Oklahoma State University Athletics
OSU Women's Track Inks Impressive Freshman Class
February 14, 2012 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
Feb. 14, 2012
STILLWATER, Okla. – The Oklahoma State women's cross country and track and field team has announced the signing of 10 freshmen for the 2012-13 season.
Coach Dave Smith said the signing class for the upcoming season is the best he has seen in his 10 years at OSU and said it might be the best freshman class OSU women's track has ever signed.
“We are really excited about this group of women because, not only are they one of the most talented recruiting classes to ever come to OSU, but they are all great people,” Smith said. “They are the kind of people that we as coaches want to be around and work with and the kind of people we want representing our team”
2012 Women's Track Signees
Natalie Baker – Plano, Texas (Plano West HS)
Placed second at the 2010 Texas state cross country championships.
Smith on Baker: “Natalie is a very talented distance runner that has had some great performances in high school, highlighted by her second place finish at the Texas state cross country championships in 2010. She has dealt with a couple of setbacks in training but is back at it now, and if she can keep her training going, she is the type of athlete that could immediately impact our cross country team.”
Paige Barnes – Tulsa, Okla. (Jenks HS)
Personal Bests:
- 1,500m – 4:53
- 1,600m – 5:17
- 2,000m Steeplechase – 7:32
- 3,000m – 10:54
Helped lead her team to the Oklahoma 6A cross country state championship in 2008 … Named a three-time all-state performer in cross country and track … Named team captain of the cross country and track teams her senior year … Placed sixth at the cross country state championships in 2010 and 11th in 2011 … A member of the National Honor Society and Student Council.
Smith on Barnes: “Paige has consistently been amongst the best runners in Oklahoma throughout her high school career, and we are always excited about recruiting the best Oklahoma kids to our program. She has a passion for OSU athletics and all the associated history and tradition. She is a hard working athlete with a very positive attitude who is willing to do what it takes to become a great distance runner.”
Savannah Camacho – Paso Robles, Calif. (Templeton HS)
Personal Bests:
- 400m – 0:57
- 800m – 2:07
- 1,600m – 4:49
Was a Los Padres league cross country champion all four years of high school … Two-time Division 4 champion in the 800m … Two-time runner-up in the 800 meters at the California state championship meet … Ranked nationally as the No. 3 returning senior in the 800 meters … Part of three 4x400 meter relay league championship teams … Three-time Los Padres League champion in the 800 meters and 1,600 meters … Placed fifth at the 2011 California state cross country championships … Named the Bearcat Rotary Relays Most Outstanding Athlete … Named the San Luis Obispo County track meet Most Outstanding Performer … Won the Arcadia Invitational … Two-time winner of the West Coast Relays … Named the Templeton High School Boosters Fall and Spring Athlete of the Year … Named the Templeton Freshman and Sophomore track and field Athlete of the Year … Twice named the Templeton Cross Country Runner of the year … Earned Templeton Track MVP award twice … Named Templeton Track Most Outstanding Athlete of the Year.
Smith on Camacho: “Savannah has been amongst the top 10 high school 800 meter runners for the last two years and will no doubt be there again this year as a senior. She was one of the most highly recruited athletes we have ever recruited, and deservedly so. She has enormous potential and athletic abilities that suit her for an extremely wide range of events in track and field. She has foot speed, endurance, anaerobic capacity, she really has it all. She has the potential to contribute in cross country, on our relays and in the middle distances as a true freshman. Over time, with good aerobic development I don't think there is an event from the 800m on up that she couldn't be successful in.”
Chase Ealey – Los Alamos, N.M. (Los Alamos HS)
Personal Bests:
- 100m – 12.19
- Shot Put – 45-02.50
- Javelin – 124-01.00
Won the New Mexico 4A 100 meter and the 4x100 relay state championships three-straight years … Took the state championship in the shot put and javelin in 2011 … Helped lead Los Alamos to three-straight state team championships … Was the highest scoring female at the state meet in 2011 … Also competed on the varsity basketball and volleyball teams … Named to the all-district team in basketball and volleyball … In volleyball, she was named the all-district player of the year and named to the all-state team … Competed on the junior varsity soccer and softball teams.
Smith on Ealey: “Chase Ealey out of New Mexico is an incredibly versatile athlete. She's won three-straight 100 meter titles, three straight 4x1's. She's also won a javelin, a discus and a shot put, so she can do a lot as well. She's going to be a thrower here, but she has really good athletic ability. She's just an all-around athlete.”
Kaela Edwards – Highlands Ranch, Co. (Littleton HS)
Personal Bests:
- 300m Hurdles– 45.13
- 400m – 55.73
- 800m – 2:09.05
- 5,000m – 18:48.00
Anchored the 4x400 meter relay team that holds the Colorado state record … Ranked nationally as the No. 6 returning senior in the 800 meters … Finished fourth in the 400 meters and 600 meters at the Colorado State Championships … Named an all-state performer in track … Voted cross country team MVP twice and track team MVP once … Also competed in basketball and cheerleading … Named to the academic honor roll.
