Track and Field Coaches Excited by Signing Class

Indiana and head Track and Field coach Ron Helmer have announced 16 athletes to the signing class of 2016. Eleven of them went to high schools in the state of Indiana.

This group brings 13 state championships and runner-up performances. Eight individuals rank in the top 10 nationally in their respective events.

"This class represents an outstanding start to our 2015-2016 recruiting efforts. All are good students, 11 outstanding students, as evidenced by their academic scholarship awards and recognition. We focused very much on team oriented, high character, selfless individuals who will have the ability to accelerate the maturation process and accept their roles and responsibilities as we continue to build our programs into highly competitive teams. There will be some outstanding individual competitors emerge but more than that they will all be good solid teammates and representatives of our great university."

Lexa Barrott, Distance

Northville High School, Michigan

1600m – 4:55
3200m – 10:37
5000m XC – 17:40
8^th at the State Meet in XC as a Senior, 15^th as a Junior
9^th at NXN Midwest, 19^th at Foot Locker Midwest in 2014
3^rd in the 1600m at State as a Junior, 3^rd in the 3200m
27^th Nationally in the 3200m in the 2016 Class

"Lexa will bring both solid track times and cross country finishes with her to the next challenge of her running career. She comes from a very good Michigan high school program and has shown consistent improvement each year she has been in high school. We expect her to make an immediate impact on our young women's cross country program as well as being able to step on the track and compete for points early in her career at IU."

Teddy Browning, Distance

Carmel High School, Indiana

4x800m – 1:54
1600m – 4:21
5000m XC – 15:51
Team Captain for Carmel's 2015 XC State Championships
State Qualifier in the 1600m as a Junior

"Teddy comes from the tradition rich Carmel High School program to join his older brother Bobby as a Hoosier. While being relatively inexperienced and new to the sport, he has consistently split solid 4x800m carries and fits the profile of other athletes we have had who, over time, developed into high level Big Ten caliber 1500 meter runners."

Cameron Clements, Distance

Carroll High School, Indiana

1600m – 4:16
3200m – 9:13
5000m XC – 15:19
6^th in the XC State Meet as a Senior
8^th at state in the 1600m as a Junior
11^th at state in the 3200m as a Junior

"Cameron emerged last spring as a solid 1600/3200 runner on the track and followed that up with an outstanding cross country season in this fall. He is another Ft. Wayne Carroll product who appreciates our program and what we have been able to accomplish with other athletes similar to him. We needed to add longer end cross country runners with the capacity to train at a high level to our program, and feel Cameron can fill that slot."

Clayton Cook, Sprints/Hurdles

Wawasee High School, Indiana

110m Hurdles – 13.99
200m – 21.8
2015 Indiana State Champion in the 110m Hurdles
US #35 in the 110m Hurdles in the 2015 Season

"Clayton has the size and the speed to be a very competitive hurdler in the Big Ten and NCAA Level, as demonstrated by his championship last spring. As we continue to put together a young and talented roster in the sprints and the hurdles, it certainly helps to add another Hoosier native with state championship credentials to our program, and we hope Clayton can have an immediate impact as he joins us for the spring semester."

Adam Coulon, Pole Vault

Tri-Valley High School, Illinois

Pole Vault – 16'2"
Number 8 Pole Vaulter in the 2016 Class
2^nd at the Illinois state meet as a Junior, 1^st as a Freshman
11^th at New Balance Indoors and Outdoors as a Junior

"Adam has been either 1^st or 2^nd in three consecutive Illinois state track meets, and a very good pole vaulter since middle school. He has good size and speed and we feel he possesses the potential to make continued improvements in our outstanding vault program under Coach Jake Wiseman."

Khayla Dawson, Throws

Olympic High School, North Carolina

Shot put – 48'1"
Discus – 142'0"
7^th shot putter in the 2016 class, 24^th in the discus
2015 State Champ in Shot, Runner-up in the Discus
4^th at New Balance Nationals in the Shot Put

"Coach Cory Martin was attracted to Khayla, not just because of her high level shot mark, but because he sees the potential for development in two if not three of the throwing events. Khayla is athletic, focused and appears to be committed and up to the challenge. We anticipate she will have an immediate impact in the Big Ten and the potential to become a national level thrower."

