Women's track signs nine to National Letters of Intent
Head coach Jim Stintzi announces Badgers' signees for 2010-11 season
Head coach Jim Stintzi has signed nine athletes for 2010-11
Feb. 24, 2010
MADISON, Wis. -- The Wisconsin women’s track and field program has signed nine scholarship athletes to National Letters of Intent for the 2010-11 season, head coach Jim Stintzi announced Wednesday.
“We are extremely excited to bring this group to Madison,” Stintzi said. “We’re bringing in a class of accomplished athletes that will help us in nearly every event area, including several who we feel can make an immediate impact at the collegiate level next season.”
The class includes three in-state products that have combined to win seven Wisconsin state championships, as well as elite athletes from California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Missouri.
“This group really builds on the outstanding recruiting classes we’ve been able to bring in over the past couple of years,” Stintzi said. “It’s a credit to my staff that we have been able to go anywhere in the country to find not only the most talented athletes, but also those who can really blossom as student-athletes with everything we have to offer at the University of Wisconsin.”
2010-11 Wisconsin Women's Track & Field Signees
Name
Events
Hometown (High School)
Liga Blyholder
Middle Distance
Lee's Summit, Mo. (West)
Angela Boushea
Throws
Monona, Wis. (Monona Grove)
Kathryn Gullickson
Middle Distance
Laguna Niguel, Calif. (Dana Hills)
Lavinia Jurkiewicz
Distance
Chicago, Ill. (Whitney Young)
Erin Krause
Middle Distance
Plymouth, Minn. (Wayzata)
Deanna Latham
Multi-Events
Byfield, Mass. (Triton)
Laura McGinnis
Jumps
Cross Plains, Wis. (Middleton)
Emily Sisson
Distance
Chesterfield, Mo. (Parkway Central)
Maya Vazquez
Sprints/Jumps
Arcadia, Wis. (Arcadia)
Among the recruits are a pair of outstanding distance runners in Emily Sisson (Chesterfield, Mo.) and Lavinia Jurkiewicz (Chicago, Ill.). Sisson, who ranks No. 3 all-time among U.S. preps in the 3,000 meters, has qualified for the IAAF World Junior Cross Country Championships and already owns international success with top-five finishes at the Pan-Am junior championships. Jurkiewicz was named Illinois’ top cross country runner after becoming the first Chicago athlete to win a state championship.
Also headlining the class is Deanna Latham (Byfield, Mass.), whose success in the sprints and jumps has her poised to become a strong multi-events athlete at UW.
Local product Angela Boushea (Monona, Wis.) will add depth to the Badgers’ throws group and heads into her final prep season as the defending state champion in the shot put. Similarly, Maya Vazquez (Arcadia, Wis.) is a three-time defending state champion in the long jump and has tallied six state titles between her efforts in the jumps and the sprints.
The trio of Liga Blyholder (Lee’s Summit, Mo.), Kathryn Gullickson (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) and Erin Krause (Plymouth, Minn.) will bolster the Badgers in the middle distances, as each head into their final high school seasons with sub-2:15 personal-bests in the 800 meters.
Another Madison-area native, Laura McGinnis (Cross Plains, Wis.), brings depth to the Badgers’ jumps group and heads into her final prep season as the state’s defending USATF Junior Olympics champion in the triple jump.
“This is a class that already has accomplished a great deal, across the board,” Stintzi said. “We’re looking forward to seeing what they can do as they finish their high school careers, and we’re very excited to get to work with them next fall.”
Liga Blyholder ▪ Middle Distance ▪ Lee’s Summit, Mo. (West)
Finished second in both the 800 meters and 1,600 meters at 2009 Missouri Class 4 state meet … time of 4:54.36 in the 1,600 meters ranks as No. 9 in state history … won state title in 4x800-meter relay as a freshman … part of runner-up 4x800 relay as a sophomore and fourth-place finish as a junior … also was sixth at state in the 800 meters as a sophomore in 2008 … earned All-America honors as part of sixth-place 4-by-mile relay team at 2009 Nike Outdoor Nationals … six-time conference champion … six-time district champion … competed in cross country as a junior and senior, earning all-state honors both years … two-time all-conference and all-district pick in cross country … National Honor Society member … three-year academic letterwinner … also competed in softball and basketball … high school coach: Jesse Griffin … parents are John Blyholder and Lori Walter … has a brother, Brett, and sister, Jenna
Won Wisconsin Division 1 state championship in shot put as a junior in 2009 … finished among top four at state meet all three years in the shot put … third in discus as a sophomore and fourth as a junior at state meet… four-time all-state selection … named 2009 Wisconsin State Journal Female Track Athlete of the Year … three-time Badger South Conference champion in the shot put … also won conference title in the discus as a junior … three-time regional champion and two-time sectional champion … also played basketball and volleyball, earning second-team all-conference honors as a senior … high school coach: Brian Storms … parents are Deb and Lee Boushea … has a sister, Danielle
Personal Bests Shot Put: 44-8 3/4 (2009) Discus: 145-0 (2009)
Part of three-consecutive top-five state finishes for Dana Hills in cross country … was captain of 2008 California Division 1 state championship cross country team … All-Orange County pick in the 800 meters as a junior … three-time All-South Coast League selection in track … as a junior, ran 2:12.7 on 800-meter leg of distance medley relay that clocked nation-leading time at Mt. SAC Relays ... high school coaches: Rex Hall and Ryan Crane … parents are Mark and Andrea Gullickson … grandfather, Richard Iglar, played baseball at UW-La Crosse … aunt, Jane Miller, was a cheerleader at UW … has a brother, Matthew, and two sisters, Emma and Sophie Personal Bests 800 Meters: 2:14.8 (2009) 1600 Meters: 5:08.9 (2009)
