University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia Track & Field Inks 15 Prospects
March 10, 2009 | Track & Field
ATHENS, Ga. --- Georgia track and field had 15 student-athletes sign a National Letter of Intent for the 2010 seasons, according to an announcement from head coach Wayne Norton.
Georgia added seven distance runners to its rosters with the addition of Allyson McGinty, Ashley Shiver, Nicole DiMercurio and Leslie Boozer to the women’s team and Bill Matthews, Danny Neff and Alex Erdman to the men’s squad.
Norton and his staff also got commitments from four student-athletes who will either compete in the jumps or multi-events. Saniel Atkinson, LaTroya Darrell, Maria Augutis and Cory Holman are expected to help Georgia continue its successful ways in those disciplines. Also scheduled to join the teams next year are Jade Riebold (pole vault), Santeeri Baker (hurdles), Alesha Asijie (throws) and Eric Harris (sprints).
“We are in the midst of a building process with the men’s and women’s teams that started last year. The group of student-athletes we signed this winter represents a significant portion of the puzzle pieces that will determine how successful we are over the next two years,” Norton said. “I have found that it usually takes about three recruiting seasons to really develop and shape a good team. This spring we will add a few more signees who should help us get to where we want to be.”
Alesha Asijie, a native of Mesa, Ariz., graduated from Red Mountain High School and is transferring to Georgia from Mesa Community College. She recently finished second in the weight throw at the 2009 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Indoor Track & Field Championships and took fifth in the shot put. Asijie has personal-best marks of 56 feet, inch in the weight throw, 46-5 in the shot put and 153 feet in the hammer throw.
Saniel Atkinson, who attends Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, Md., has cleared 5-10 in the high jump and has a top mark of 40-4.25 in the triple jump. In addition, Atkinson has clocked an 8.64 in the 55-meter dash, 9.48 in the 60 hurdles, soared 18-2.25 in the long jump and scored 3,220 points in the pentathlon.
As a junior in 2008, Atkinson earned All-America honors at the Nike Indoor Nationals after finishing second in the high jump (5-7.25) and eighth in the pentathlon. She also won the high jump at the Penn Relays after reaching the same height and was sixth at the USATF Junior Nationals. Atkinson won the high jump and triple jump, was second in the long jump and third in the 300 hurdles at the WCAC meet.
A member of the Marlboro Boys & Girls Club Track Team in Upper Marlboro, Md., Atkinson was named a Nike All-American in the high jump for the first time as a freshman. In addition to being the school record holder in the high jump and pentathlon, Atkinson has been the field events MVP all three years at Bishop McNamara. She has also competed in the AAU and USATF Regional and Junior Olympics over the last six years.
Maria Augutis, a native of Gothenburg, Sweden, attended Goteborgs Hogre Samskola. She was the 2007 Swedish national junior champion in the triple jump and has a career-best mark of 43-1.75. Augutis will also get a shot at competing in the multi-events at Georgia.
Santeeri Baker, a native of Atlanta, attends Druid Hills High School. She won a pair of GHSA 3A state titles at the 2008 meet after taking first in the 100 hurdles and the 300 hurdles. Baker is also a triple jumper and has a top effort of 36-8.50 in that event. She has personal-best times of 14.19 in the 100 hurdles and 44.55 in the 300 hurdles.
Leslie Boozer, a senior at Mountain Brook High School in Birmingham, Ala., was an All-American in the 4x1600 relay and was 10th in the nation in the mile. Her team also finished sixth at the 2008 Foot Locker Cross Country Championships. Boozer has been a member of the varsity team and been an All-State performer since seventh grade. She was also the point guard and team captain of Mountain Brook’s basketball team. Boozer has clocked career-best times of 5:04 in the 1600 and 11:13 in the 3200.
