After a successful indoor track season that featured four school records and 18 top-10 program marks, Hawai'i track and field head coach
Tim Boyce announced a 15-woman signing class that he believes might be the most talented class ever in Manoa.
"The 2021 class is well balanced and positions us well for continued improvement as a team." Boyce said. "Tremendous effort by all of our coaches to put together such a strong group of incoming student athletes despite the recruiting restrictions imposed by the pandemic. We can't wait for them to arrive safely and start their careers with us."
Boyce and his coaching staff of
Madeleine Carleton and
Kaopua Sutton put together a class of two cross country/distance recruits,
Alena Albertson and
Rebecca Bodine, two throwers,
Hallee Layman and
Montserrat Montanes I Arbo, and 11 sprinters, jumpers and hurdlers,
Alyssa Mae Antolin,
Ashley Babkirk,
Chenoa Frederick,
Samantha Gordon,
Chadelle Gregory,
Anna Marx,
Imagine Patterson,
Lily Schlieman,
Caitlin Simmons,
Audrey Stalcup and
Natasha Tehrani. The 15 newcomers consist of eight high schoolers and seven transfers ranging from the D-I ranks to the junior college ranks.
All 15 will compete for the track and field team in 2021, with Albertson and Bodine competing in the fall with the cross country team.
ALENA ALBERTSON
Distance - Cedar Park, Texas - Chaminade
THE ATHLETE: As a freshman at Chaminade, Albertson placed in the top three twice during the cross country season, once in a 5K and once in a 6K. Albertson was the only representative for the Silverswords at the NCAA D-II West Region Championships in 2019. Albertson and Chaminade did not have an indoor track and field season in 2020. As a prep star for Cedar Park HS, Albertson ran the 800 meters as well as the 100-meter hurdles and 300-meter hurdles. Albertson set her 2:21.56 PR in the 800 as a senior in 2019 and ran 46.90 in the 300 hurdles as a junior.
SCOUTING REPORT: "Alena was the top runner for Chaminade in 2019 and came to the island from Texas. She has competitive cross country times and solid track personal bests from high school which will allow her to be a competitive runner in numerous events. We feel she has unlimited potential as a part of our team." - Boyce
ALYSSA MAE ANTOLIN
Sprints - Kahului, Maui - Northern Colorado
THE ATHLETE: As a freshman at Northern Colorado in 2020, Antolin competed in two separate meets, running the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes. As a prep star at Maui HS, Antolin a school record and won the 2018 Hawaii State Championship in the 200 with a 25.01 second time. Antolin finished second in the 100-meter dash the same year with a school record in the preliminary round of the event. The top four finishers of the 2018 100 final are Rainbow Wahine.
SCOUTING REPORT: "We are thrilled that Alyssa is coming home to Hawai'i where she will be an immediate factor in our sprints and relays. Both a top high school sprinter and soccer player in Hawaii, Alyssa is still raw in track and we expect her to blossom with a full focus on running." - Carleton
ASHLEY BABKIRK
Sprints/Jumps - Olympia, Wash. - Timberline HS
THE ATHLETE: As a junior in 2019, Babkirk finished seventh at the Washington 3A State Championships in both the 100 and 200. Babkirk ran the final leg of the fourth-place finishing 400-meter relay team at the same state championships. Babkirk's personal records in the 100 and 200 of 12.60 and 26.17, respectively, rank third all-time in Timberline history.
SCOUTING REPORT: "Formerly a national-level diver, Ashley is young in the sport and has untapped potential in the multi-events which we're excited to explore. " - Carleton
REBECCA BODINE
Distance - Boise, Idaho - Bishop Kelly HS
THE ATHLETE: A four-time podium finisher at the state championships in the 1,600 meters and 3,200 meters at Bishop Kelly HS, Bodine finished as high as fourth and fifth respectively in the two races as a junior. On the cross country course, Bodine finished seventh overall as a junior and 11th twice as a senior and sophomore while never finishing lower than 18th at the state meet over her four seasons. Bodine has the second-fastest cross country 5k time in Bishop Kelly history (18:40.7), the third fastest 1,600 time (5:15.55) and fourth-fastest 3,200 time (11:33.54).
