MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama head track and field coach Paul Brueske announced on Friday the addition of four student-athletes to the 2011-12 men’s and women’s teams.

“Our coaching staff has done a great job of finding athletes that can compete successfully in areas where we had voids last season,” Brueske said. “Some of these athletes will come in and produce right off the bat.

“We are optimistic that these new signees will contribute on the conference level and, hopefully, on the national level as well.”

Last spring, both the Jaguar men’s and women’s teams finished ninth at the Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships. In the outdoor season conference championships, the teams finished fourth and sixth, respectively.

2011 TRACK AND FIELD SIGNEES:

Spencer Anderson – Hurdles – Crestview High School (Crestview, Fla.)
Anderson earned County, District and Regional titles in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles, while also earning All-State honors in the former. Anderson holds schools records in the 110-meter hurdles (14.29) and 300-meter hurdles (38.10) and his times were good enough to earn Golden and Silver Elite status.

Jasmine Ferguson – High Jump – Pensacola Catholic High School (Pensacola, Fla.)
Ferguson holds her high school high jump record on a mark of 1.62m (5-04). She was the FHSAA 2A District 1 champion for three out of four years and regional champion once. Ferguson also won the Panhandle Championships high jump on a 1.57m (5-02) mark in April.

Taylor Krause – Pole Vault – St. Paul’s High School (Mobile, Ala.)
Krause, the younger brother of South Alabama sophomore Ashton Krause, joins the Jaguars with a personal pole vault record of 4.61m (15-01.50), which he posted in a win at the St. Paul’s Relays this past season. Krause took second in the 2011 AHSAA Track and Field State Championships pole vault (4.26m/14-0) after winning the district championship on the same mark. He also secured a second-place result at the 2010 state championships on a mark of 4.11m (13-06).

Erikka Williams – Sprints/Jumps – Rochester Area High School (Rochester, Pa.)
Williams, the younger sister of Olympic silver medalist Lauryn Williams, took home four gold medals from the 2011 WPIAL Track and Field Championships, in which she won the 100 and 200 meters and the long jump. She also served as anchor leg in the champion girls’ 4X100-meter relay team. She finished second at the state meet in the long jump (5.74m/18-10.25) and earned All-State honors in the 100-meter run.

2011 CROSS COUNTRY SIGNEES:

Erica Arenas – Middle Distance – De Anza Community College (Cupertino, Calif.)
As a freshman, Arenas finished eighth at the California Community College Championships. Arenas also competed on the De Anza cross country team for one year and immediately contributed to the team, which subsequently finished 14th in the state of California. Her track and field 800-meter personal record is 2:16.14. She also placed fifth at the California Community College state championships.

Ian Bordelon – Distance – Booker T. Washington High School (Pensacola, Fla.)
Bordelon won the 2010 high school state title in the District 3A -1 3,200-meter run and he was a part of the 2010 Region 3A cross country team champion. Bordelon will be awarded the Presidential Scholarship from USA.

James Connor – Distance – John Therry Catholic High School (NSW Sydney, Australia)
Connor represented his country at the 2009 IAAF World Championships, held in South Tyrol, Italy, where he would finish fourth in the 1,500 meters in a time of 3:52.61. Connor placed ninth in the selection trial for the 2011 World Cross Country Championships, posting an 8k run time of 26:41.20. 

Dylan Dudley – Middle Distance – The Scots College (NSW Sydney, Australia)
Dudley represented The Scots College at the NSW All-Schools Championships and won both the 1,500 meters and 3,000-meter steeplechase. He also represented his school as part of the GPS Team for the CIS Championships. His best times are 1:54.67 in the 800 meters, 3:53.36 in the 1,500 meters, 8:35.89 in the 3,000 meters and 9:28.32 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Mary Finn – Distance – Butte College (Oroville, Calif.)
Finn holds the Butte College 5,000-meter run track record on a time of 18:35 and finished 25th in the junior college state championship meet, posting a 3.1 mile time of 19:08. She was voted MVP on her team in cross country for two years and track and field for one. She also benefitted her team academically, as it was awarded the 2010 Scholar Team Award by the California Community College Athletic Association.

Justin Housley - Middle Distance - Avon Lake High School (Avon Lake, Ohio)
Housley finished second at the 2011 OHSAA District Championships in the 800 meters and 5,000 meters. He also finished second in the 5,000 meters at the 2010 OHSAA District Cross Country Championships. Housley joins the Jags with a personal record in the 5,000 meters of 16:00.55.

Kristin Parry – Distance – Prattville High School (Prattville, Ala.)
Parry placed eighth at the 2010 AHSAA Cross Country State Championships in the girls’ 5k run, finishing in 19:28.13. She joins South Alabama with a 1,600-meter run personal record of 5:28.70. Her personal record in the 3,200-meter run of 11:43.14 came after a fifth place finish in the event at the state championships.

Brandon Troub – Distance – Long Beach High School (Long Beach, Miss.)
Troub was the 2010 and 2011 Mississippi Class 5A 3,200-meter state runner-up and the 5,000-meter state runner-up in 2010. He holds high school records in the 5k run, 1,600-meter run and 3,200-meter run. He will be the recipient of a University of South Alabama Presidential Scholarship.

Crystal Wachob – Middle Distance – Pine Forest High School (Pensacola, Fla.)
Wachob won the district championships in the 3,200-meter run as a freshman and again in 2010 as a junior. In 2011, Wachob ran the first leg of the two-time champion 3A girls’ 4X800-meter relay team, which accumulated 10 victories throughout the season. She will arrive at the university with a personal-best 800-meter run time of 2:15.85.

Derek Westbrook – Distance – Hancock High School (Diamondhead, Miss.)
Westbrook was the 2011 3,200-meter state champion and the 2010 Cross Country state runner-up. He was a six-time track district champion, four –time regional track champion, 2010 3,200-meter South State champion, two-time cross-country district champion and he also earned the honor of being selected to the 2010 cross country U.S. Silver Elite Team. Westbrook will be the recipient of the USA Presidential Scholarship.

Shannen Weyer – Distance – Biloxi High School (Biloxi, Miss.)
Weyer was a two-time state champion in the 3,200-meter run and she holds her high school record in the event. During her high school cross country tenure, she received All-State honors for four consecutive years. Weyer was a Wendy’s High School Heisman Finalist for the state of Mississippi and she will receive a Presidential Scholarship, Bleuer Scholarship and Rotary Scholarship at USA.

Aaron Wilson – Middle Distance – The Priory LSST (Lincoln, United Kingdom)
Wilson joins the Jags with a personal-best 3,000 meters of 8:46.36. In 2009, he finished 25th at the English Schools U-17 Cross Country Championships, precluding nationals with a state U-17 championship title in the 1,500 meters and a club state championship in the 800 meters.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).