten him 2nd in the Big 12 400 and 3rd in the 200! He has already qualified for nationals in the 400 in past years and has run some relay splits under 45 flat. The only reason I don't have him at the top of the list is that he only has 1 outdoor season (no indoors) eligibility left.
- Jacob Mechler - Tr-ACU, from Andrews - was the top-ranked discus thrower in the state of Texas in 2019 before going to ACU. Should transfer to Tech at a high level - the throws coach at ACU is very highly thought-of in the throwing world. Already has picked up the indoor weight throw -- got 2nd at the Southland indoor meet and would have gotten 5th at the Big 12 meet. Will have 4 full seasons to give to Tech outdoors. I think Jacob could be the next Duke Kicinski at Tech. And, remember that in 2020, we never got to see Gabe Oladipo throw outdoors. Tech has 2 legit throwers who could throw over 200 feet in the discus.
- Daniel Omah - Fr from Wylie (the one in the Metroplex) - an average sprinter in 2019 (4th in the District 10-6A 100 and 200), Daniel absolutely took off in 2020. Indoors, he ended up with the 9th best time in the nation in the 60 (ran that at the TTU HS Inv) and running outdoors in the early 2020 season, he ran a 10.37, which due to the truncated outdoor season, still stands as the 2nd best 100 time in the nation for 2020. I truly think Daniel could end up being the steal of the entire incoming class and he has a boatload of young Tech sprinters returning as redshirt freshmen or sophomore. The competition for the 4x1 relay will be fierce.
- Paul Sherrill - Fr from Cedar Park Summit Christian, which competes at the smallest level of TAPPS. He won the TTU HS Inv 3K. While he runs at the TAPPS 1A level, where he won the 800, 1600, and 3200, he is already highly competitive running against 5A and 6A runners.
- Timothy "TJ" Gregg - Fr from Clovis, where he won the 2019 NM 4A championship -- decent times in HS, but will need 2-3 years to get conference competitive.
- Then, a whole slew of walkons in the distances: Jaden Tumale, Fr from Buda Hays Consolidated (his time in 2020 in the 2,000 Steeple was #9 in the country); Thomas Velvin, freshman from Manhattan Beach, CA -- 800/1600 guy; Kirk Zuber, freshman from Smithson Valley (4th in the Dist 26-6A 800); and Michael McCabe, freshman from Southlake Carroll, who placed as high as 40th in the 6A state XC meet.
Huge recruiting class for Tech! Huge in numbers and huge in immediate scoring power! I will look at which seniors are returning for their bonus senior year (to make up the pandemic-scuttled 2020). I know that I have seen Tweets about Derrius Rodgers returning for the men and Sara Limp, Tiara Williams, Chinne Okoronkwo, D'Jenne Egharevba, and Kaylee Hinton for the women.