LaTroya Darrell, a native of St. George, Bermuda, is transferring to the Lady Bulldogs from Central Arizona Community College. She won the national championship in Bermuda and was a finalist at the World Junior Championships. Darrell, who also finished eighth in the Commonwealth Games, has top marks of 5-10.50 in the high jump and 41-7 in the triple jump.
Nicole DiMercurio, a native of Suwanee, Ga., attends North Gwinnett High School. She was fourth at the 2008 GHSA state cross country meet after clocking an 18:47.23 and took fifth at the state meet in 2007 with a time of 18:34. In addition to taking third at the 2007 Region 7AAAAA meet with a personal-best time of 18:19, DiMercurio was also the champion at the 2007 Westover Invitational.
Alex Erdmann, a native of Hudson, Ohio, attends Hudson High School. He is a two-time All-American (4x800 relay, 4x1600 relay) and has earned All-State honors in the 1600 and the 4x800 relay. Erdmann, who also played football for Hudson, has personal-best times of 4:17.22 in the 1600 and 1:53.4 in the 800.
Eric Harris, who is a senior at Kell High School in Marietta, will join sprints coach Jon Stuart and his crew. Harris was fifth in the 200 at the 2008 AAU National Championships and was the 2008 Georgia USATF champion in the same event. At the 2008 GHSA AAAAA meet, Harris was the runner-up in the 200 and took third in the 100. He has personal-best times of 6.87 in the 60, 6.53 in the 55, 10.73 in the 100 and 21.42 in the 200.
Cory Holman, a native of Huber Heights, Ohio, graduated from Huber Heights High School and is transferring to Georgia from Rend Lake College. The 6-foot-4 Holman is a decathlete/jumper who has personal-best marks of 6.86 in the 60, 7.88 in the 60 hurdles, 6-11.75 in the high jump, 23-7.50 in the long jump and 5,080 points in the heptathlon. His finishes in both the high jump and heptathlon are ranked No. 1 on this year’s junior college performance list.
Holman recently won both the high jump (6-11.75) and the heptathlon (4,839 points) at the 2009 NJCAA National Indoor Championships in Lubbock, Texas. His mark in the high jump is a school record at Rend Lake. In the heptathlon, Holman won four of seven events to cruise past the second-place finisher by more than 200 points.
Bill Matthews, a native of Birmingham, Ala., attends the Baylor School (Chattanooga, Tenn.). He was the 2008 Footlocker South Regional champion after reaching the finish line in 14:48 and was third at the 2008 Nike Indoor Nationals in the mile. Matthews is also a six-time state track champion while competing in high schools in both Tennessee and Alabama. He also earned third-place honors at the 2007 Great American Race of Champions. Matthews clocked a 4:16 in the 1600 and 9:10 in the 3200 as a junior.
Allyson McGinty, a senior at Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, finished fifth at the 2008 GHSA 5A State Cross Country Championships to highlight her fall. McGinty finished fourth at the state cross country meet as a junior and fifth as a sophomore. With a top career time of 10:59 in the 3200, she was also second in the 3200 as a junior.
Danny Neff, a native of Vandalia, Ohio, attends Butler High School. He is the conference record holder in both the 800 and 1600 and was a three-time winner at his regional meet in two years. Neff also won the 1600 at the Division I state meet as a junior and was third in the 800 at the same meet as a sophomore. He has times of 1:51 in the 800 and 4:09 in the 1600.
Jade Riebold, a native of Powell, Ohio, graduated from Olentangy Liberty High School. She left the competition behind at the 2008 OATCCC State Indoor Track & Field Championship after clearing 12-6 in the pole vault to win the event by a foot. She has cleared a top height of 12-10.
Ashley Shiver, a native of Satellite Beach, Fla., graduated from Satellite High School. Shiver is the two-time defending FHSAA 3A state cross country champion and was named the 2007 3A Florida Cross Country Dairy Farmers Runner of the Year. She was named to the All-Space Coast cross country team from 2005-2007 as her Satellite cross country team were state champions each of those years. Shiver was also the 2008 state champion in the 1600.
