Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirl Track Announces Eight-Member Signing Class
March 12, 2008 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
STILLWATER, Okla. - Oklahoma State women's track and field and cross country coach Rene Sepulveda announced the signing of eight standouts to national letters of intent today. Twins Courtney and Camille Schultz (Cloudcroft, NM/ Cloudcroft HS), Kristen Gillespie (Overland Park, Kan./ Shawnee Mission South HS), Melanie Funke (Minot, ND/ Minot HS), Michala Paris (Kearney, Missouri/ Kearney HS), Alyssa Henrichs (Beresford, SD/ Beresford HS), Sadie Newsome (Amarillo, Texas/ Amarillo HS) and Victoria Fratczak (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia/ Dartmouth High School) are set to join the track team next fall.
Courtney Schultz
Cloudcroft, NM/Cloudcroft HS
High School: 2A State Cross Country Champion as a junior in New Mexico... Her 18:32 finish was the fastest time of all classes at the state championships... Placed first in the 800m, 1600m and 3200m at the New Mexico State Track and Field Championships in May 2007...Led Cloudcroft to a team state championship.
Camille Schultz
Cloudcroft, NM/Cloudcroft HS
High School: Finished second at the state championships with a time of 18:45... Her time was the fifth fastest of all classes... Anchored the 1600m Medley Relay to a first place finish... Finished second in the 1600m and 3200m at the New Mexico State Track and Field Championships in May 2007... Led Cloudcroft to a team state championship.
Oklahoma State coach Rene Sepulveda on Courtney and Camille Schultz: "Courtney and Camille are so young to running and have incredible potential. I was very lucky to be at a meet recruiting some of the bigger school runners in Albuquerque this fall and noticed the girls winning the small school race by over a minute. I knew right away that they were the best potential female cross country recruits in New Mexico at that point. They should make an immediate impact on the cross country team."
Kristen Gillespie
Overland Park, Kan./Shawnee Mission South HS
High School: Anchored her 4x800m team to a state championship and set a Kansas state record for all classes with a 9:20 finish... Finished fourth in the 400m with a time of 57.40... Finished third in the 800m with a time of 2:16.07... Finished seventh at the 6A Cross Country Championships in Kansas... Chose Oklahoma State over Texas A&M, USC, Arkansas and Oregon
Oklahoma State coach Rene Sepulveda on Kristen Gillespie: "Kristen could be one of our best ever 800m recruits since we started competing in the Big 12. She has incredible range. Kristen should be able to make an immediate impact for the DMR, 4x800 and 4x400 relays. She will focus on the 600y and 1000m for indoor and the 800m for the outdoor track season next year."
Melanie Funke
Minot, ND/ Minot HS
High School: Finished second in 2006 and 2007 at the North Dakota State Cross Country Championships... Led her school to the state championships in 2006... Finished first in 1600m, 3200m and 4x800m relay and second in the 800m during the 2007 track season... Chose Oklahoma State over Minnesota, Iowa, Iowa State and Oklahoma.
Oklahoma State coach Rene Sepulveda on Melanie Funke: "Melanie will make an immediate impact for our cross country team. She is a great team leader. She has led her high school team in many aspects since her sophomore year in cross country and track. Her leadership ability will be valuable for such a large freshman class for cross country this coming fall. Melanie will focus on the 3000m and the steeplechase for the indoor and outdoor track season her freshman year."
Michala Paris
Kearney, Missouri/ Kearney HS
High School: State Champion in softball in 2005 playing first base and designated hitter... Power lifting Champion in NASA... Holds the squat record and the American records in the bench and dead lift.
Oklahoma State throws coach John Baumann on Michala Paris: "Michala brings in some impressive lifting ability. She will need to learn to transfer that strength into the weight throw and the hammer throw, not having thrown either event in high school. She should make some big improvement during her first year. With the conference being so strong right now in the throws, she will need to work hard."
Alyssa Henrichs
Beresford, SD/ Beresford HS
High School: Finished second in the discus throw at the South Dakota Track and Field State Championships as a junior... Qualified for state in the discus throw every year of high school... Qualified for state in shot put during her sophomore and junior year.
Oklahoma State throws coach John Baumann on Alyssa Henrichs: "Throwing in South Dakota doesn't always allow for the big marks, but I think she is a diamond in the rough. I have seen her in camp, and she has the ability to throw the weight and hammer also. With such a strong throw conference, Alyssa will need to step things up next fall to be ready to go.
Sadie Newsome
Amarillo, Texas/ Amarillo HS
High School: Holds her high school record in the 300m hurdles with a 45.20 time and the 400m hurdles with a time of 57.80... Will focus on the 400m hurdles for outdoor track and the 600y for indoor track.
Oklahoma State coach Rene Sepulveda on Sadie Newsome: "Sadie should make an immediate impact for our 4x400m relay and 4x100m relay teams. She has the ability both mentally and physically to be a very good 400m hurdler in the future. It will take her several years to master the long hurdle race and build her endurance and speed for one of the toughest races in track and field - the 400m hurdles."
Victoria Fratczak
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia/ Dartmouth High School
High School: Was the Nova Scotia Junior Provincial Cross Country Champion as a senior and the Nova Scotia Provincial Champion in the 1500m as a junior... Also played volleyball for her high school... Chose Oklahoma State over Oregon, Michigan, Windsor (Ontario) and Dalhousie (Nova Scotia).
