Kansas Track & Field Announces Standout Fall Signing Class

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas track & field head coach Stanley Redwine and his staff announced the addition of 13 new members to the KU’s 2015 signing class. The Jayhawks’ 2015 recruiting class features several high school standouts who boast a long list of achievements at the state and national levels.
 
Chloe Akin-Otiko // Sprints // Bellevue, Neb.
The Jayhawks bring in one of the Midwest’s top sprints in Chloe Akin-Otiko. The Bellevue, Nebraska product became the second female in Nebraska history to win four all-class gold medals at the state meet, winning 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters and anchoring the 4×100-meter relay team. She is a 10-time state champion in those four events as well as the long jump. She also posted the state’s fastest 100 meter and 200 meter times in each of the last three years and recorded a personal-best leap of 19’9¼” en route to second state long jump title in 2014.
 
Catherine Liggett // Distance // Parker, Colo.
Catherine Liggett, a distance specialist out of Colorado, will call Lawrence home. She finished third at the Colorado State cross country meet last month, a week after she also claimed regional title. On the track, she claimed a bronze medal in the 800 meters at the 2014 state meet when she clocked in at 2:13.69. Ligget also won the varsity girl’s gold race at the Rim Rock High School Classic in Lawrence in September.
 
Cameron Gueldner // Distance // Olathe, Kan.
Cameron Gueldner has signed with the Jayhawks from nearby Olathe, Kansas. Gueldner claimed the Kansas 6A State title in the 3,200 meters two years ago as a freshman. Earlier in her freshman campaign she also tallied a win in the 3,200 meters at the Kansas Relays. On the cross country trails, the Olathe Northwest product added three top-10 finishes at the state cross country meet to her résumé.
 
Jedah Caldwell // Sprints // Chanhassen, Minn.
The Kansas women added one of the top sprinters out of Minnesota in Jedah Caldwell. A state title winner in the 100 meters and 200 meters last spring, Caldwell also won the AAU Junior Olympic 200-meter title in August, clocking in at 23.90 for the gold. She posted a personal-best 100-meter time of 11.86 in the sectional finals last May, which marked the fastest 100 meters in the state this year.
 
Allie Twietmeyer // Throws // Cheney, Kan.
Allie Twietmeyer signs with Kansas in the midst of a strong throwing career at Cheney High School. She earned a bronze medal in the javelin at the Kansas state meet earlier this year. She also tallied top-five finishes in the event at each of the two previous state meets. She boasts a career-best mark of 144’0″, which ranked fifth in the state this year. As a freshman in 2013 she also won the javelin title in title at the Kansas Relays.
 
Mariah Kuykendoll // Sprints // Judson, Texas
The Jayhawks bring in an accomplished sprinter and relay specialist in Mariah Kuykendoll. The Judson, Texas product has claimed a pair of state titles on her 4×400-meter squad. She was also a member of the state bronze medalist 4×100-meter relay team in 2014.
 
Zantori Dickerson // Sprints // Judson, Texas
Another leg from that Converse Judson state-title 4×400-meter relay team has joined the Jayhawks. Zantori Dickerson, along with Kuykendoll, helped her team to two-straight state 4×400-meter relay championships. She’s also posted several seedy times in the open 400 meters, holds a personal best of 55.98 and turned in the fastest time (56.73) at the AAU Junior Olympic Qualifier in July.
 
Andrea Willis // Pole Vault // Colorado Springs, Colo.
Tom Hays adds another state champion to his pole vault crew in Andrea Willis. The Colorado Springs native has taken each of the last two Colorado state titles. Earlier this year she won her second state championship by the way of a state championship record clearance of 12’7″. Her career-best came in September at the Colorado State Fair Street Fair Street Vault when she got over 12’11½”, ranking her among the top-35 vaulters in the nation this year.
 
Rachel Clowers // Throws // Pleasant Hill, Ill.
The Jayhawks have added a premier thrower out of Pleasant Hill, Illinois in Rachel Clowers. She has posted four top-five finishes in the state championship meet in the discus and shot put, which includes a runner-up finish in the shot put in 2014. She also tallied a throw of 129’3″ in the discus en route to a third-place finish at the 2014 state championship.
 
Bryce Hoppel // Middle Distance // Midland, Texas
The Kansas men picked up a one of the top middle distance runners out of Texas with the signing of Bryce Hoppel. The 2015 state runner-up in the 800 meters, Hoppel claimed gold in the event at the Junior Olympics with a personal-best time of 1:52.97. His time at the Junior Olympics was the third-fastest by an athlete out of the state of Texas in 2015. Hoppel has also turned in some impressive outings in the 1,600 meters. He won five of his seven 1,600-meter races last spring, which included a district title. His personal best came at the 2015 regional championship with a 4:18.12 clocking in a runner-up finish.
 
Denzel Harper // Long Jump // Stone Mountain, Ga.
The two-time reigning Georgia state champion long jumper Denzel Harper will call himself a Jayhawk.
Harper holds the No. 2 mark this year in the state of Georgia at 23’11”. He also claimed the 2014 Junior Olympic championship in the long jump before taking the silver medal this year. Harper earned his way to compete at the IAAF World Youth Championships in July after a runner-up finish at the trials.
 
Cody Johnson // Hurdles // El Paso, Texas
The Jayhawks bring in another top hurdler in Cody Johnson. The El Paso native was the bronze medalist in the 300-meter hurdles at the Texas state meet in May. His personal best in the event is 37.07 from the 2015 regional meet. The time ranked Johnson sixth in the state this year. He has also produced some impressive times in the 110-meter hurdles and notched six victories in the event as a junior last season. At the Junior Olympics in July, Johnson posted a third-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 53.23. 
 
Ethan Donley // Middle Distance // Lawrence, Kan.
Local product Ethan Donley has signed on with the KU squad in the midst of an impressive career at Lawrence Free State. Donley is the 2015 Kansas state champion in the 800 meters after he finished in 1:56.59. He also claimed the Sunflower League title in the 800 meters with a personal-record time of 1:56.57. He is also accomplished on the cross country trails, which includes a third-place finish at the 6A state cross country championships last month.
 
 
 
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