She has personal-best times of 17:34 in the cross country 5000, 4:58.97 (1600) and 2:20.54 (800).
Georgia added seven distance runners to its rosters with the addition of Allyson McGinty, Ashley Shiver, Nicole DiMercurio and Leslie Boozer to the women’s team and Bill Matthews, Danny Neff and Alex Erdman to the men’s squad.
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Norton and his staff also got commitments from four student-athletes who will either compete in the jumps or multi-events. Saniel Atkinson, LaTroya Darrell, Maria Augutis and Cory Holman are expected to help Georgia continue its successful ways in those disciplines. Also scheduled to join the teams next year are Jade Riebold (pole vault), Santeeri Baker (hurdles), Alesha Asijie (throws) and Eric Harris (sprints).
“We are in the midst of a building process with the men’s and women’s teams that started last year. The group of student-athletes we signed this winter represents a significant portion of the puzzle pieces that will determine how successful we are over the next two years,” Norton said. “I have found that it usually takes about three recruiting seasons to really develop and shape a good team. This spring we will add a few more signees who should help us get to where we want to be.”
Alesha Asijie, a native of Mesa, Ariz., graduated from Red Mountain High School and is transferring to Georgia from Mesa Community College. She recently finished second in the weight throw at the 2009 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Indoor Track & Field Championships and took fifth in the shot put. Asijie has personal-best marks of 56 feet, inch in the weight throw, 46-5 in the shot put and 153 feet in the hammer throw.
Saniel Atkinson, who attends Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, Md., has cleared 5-10 in the high jump and has a top mark of 40-4.25 in the triple jump. In addition, Atkinson has clocked an 8.64 in the 55-meter dash, 9.48 in the 60 hurdles, soared 18-2.25 in the long jump and scored 3,220 points in the pentathlon.
As a junior in 2008, Atkinson earned All-America honors at the Nike Indoor Nationals after finishing second in the high jump (5-7.25) and eighth in the pentathlon. She also won the high jump at the Penn Relays after reaching the same height and was sixth at the USATF Junior Nationals. Atkinson won the high jump and triple jump, was second in the long jump and third in the 300 hurdles at the WCAC meet.
A member of the Marlboro Boys & Girls Club Track Team in Upper Marlboro, Md., Atkinson was named a Nike All-American in the high jump for the first time as a freshman. In addition to being the school record holder in the high jump and pentathlon, Atkinson has been the field events MVP all three years at Bishop McNamara. She has also competed in the AAU and USATF Regional and Junior Olympics over the last six years.
Maria Augutis, a native of Gothenburg, Sweden, attended Goteborgs Hogre Samskola. She was the 2007 Swedish national junior champion in the triple jump and has a career-best mark of 43-1.75. Augutis will also get a shot at competing in the multi-events at Georgia.
Santeeri Baker, a native of Atlanta, attends Druid Hills High School. She won a pair of GHSA 3A state titles at the 2008 meet after taking first in the 100 hurdles and the 300 hurdles. Baker is also a triple jumper and has a top effort of 36-8.50 in that event. She has personal-best times of 14.19 in the 100 hurdles and 44.55 in the 300 hurdles.
Leslie Boozer, a senior at Mountain Brook High School in Birmingham, Ala., was an All-American in the 4x1600 relay and was 10th in the nation in the mile. Her team also finished sixth at the 2008 Foot Locker Cross Country Championships. Boozer has been a member of the varsity team and been an All-State performer since seventh grade. She was also the point guard and team captain of Mountain Brook’s basketball team. Boozer has clocked career-best times of 5:04 in the 1600 and 11:13 in the 3200.
LaTroya Darrell, a native of St. George, Bermuda, is transferring to the Lady Bulldogs from Central Arizona Community College. She won the national championship in Bermuda and was a finalist at the World Junior Championships. Darrell, who also finished eighth in the Commonwealth Games, has top marks of 5-10.50 in the high jump and 41-7 in the triple jump.