SCOUTING REPORT: "Becca was a mainstay on Bishop Kelly's competitive cross country and track teams, helping them win five state championships in Idaho. One of the top runners in the state all four years in high school, her coach feels she has great potential to be a very competitive collegiate runner. We're beyond excited to add Becca as a student and athlete for Hawai'i." - Boyce
Read more » Decorated runner even with lost senior season
CHENOA FREDERICK
Sprints/Jumps - Hilo, Hawai'i - Kamehameha-Hawai'i
THE ATHLETE: A three-time Gatorade Player of the Year in Hawaii for track and field, Frederick won 10 state titles entering her senior season with the chance to make Hawaii high school track and field history prior to the pandemic. Frederick does it all, sprints the 100 in 12.38, runs the 400-meter dash in 58.56, jumps 12.50 meters in the triple jump and 5.59 meters in the long jump. The Hilo-native's triple jump PR as a junior in high school would have qualified her for the NCAA West Preliminary round two years before being a college student (the top 48 marks in each event from the region qualify for the preliminary meet).
SCOUTING REPORT: "Chenoa is one of the best and most highly decorated track athletes ever produced by the state of Hawaii. She will be a multi-event threat in the conference and beyond, with immediate ability to impact the Big West." - Carleton
SAMANTHA GORDON
Hurdles/Sprints/Jumps - Fort Collins, Colo. - Fort Collins HS
THE ATHLETE: The bronze medalist in the 300-meter hurdles at the 2019 Colorado state meet, Gordon also helped her school's 1,600-meter relay team finish fourth the same year. Gordon jumps, sprints and hurdles, with three top-five podium finishes in the 300 hurdles over her three high school seasons. Gordon's personal best marks of 44.80 in the 300 hurdles and 15.50 in the 100 hurdles rank second and fourth all-time in Fort Collins HS history. Gordon also ranks third all-time at Fort Collins in the long jump with a PR of 5.48 meters.
SCOUTING REPORT: "The all-time high point scorer at her high school, Sammie has competed at the state level in an impressive combination of sprints, jumps, and hurdles as an all-around talent. Her multi-event athleticism and height will combine to make her a great heptathlete in college." - Carleton
CHADELLE GREGORY
Sprints/Jumps - Waianae, O'ahu - Leeward CC
THE ATHLETE: The Leeward CC transfer boasts PRs of 12.73 seconds in the 100, 26.35 in the 200 and 5.23 meters in the long jump. Gregory won the USATF Hawaii Association Junior Olympic Championships in the long jump as a senior in 2019 while also winning the 100 and finishing second in the 200 as a junior in 2018 at the same meet.
SCOUTING REPORT: "Chadelle has a great combination of speed and pop that we're excited to develop into some explosive jumps this year. She is well known for her dedication and team-oriented attitude, and we're looking forward to putting her work ethic into action in the sand." - Carleton
HALLEE LAYMAN
Throws - Raymond, Wash. - Willapa Valley HS
THE ATHLETE: The 2019 Washington 2B state champion in the discus and runner-up in the shot put placed in the top five at the state meet four different times with three podium finishes in the discus. Layman holds the school records in both the shot put and the discus and has personal records of 12.80-meters in the shot put and 45.99-meters in the discus. Layman also has a hammer throw personal record of 43.57 meters.
SCOUTING REPORT: "Hallee is a hard-working, positive and driven athlete with the potential to be a great and well-rounded collegiate thrower. She has taken her coaching and education into her own hands, and has seen tremendous growth in the discus, hammer and shot put in the past year.." - Sutton
ANNA MARX
Multi - Gelnhausen, Germany - European School of Hessen
THE ATHLETE: A heptathlete who specializes in the high jump from Germany, Marx holds personal records of 1.64 meters in the high jump, 14.91 seconds in the 100 hurdles, and 5.19 meters in the long jump.
SCOUTING REPORT: "Anna is a fantastic student with a strong multi-event background, and we are excited to expand our international reach to Germany. We are excited to see what she can do in the heptathlon with a strong training structure and teammates around her here at Hawai'i." - Carleton
MONTSERRAT MONTAÑÉS i ARBÓ
Throws - Tarragona, Spain - Concordia (Ore.)