Katherine Free, Distance

Cathedral High School, Indiana

800m – 2:17
1600m – 4:55
3200m – 10:48
5000m XC – 17:52
2^nd at the State XC Meet as a Senior, 10^th as a Junior
7^th All-Time on the State Course at 5000m
3^rd in the 1600m at State as a Junior, #2 returner

"Katherine was impressive getting 3^rd place in the 2015 Indiana State 1600m last spring but even more so with her runner-up finish in cross country this fall. We were very impressed with her composure in both of those high stress environments and feel as though she has demonstrated the ability and range necessary to be able to transition effectively to this level of training and racing."

Megan Grabowski, Sprints

Bloomington South High School, Indiana

100m – 11.70
200m – 24.50
10^th Nationally in the 100m Dash in the 2016 Class
2^nd in the 100m and 200m at the 2015 State Meet
Number 1 returner in Indiana in the 2015 Class

"Megan burst on the scene in the 2015 Indiana State Track Meet placing second in both the 100m and 200m with breakthrough level personal bests. Even more impressive was her competitive spirit and never say die attitude as she competed with the best the state had to offer. Coach Ed Beathea definitely sees her as a potential high level sprinter and relay carry as he continues to overhaul and improve that part of our program."

Gracie Heeb, Heptathlon

Bloomington North High School, Indiana

100m Hurdles – 14.79
300m Hurdles – 45.45
Long Jump – 17'1"
4^th in the 100m Hurdles and 13^th in the 300m Hurdles at State as a Junior
Sectional Champion in both the 100m Hurdles and 300m Hurdles
Regional Qualifier in the Long Jump

"Gracie is coached by my son, Justin Helmer, at Bloomington High School North. The last couple of years I have watched her flit from event to event as she used her talent to score points in a variety of events highlighted by an outstanding 6^th place performance in the 100m hurdles at the 2015 Indiana State Meet. Coach Mike Erb sees great potential in Gracie as a multi eventer. She has solid hurdle and jump marks as well as the potential to pick up the throws to go along with her history of running multiple events in each of her high school meets."

Evan Johnson, Distance

West Lafayette High School, Indiana
1600m – 4:20
5000mXC – 15:45
19^th in the XC State Meet as a Senior
12^th at state in the 1,600m as a Junior

"Evan was a member of the West Lafayette High School state champion 4x800m relay last spring and followed that up with an all-state performance in cross country this fall. We project him as a true distance runner with good 800 meter speed who, as he continues to mature physically, has the potential to develop into an outstanding 5k/10k runner at the Big Ten level,"

Jenna Jungels, Heptathlon

Kankakee Valley High School, Indiana

Long Jump – 19'9"
100m Hurdles – 14.44
Indoor State Champion in the Long Jump as a Junior
6^th in the State Meet in the 100m Hurdles in 2015
Number 9 Long Jumper Nationally for the 2016 Class

"Jenna is a highly ranked long jumper with the skills and the looks of a high level multi eventer. She has scored in the State Meet in both hurdles and the long jump and appears to be a versatile athlete with the potential to excel in multiple disciplines. Coach Mike Erb's first job will be to determine where she can have the greatest immediate impact followed by the best long course of action. It is always exciting to begin the process with an athlete of Jenna's talent."

Leah Moran, Horizontal Jumps

Academy of Holy Names, New York

Long Jump – 19'11"
Triple Jump – 40'.05"
Long and Triple Jump State Champ in 2014 and 2015
5^th at New Balance Nationals in the Triple Jump
7^th Triple Jumper and 6^th Long Jumper in the 2016 Class

"Leah is one of the best returning double jumper in the country. Both her long jump and triple jump marks will make her competitive in the Big Ten immediately with only modest improvement. She has been very a consistent competitor over the years and appears to have the potential to continue to develop. If she does, she will become a force, not only on the Big Ten level, but nationally as well."

Stacy Morozov, Distance

Carmel High School, Indiana

1600m – 5:13
3200m – 10:52
5000m XC – 18:00
5^th at the State Meet in XC as a Senior, 16^th as a Junior
5^th in the 3200m at State as a Junior
Number 3 returner in Indiana in the 3200m

"Stacy has continued to develop and improve throughout her high school career. Each season seems to be marked by another personal best and more development. After scoring in the state meet last scoring in the 3200m she committed herself to helping lead her Carmel cross country team to another state championship which she accomplished, in part by adding a best ever 5^th place individual to her team's score."