Smith on Edwards: “Kaela is one of the top high school middle distance runners in the country and her career is really just beginning, as she only started running a couple of years ago. She, like so many of the women in this class, is not just a runner, but she is a great athlete who happens to run. She has great foot speed but also has fantastic natural endurance. Kaela will have an immediate impact on our relays, and she could also contribute at Big 12 and NCAA levels in the middle distances as a freshman. It wouldn't shock me to also see her step into our top seven in cross country as a freshman.”
Kristina Fischer – Arvado, Co. (Ralston Valley HS)
Personal Bests:
- 400m – 57.93
- 800m – 2:14.94
Finished 11th in the 2011 Colorado state championships in the 400 meters and 12th in the 800 meters
Smith on Fischer: “Kristina is a very gifted young woman that has had a lot of success in several sports. We really like her athletic ability and versatility. She has run really well without ever being a full-time track athlete and we are really excited about her potential.”
Monica Lake – Mason Ohio (William Mason HS)
Personal Bests:
- 800m – 2:13
- 1,600m – 4:58
- 3,200m – 11:15
- 4x800m – 9:13
A member of the 2011 Ohio state champion 4x800 meter relay team … Regional qualifier in the 4x800 meter in 2009-11 … Also a regional qualifier in the 1,600 meters and 3,200 meters in 2011 … GMC 1,600-meter champion in 2011 … Named first-team all-league in 2009-11 in track, and named to the all-Ohio team in 2009 and 2011 … Helped lead her cross country team to a runner-up finish in 2010 … Finished as the cross country district champion in 2010 and 2011 … Named to the all-Ohio team in cross country in 2008, '10 and '11 … Also named first-team all-league in cross country in 2008, '10 and '11 ... Won the GMC conference championship in 2010 … Voted team MVP in 2010 and 2011 … Served as the team captain in 2011 … Named to the academic all-Ohio team in 2009-11 … An academic letterwinner.
Smith on Lake: “Monica has been a part of an extremely successful high school program and she is accustomed to winning. She has been individually successful in Ohio, a state rich in middle distance and distance runners. She has a winner's attitude and she will bring that attitude to our team, along with the talent to be contributor on our cross country as a freshman.”
Amanda Lark – Baltimore, Md. (Ponderosa HS)
Personal Bests:
- 200m – 25.16
- 400m – 55.73
Named to the all-league team in the 400 meters and the 4x400 meter relay … Placed third at the state meet in the 400 meters … Helped lead the 4x400 relay team to a fifth-place finish at the state meet … Finished seventh in the 200 meters at the state meet … A Women's Sports Day Luncheon nominee … Named the Academic Athlete of the Month … A member of National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society … An academic letterwinner.
Smith on Lark: “Like all the women in this class, Amanda is a real pleasure to be around and somebody who will make us better not just with her athletic ability but with her positive, light-hearted personality. She is a very talented sprinter/middle distance runner. She will have an immediate impact on our relays, and with some aerobic development to go with her great foot speed, she will become a fantastic middle distance runner.”
Clara Nichols – Omaha, Neb. (Millard South HS)
Personal Bests:
- 100m – 12.14
- 200m – 24.79
- 400m – 55.05
- 4x400m (split) – 54.8
- 800m – 2:16.84
Placed in the top two 12 times at the Nebraska state championship meet, including four individual state titles (400m: '09, '10, '11, 200m: '11), two state relay titles (4x400m: '10, '11), four individual runner up finishes (200m: '09, '10, 100m: '10, '11) and 2 relay runner up finishes (4x400m: '09, 4x100m: '09) … Holds the Nebraska state record for the 400 meters (55.05) … Ranked nationally as the No. 19 returning senior in the 400 meters … Named an all-state track and field athlete in 2009-11 … Voted team MVP in 2009-11 … Holds top 10 times in Nebraska records for 400 meters, 4x400 meter relay and 4x100 meter relay … Named Most Improved Cornhusker Flyer in 2009 … Won the Kansas Relays 400 meter championship in 2011 … Named to the all-state academic track and field team in 2010 and 2011 and the all-district academic team in 2011 … An honor roll student and AP Scholar … Also competed in volleyball and basketball as an underclassman.
Smith on Nichols: “Clara is one of the most decorated athletes in Nebraska high school track and field history, and we are thrilled that she has chosen OSU to further her career. She has a fantastic, positive attitude and a permanent smile on her face, but when she steps on the track, she is a fierce competitor. She has absolutely dominated the 400 meters in Nebraska throughout her high school career. She is another athlete that will have an immediate impact on our relays and she should also be a factor in the long sprints. She has the potential to also be a super middle distance runner later in her career.”
Codi Wilson – Colleyville, Texas (Grapevine HS)
Personal Bests:
- 100m – 11.7
- 200m – 24.7
- 400m – 57.0
Talented sprinter who missed varsity competition during her junior year due to Texas UIL transferregulations … Coached by Olympic Gold Medalist, Jon Drummond.
Smith on Wilson: “Codi is kind of a pioneer for our team as we try to gradually rebuild our sprint program. She is an extremely hard working athlete with an enthusiasm that is contagious. She will step in and contribute quickly in our relays in the 100 meters and 200 meters. We are really excited to have such a talented sprinter joining our team.”