Oklahoma State coach Rene Sepulveda on Victoria Fratczak: "Victoria has good speed and is a tough cross country runner. She has great potential and just needs some time to develop her strength and speed next year because she is such a young and inexperienced runner."
Courtney Schultz
Cloudcroft, NM/Cloudcroft HS
High School: 2A State Cross Country Champion as a junior in New Mexico... Her 18:32 finish was the fastest time of all classes at the state championships... Placed first in the 800m, 1600m and 3200m at the New Mexico State Track and Field Championships in May 2007...Led Cloudcroft to a team state championship.
Camille Schultz
Cloudcroft, NM/Cloudcroft HS
High School: Finished second at the state championships with a time of 18:45... Her time was the fifth fastest of all classes... Anchored the 1600m Medley Relay to a first place finish... Finished second in the 1600m and 3200m at the New Mexico State Track and Field Championships in May 2007... Led Cloudcroft to a team state championship.
Oklahoma State coach Rene Sepulveda on Courtney and Camille Schultz: "Courtney and Camille are so young to running and have incredible potential. I was very lucky to be at a meet recruiting some of the bigger school runners in Albuquerque this fall and noticed the girls winning the small school race by over a minute. I knew right away that they were the best potential female cross country recruits in New Mexico at that point. They should make an immediate impact on the cross country team."
Kristen Gillespie
Overland Park, Kan./Shawnee Mission South HS
High School: Anchored her 4x800m team to a state championship and set a Kansas state record for all classes with a 9:20 finish... Finished fourth in the 400m with a time of 57.40... Finished third in the 800m with a time of 2:16.07... Finished seventh at the 6A Cross Country Championships in Kansas... Chose Oklahoma State over Texas A&M, USC, Arkansas and Oregon
Oklahoma State coach Rene Sepulveda on Kristen Gillespie: "Kristen could be one of our best ever 800m recruits since we started competing in the Big 12. She has incredible range. Kristen should be able to make an immediate impact for the DMR, 4x800 and 4x400 relays. She will focus on the 600y and 1000m for indoor and the 800m for the outdoor track season next year."
Melanie Funke
Minot, ND/ Minot HS
High School: Finished second in 2006 and 2007 at the North Dakota State Cross Country Championships... Led her school to the state championships in 2006... Finished first in 1600m, 3200m and 4x800m relay and second in the 800m during the 2007 track season... Chose Oklahoma State over Minnesota, Iowa, Iowa State and Oklahoma.
Oklahoma State coach Rene Sepulveda on Melanie Funke: "Melanie will make an immediate impact for our cross country team. She is a great team leader. She has led her high school team in many aspects since her sophomore year in cross country and track. Her leadership ability will be valuable for such a large freshman class for cross country this coming fall. Melanie will focus on the 3000m and the steeplechase for the indoor and outdoor track season her freshman year."
Michala Paris
Kearney, Missouri/ Kearney HS
High School: State Champion in softball in 2005 playing first base and designated hitter... Power lifting Champion in NASA... Holds the squat record and the American records in the bench and dead lift.
Oklahoma State throws coach John Baumann on Michala Paris: "Michala brings in some impressive lifting ability. She will need to learn to transfer that strength into the weight throw and the hammer throw, not having thrown either event in high school. She should make some big improvement during her first year. With the conference being so strong right now in the throws, she will need to work hard."
Alyssa Henrichs
Beresford, SD/ Beresford HS
High School: Finished second in the discus throw at the South Dakota Track and Field State Championships as a junior... Qualified for state in the discus throw every year of high school... Qualified for state in shot put during her sophomore and junior year.
Oklahoma State throws coach John Baumann on Alyssa Henrichs: "Throwing in South Dakota doesn't always allow for the big marks, but I think she is a diamond in the rough. I have seen her in camp, and she has the ability to throw the weight and hammer also. With such a strong throw conference, Alyssa will need to step things up next fall to be ready to go.
Sadie Newsome
Amarillo, Texas/ Amarillo HS
High School: Holds her high school record in the 300m hurdles with a 45.20 time and the 400m hurdles with a time of 57.80... Will focus on the 400m hurdles for outdoor track and the 600y for indoor track.
Oklahoma State coach Rene Sepulveda on Sadie Newsome: "Sadie should make an immediate impact for our 4x400m relay and 4x100m relay teams. She has the ability both mentally and physically to be a very good 400m hurdler in the future. It will take her several years to master the long hurdle race and build her endurance and speed for one of the toughest races in track and field - the 400m hurdles."
Victoria Fratczak
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia/ Dartmouth High School
High School: Was the Nova Scotia Junior Provincial Cross Country Champion as a senior and the Nova Scotia Provincial Champion in the 1500m as a junior... Also played volleyball for her high school... Chose Oklahoma State over Oregon, Michigan, Windsor (Ontario) and Dalhousie (Nova Scotia).
Oklahoma State coach Rene Sepulveda on Victoria Fratczak: "Victoria has good speed and is a tough cross country runner. She has great potential and just needs some time to develop her strength and speed next year because she is such a young and inexperienced runner."
Friday, June 05
Friday, May 29
Wednesday, May 27
Monday, May 18