William Session, Hurdles

Belleville East High School, Illinois

110m Hurdles – 13.91
400m Hurdles – 53.46
Illinois State Champion in the 100m Hurdles as a Junior
2^nd at USATF Youth Nationals in the 400m Hurdles as a Junior
Number 10 returning 110m hurdler, number 11 in the 400m hurdles

"William fills a big need for our program as he brings his state champion hurdle resume to Indiana. The 2015 Illinois state championship in the 110 hurdles highlighted a year of outstanding improvement, including solid 400 hurdles times during the summer. William's addition will further add to the well-rounded, highly competitive, program we are building."

Lauralys Shallow, Distance

St. Agnes Academy, Tennessee

1600m – 5:11
3200m – 11:08
5000mXC – 18:30
5^th in the State Meet at 3200m in 2015
4^th in the Cross Country State Meet in 2014

"Lauralys has shown great consistency at the state level both in track and cross country, and we think those qualities as well as her academic and personal interests will be a great fit for our team. If she embraces the competitive, hardworking atmosphere she came looking for on her visit, she will also develop into a very competitive Big Ten athlete."

Alex Shinnerl, Pole Vault

Castle High School, Indiana

State Qualifier as a Junior
Number 3 returner in the state of Indiana

"Alex is another southern Indiana pole vaulter who, because of his outstanding academic record, was destined for IU. Along the way he has started to develop as a very good pole vaulter. His size and recent development suggest he has the ability to one day be a Big Ten scorer in his event."

Hannah Stoffel, Distance

Huntington North High School, Indiana

1600m – 4:55
800m – 2:15
5000m XC – 18:34
Sectional Champion and 2^nd at Regionals in XC as a Junior
4^th in the 1600m at State as a Junior
5^th in the 800 at State as a Sophomore
Number 3 returner in Indiana in the 1600m

"Hannah had an outstanding entry into high level running with her 4^th place finish in the 2015 Indiana State 1600. She splits time between running and basketball (she's from Indiana after all) and we feel that once she devotes full time training to her track and field career she will help us not only on the track but in cross country as well."

Ben Veatch, Distance

Carmel High School, Indiana

3200m – 8:53.42
5000m XC – 14:53
2014 & 2015 Cross Country State Champion
2015 3200m Outdoor State Champion
7^th at NXN and 14^th at Foot Locker in 2014
3^rd in the 2016 Class in the 3200m

"Ben comes to us as a many time Indiana state champion and one of the best distance runners in the nation. The first domino to fall in a talent rich Indiana recruiting class, Ben should have an immediate impact in our program as well as the ability to help lead us into the future."

Grace Walther, Distance

Homestead High School, Indiana

800m – 2:15
1600m – 5:11
3200m – 11:15
5000mXC – 18:04
2015 Sectional Champion in the 1600m
10^th in the 2015 State Meet at 800m

"As an Indiana native, Grace was excited about IU very early in the process and wanted the challenge of competing in the Big Ten. Her academic and athletic accomplishments add a very healthy balance to our program, and we're excited to watch her grow as an athlete as we determine which event will allow her to have the earliest impact in the conference."

Cooper Williams, Distance

West Lafayette High School, Indiana

4x800m – 1:52
1600m – 4:21
3200m – 9:10
5000m XC – 15:12
10^th in the XC State Meet as a Senior, 3^rd as a Junior
6^th at state un the 3200m as a Sophomore, 15^th as a Junior
Anchor of State Championship 4x800m in 2015

"Cooper was a carry on the West Lafayette state championship 4x800, but his most outstanding race to date was probably the third place finish at the 2014 State Cross Country Championships. A series of injuries has disrupted his training the past year but his 10^th place finish at the recent State Cross Country Championships indicates he is back on the right track and ready to finish his high school career strong."

Track and Field Coaches Excited by Signing Class

Players Mentioned

Lexa Barrott

Teddy Browning

Cameron Clements

Clayton Cook

Adam Coulon

Khayla Dawson

Megan Grabowski

Gracie Heeb

Jenna Jungels

Leah Moran

Stacy Morozov

William Session

Alex Shinnerl

Hannah Stoffel

Ben Veatch

Grace Walther

Cooper Williams

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