Lavinia Jurkiewicz ▪ Distance ▪ Chicago, Ill. (Whitney Young)
Illinois Class 3A state champion in cross country as a senior in 2009 … became first athlete from a Chicago Public League school to win girls’ state title … 2009 Illinois Gatorade Girls’ Cross Country Runner of the Year … two-time Chicago city cross country champion … finished fourth in the 3,200 meters and ninth in the 1,600 meters as a junior at the Illinois state track meet … sectional champion in both 3,200 meters and 1,600 meters as a junior … Chicago city champion in 1,600 meters and 3,200 meters as a junior … Illinois state scholar … four-year honor roll student … National Merit Scholar commendation … high school coach: Bob Geiger … parents are Margaret and Ray Jurkiewicz … has a brother, Raymond
Personal Bests 1600 Meters: 5:05.86 (2009) 3200 Meters: 10:54.46 (2009)
Minnesota Class AA state runner-up in the 800 meters as a junior … also earned runner-up finish in the 4x800-meter relay as a freshman at the 2007 state meet, helping Wayzata to first state championship in school history … two-time all-state honoree … two-time sectional champion … three-time All-Classic Lake Conference selection … also played soccer, aiding Wayzata’s state championship team as a senior in 2009 … also played basketball … three-time Academic All-State award-winner … member of National Honor Society … high school coaches: Dave Emmans and Lori Cade … parents are Kevin and Kara Krause … has a brother, Ryan Personal Bests 800 Meters: 2:14.95 (2009) 1600 Meters: 5:11.85 (2008)
Claimed 2010 Massachusetts Division 3 state titles in the indoor 55-meter hurdles and long jump … set meet record in the hurdles at 8.26 … five-time MIAA Division 3 state champion indoors … four-time MIAA Division 3 state champion outdoors … two-time outdoor MIAA all-state champion in the long jump … also claimed indoor MIAA all-state championship in the long jump as a junior … has amassed a total of 19 top-two finishes between indoor and outdoor state meet competition … finished eighth in the long jump at the 2009 Nike Outdoor Nationals … three-time Boston Globe All-Scholastic honoree … also a four-year starter in soccer … National Honor Society member … high school coach: Joseph Colbert … parents are K.C. and Helen Latham … both parents competed in track and field at the University of Maine … has a sister, Kiera
Laura McGinnis ▪ Jumps ▪ Cross Plains, Wis. (Middleton)
Won 2009 Wisconsin Junior Olympic title in the triple jump and finished runner-up in the long jump ... went on to finish eighth in triple jump at the 2009 USA Track & Field Junior Olympics … six-time scorer at Wisconsin state meet … owns three school records … also played volleyball, helping Middleton to the state quarterfinals as a junior and state semifinals as a senior … all-area selection by the Wisconsin State Journal … first-team All-Big Eight Conference pick in volleyball as a senior ... National Honor Society member … high school coaches: Tara Franklin, Bob Schell, Cory Christnovich and Jon Fenrick … parents are Michael and Rose McGinnis … has a sister, Jennifer … mother attended UW Personal Bests Long Jump: 17-11 (2009) Triple Jump: 39-1 1/4 (2009)
Qualified for U.S. national team for 2010 IAAF World Junior Cross Country Championships by finishing second at 2010 USA Junior Championships on Feb. 18 … ran 9:25.70 to win 3,000 meters at Kansas’ Jayhawk Classic on Jan. 29, the third-fastest high school mark in history … finished fourth in 3,000 meters at 2009 Junior Pan-Am Games in Trinidad … bronze medalist in 5,000 meters at 2007 Junior Pan-Am Games in Brazil ... 2009 Nike Outdoor Nationals champion at 5,000 meters … finished second in 3,000 meters at 2009 USA Junior Championships following junior year … third at 2009 Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships as a senior … finished third at Foot Locker nationals as a freshman in 2006 … four-time high school state champion in cross country … claimed Nebraska Class A championship as a freshman and sophomore … won Missouri Class 4 state titles as a junior and senior … seven-time state champion in track over first three seasons … won consecutive Nebraska state titles in the 1,600 meters and 3,200 meters titles as a freshman and sophomore … also claimed state crowns in 800 meters and 4x800-meter relay as a sophomore … as a junior, won 1,600 meters, 3,200 meters and 4x800-meter relay state titles in Missouri … National Honor Society member … born in Menomonee Falls, Wis. … parents are Mark and Nancy Sission … father competed in cross country and track at UW from 1979-1983 … mother competed in gymnastics at UW from 1981-1985 … has three sisters, Annika, Arla and Grace Personal Bests 800 Meters: 2:12 (2009) 1600 Meters: 4:49.18 (2009) 3000 Meters: 9:25.70 (2010) 5000 Meters: 16:34.36 (2009)
Three-time Wisconsin Division 2 state champion in the long jump … swept 100 meters and 200 meters state titles as a junior in 2009 … also won 2008 state title in the 400 meters as a sophomore … has racked up 10 top-two finishes at state over first three years … helped lead Arcadia to back-to-back Division 2 team titles in 2008 and 2009 … two-time Coulee Conference athlete of the year … also played volleyball and basketball … three-time Gold Medal of Academic Excellence recipient … high school coach: Lynn Sonnentag … parents are Jose and Lindy Vazquez … has two brothers, Ben and Isaac … Ben played baseball and football at Winona State … Isaac competes in track and field at UW-La Crosse
Personal Bests 100 Meters: 12.12 (2008) 200 Meters: 24.97 (2009) 400 Meters: 56.86 (2009) Long Jump: 18-10 (2009)
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