Nicole DiMercurio, a native of Suwanee, Ga., attends North Gwinnett High School. She was fourth at the 2008 GHSA state cross country meet after clocking an 18:47.23 and took fifth at the state meet in 2007 with a time of 18:34. In addition to taking third at the 2007 Region 7AAAAA meet with a personal-best time of 18:19, DiMercurio was also the champion at the 2007 Westover Invitational.
Alex Erdmann, a native of Hudson, Ohio, attends Hudson High School. He is a two-time All-American (4x800 relay, 4x1600 relay) and has earned All-State honors in the 1600 and the 4x800 relay. Erdmann, who also played football for Hudson, has personal-best times of 4:17.22 in the 1600 and 1:53.4 in the 800.
Eric Harris, who is a senior at Kell High School in Marietta, will join sprints coach Jon Stuart and his crew. Harris was fifth in the 200 at the 2008 AAU National Championships and was the 2008 Georgia USATF champion in the same event. At the 2008 GHSA AAAAA meet, Harris was the runner-up in the 200 and took third in the 100. He has personal-best times of 6.87 in the 60, 6.53 in the 55, 10.73 in the 100 and 21.42 in the 200.
Cory Holman, a native of Huber Heights, Ohio, graduated from Huber Heights High School and is transferring to Georgia from Rend Lake College. The 6-foot-4 Holman is a decathlete/jumper who has personal-best marks of 6.86 in the 60, 7.88 in the 60 hurdles, 6-11.75 in the high jump, 23-7.50 in the long jump and 5,080 points in the heptathlon. His finishes in both the high jump and heptathlon are ranked No. 1 on this year’s junior college performance list.
Holman recently won both the high jump (6-11.75) and the heptathlon (4,839 points) at the 2009 NJCAA National Indoor Championships in Lubbock, Texas. His mark in the high jump is a school record at Rend Lake. In the heptathlon, Holman won four of seven events to cruise past the second-place finisher by more than 200 points.
Bill Matthews, a native of Birmingham, Ala., attends the Baylor School (Chattanooga, Tenn.). He was the 2008 Footlocker South Regional champion after reaching the finish line in 14:48 and was third at the 2008 Nike Indoor Nationals in the mile. Matthews is also a six-time state track champion while competing in high schools in both Tennessee and Alabama. He also earned third-place honors at the 2007 Great American Race of Champions. Matthews clocked a 4:16 in the 1600 and 9:10 in the 3200 as a junior.
Allyson McGinty, a senior at Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, finished fifth at the 2008 GHSA 5A State Cross Country Championships to highlight her fall. McGinty finished fourth at the state cross country meet as a junior and fifth as a sophomore. With a top career time of 10:59 in the 3200, she was also second in the 3200 as a junior.
Danny Neff, a native of Vandalia, Ohio, attends Butler High School. He is the conference record holder in both the 800 and 1600 and was a three-time winner at his regional meet in two years. Neff also won the 1600 at the Division I state meet as a junior and was third in the 800 at the same meet as a sophomore. He has times of 1:51 in the 800 and 4:09 in the 1600.
Jade Riebold, a native of Powell, Ohio, graduated from Olentangy Liberty High School. She left the competition behind at the 2008 OATCCC State Indoor Track & Field Championship after clearing 12-6 in the pole vault to win the event by a foot. She has cleared a top height of 12-10.
Ashley Shiver, a native of Satellite Beach, Fla., graduated from Satellite High School. Shiver is the two-time defending FHSAA 3A state cross country champion and was named the 2007 3A Florida Cross Country Dairy Farmers Runner of the Year. She was named to the All-Space Coast cross country team from 2005-2007 as her Satellite cross country team were state champions each of those years. Shiver was also the 2008 state champion in the 1600.
She has personal-best times of 17:34 in the cross country 5000, 4:58.97 (1600) and 2:20.54 (800).
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