Jayhawk Track and Field Inks Five Standout Athletes

Feb. 11, 2010

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

Kansas Head Coach Stanley Redwine and his staff are pleased to announce to signing of five new members to the Kansas track and field team. The Jayhawks’ 2010 recruiting class features several high school standouts, as well as a top-ranked transfer student-athlete.

Francine Simpson will come to Kansas as a transfer from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo., where she was crowned the 2009 NAIA long jump champion. She also earned All-America honors in the 100 meters and 4×100-meter relay. Simpson led her team to a third-place overall finish at the 2009 NAIA Outdoor Championships, which was the team’s first trophy-winning performance in school history. She holds a personal record of 6.51 meters (21-04.25 ft.) in the long jump.

Diamond Dixon, a product of Westside High School in Houston, will join the KU family as a freshman in 2010. Dixon was the 2009 Texas Class 5A State Champion in the 400 meters and was also a member of the 4×400-meter relay team that placed at the state meet. Current KU freshman Taylor Washington was also a member of that relay squad. Dixon’s personal record in the 400 meters is 54.11.

Joining the throws team at the University of Kansas will be Jessica Maroszek from Seymour, Wis. Maroszek is the top recruit in the country in the discus. She holds a personal record of 164-2, which is the best mark for all current high school seniors in the nation. She is a two-time Wisconsin state champion in the discus and finished fourth overall at the 2009 Nike Outdoor Nationals. Maroszek has also had success in the shot put, as she captured the state title in the event in 2009 and was the runner up in 2008, where she set a PR of 44-10.50 feet.

On the men’s side, the Jayhawks welcome two Kansas natives. Johannes Swanepoel, from Shawnee Mission, Kan., is a two-time state champion in the javelin. He won the titles in 2008 and 2009, as well as capturing runner-up honors at the 2009 Great Southwest Challenge and Kansas Relays.

Joshua Muncsch comes to KU from Hays High School in Hays, Kan., where he took third overall in the 2009 Kansas 5A cross country championships. He holds a personal record of 4:21 in the mile and 1:57 in the 800 meters.