THE ATHLETE: Montanes competed for one season in Portland before Concordia closed its doors at the end of the academic year. Montanes will be a freshman during the outdoor season in 2021 but had a successful indoor season finishing fourth overall in the weight throw at the GNAC Indoor Championships. Montanes holds personal records in 16.21 meters in the weight throw and 54.04 meters in the hammer.
SCOUTING REPORT: "Montserrat is a powerful and technically-sound hammer thrower who joined us from Concordia. She brings a great work ethic, positive attitude and of course, loads of talent, to the Rainbow Wahine 'ohana. Montse's personal bests show potential for conference points and qualification for regionals." - Sutton
IMAGINE PATTERSON
Hurdles/Sprints - Rock Hill, S.C. - Virginia Tech
THE ATHLETE: Coming to the islands with a year of D-I experience under her spikes at Virginia Tech, Patterson was a silver medalist at the ACC Indoor Championships in the 1,600-meter relay and also ran the 400-meter hurdles for the Hokies, finishing seventh overall at the ACC Championships in 2019. Patterson's 24.94 second indoor 200 would be a school record at Hawai'i. Patterson also brings an 11.70 PR in the 100, a 24.65 second outdoor 200 PR from high school, a 59.16 second 400 hurdle PR and a 14.13 100 hurdle PR to Manoa.
SCOUTING REPORT: "Imagine is a national class athlete who will be an immediate conference title contender while also elevating our sprint relays. She is a multi-faceted threat in both the long and short hurdles as well as the full range of flat sprints from 60-400m. We are thrilled that she has chosen to transfer her collegiate career from Virginia Tech and the ACC to Hawaii." - Carleton
LILY SCHLIEMAN
Sprints - Honolulu, O'ahu - Macalester College
THE PLAYER: The lone graduate transfer in the class, Schlieman, returns home after four years at Macalester in the MIAC in Minnesota where she posted the fastest 60-meter dash, 200 and 400 in the 2020 indoor season. Schlieman finished seventh at the NCAA DIII qualifier in the outdoor 200 in 2019 and was a podium finisher in a multitude of events during her career. Sclieman's specialty is the 400 and has a 59.07 second PR in the sprint.
SCOUTING REPORT: "Lily has unfinished business in the sprints and we are excited to welcome her home to Hawai'i to close out her collegiate career on a high note. She will add to our strong 400-meter program and provide needed depth in relay options." - Carleton
CAITLIN SIMMONS
Hurdles/Sprints/Jumps - Aurora, Colo. - Lutheran HS
THE ATHLETE: A jumps and sprints specialist, Simmons brings personal bests in the triple jump, long jump and 60 of 11.74 meters, 5.68 meters and 7.66 seconds, respectively. The Colorado-native is a triple jump state champion, won a silver medal in the long jump and finished third at the state championships meet in the 100 hurdles, all in 2019. Simmons qualified for the state meet in the triple jump all three years of competition (no senior season due to COVID-19).
SCOUTING REPORT: "Caitlin showed tremendous potential in the sprints and jumps prior to COVID, and we're excited to see her transform our jumps and relays lineup. She has untapped potential in the hurdles to add to Hawai'i's historic strength in the short hurdle events." - Carleton
AUDREY STALCUP
Pole Vault - Santa Rosa, Calif. - Santa Rosa JC
THE ATHLETE: A two-sport athlete in high school, Stalcup attended Santa Rosa JC for three years and set a personal record of 3.36 meters in the pole vault this year in March before the pandemic canceled the rest of the season. Stalcup did not compete in 2019 for Santa Rosa and has two seasons of eligibility remaining as a Rainbow Wahine.
SCOUTING REPORT: "Audrey's vaulting had huge momentum going into the canceled 2020 spring, and we are looking forward to seeing it come to fruition in 2021. She will add to our strong vault program and will hope to be a Big West vaulter in her first year with us." - Carleton
NATASHA TEHRANI
Jumps - Fremont, Calif. - Irvington HS
THE ATHLETE: Tehrani competed in almost all of the 14 high school track and field events during her career at Irvington. The all-around athlete brings personal record jumps of 11.31 meters in the triple jump and 5.46 meters in the long jump.
SCOUTING REPORT: "A team player who spread herself across many events for her high school team, we are looking forward to see what Natasha can do with a focus on the jumps. She has particularly shown early promise in the triple jump, an event which typically takes years to develop." - Carleton
