Reports From LBSU

Long Beach State track and field head coach Andy Sythe has announced the signing of nine recruits for the 2010-11 season. The incoming class includes six women and three men.

Women’s Track & Field Incoming Class
Stephanie Armstrong, High Jump, Morgan Hill, Calif. (Live Oak HS)
Armstrong was the 2010 Central Coast Section champion and advanced to the CIF State Championships in the high jump after clearing a lifetime-best 5-07. She was the top finisher at the CCS Championships, CCS Prelims, Mt. SAC Relays seeded section, Stanford Invitational seeded section, Avis Kelly Invitational and the St. Francis Invitational.

“Stephanie will add more strength and depth to the Long Beach State program that saw three of its women’s high jumpers qualify for the NCAA West Regionals in Austin, Texas,” said 49er head coach Andy Sythe.

Alexandrea Kruthers, Sprints, Capistrano Valley, Calif. (Capistrano Valley HS)
Kruthers established herself as one of the state’s best long sprinters this season, ranking in the top 20 in both the 200 and 400 meter dash. Her personal-record of 24.50 in the 200m currently ranks 18th in California, while her top 400 time of 55.90 ranks 14th.

“Alexandrea committed herself to having a great senior season, and she has, making significant improvements from her junior to senior year,” said 49er sprints/hurdles coach Shaun Meinecke. “That same work ethic is what is going to make her a successful student-athlete at Long Beach State. She can definitely make an immediate impact on a lot of different levels and I’m looking forward to seeing what more this young lady can achieve.”

Kylee Martin, Distances, Temecula, Calif. (Murrieta Valley HS)
Martin ran lifetime bests in the 400m (59.00), 800m (2:16) and 1600m (5:17). She was also a member of the 4×400 relay team that established a school record at Murrieta Valley High School. During the cross country season, she posted a personal-record 18:35 at the Mt. SAC Cross Country Invitational. 

“Kylee is a young runner who has a ton of potential,” said 49er distance coachPatrick Cunniff. “She has great natural speed and should develop into an excellent middle-distance runner. She has also had success in cross country and at a variety of distances on the track.”

Lenore Moreno, Distances, West Covina, Calif. (Mt. SAC/West Covina HS)
Moreno established the top junior college time in the nation in the 10,000m (35:38.97). Earlier in the year, she also posted the fastest mark in the 5000m, crossing the finish line in 16:54.87 at the Mt. SAC Relays. Recently, she won two individual state titles at the 2010 California Community College State Track & Field Championships, winning the difficult double in the 5000m and 10,000m. She has shown tremendous improvement from her solid fifth-place finish in the 2009 California Community College State Cross Country Championships.

“Lenore is an incredible addition to our program,” said Cunniff. “She is very strong in both cross country and on the track. Her improvement this spring has been remarkable and she has already raced against Division I competition in high-level invitationals like the Ben Brown Invite and the Mt. SAC Relays. Her times indicate she can make an immediate impact at the conference and regional level.”

Tara Ross, Throws, Mission Viejo, Calif. (UCLA/Mission Viejo HS)
Ross competed three years at UCLA, establishing a lifetime-best 166-01 in the javelin at the UCLA-USC dual meet in 2009. She also finished fourth at the Pac-10 championships and sixth at the NCAA Regionals that year. At Mission Viejo High School, Ross won the 2005 CIF-SS Division I discus title and was a California State Meet finalist. She received All-America honors in the javelin and discus and also garnered first-team All-CIF and second-team All-State recognition. Ross will begin working toward her teaching credential with one year of eligibility remaining at Long Beach State.

“Tara is already an accomplished thrower and will undergo a new series of training that will make her a strong candidate for All-America honors in 2011,” said 49er throws coach Cory Loebl. “Tara will give us another 1-2 punch as she joins The Beach with returning Big West Champion and school and conference record holder, Randi Hicks.”

Jillian Weir, Throws, Sunnyvale, Calif. (Homestead HS)
Weir completed a successful season by finishing fourth in the discus and seventh in the shot put at the 2010 CIF State Championships. She finished the season ranked fourth in California with a lifetime-best 151-11 in the discus. She also finished with a No. 11 ranking in the shot put at 43-08. Weir is a two-time Central Coast Section champion in the discus and was also a runner up in the shot put as a senior. She leaves Homestead High School as the school-record holder in both throwing events.

“Jillian is a highly-recruited thrower out of Northern California,” said Loebl. “We will look for her to make an immediate impact in the Big West Conference and for her to use her great athleticism to score in multiple events.”

Men’s Track & Field Incoming Class
Thomas Garner, Hurdles, Simi Valley, Calif. (Royal HS)
As a senior, Garner ranked 24th in the state in the 110 hurdles and 31st in the 300 hurdles. During his junior year, he established the 10th-fastest individual mark in California in the 110H, running 14.17 seconds. In addition, he put up the 22nd-best mark in the state in the 300H with a time of 38.55 seconds. A multi-dimensional athlete, Garner was also ranked in the top 50 in the long jump (22-04.50).

“Thomas is not only an exceptional athlete on the track, with the tools to have a very successful career here at Long Beach State, but he is also a great person who connects well with our team and coaching staff,” said Meinecke. “He will definitely bring a large amount of talent and energy to our group next year.”

Braden Keller, Throws, Kelso, Wash. (Clackamas Community College/Kelso HS)
As a freshman at Clackamas Community College, Keller was the NWAAC champion and an All-American in the javelin with a lifetime best 206-00. He was voted the Most Improved Athlete for his team last season and was ranked sixth in the nation at the junior college level.

“Braden joins The Beach coming off a redshirt season and he will look to compete for the Big West javelin title in 2011,” said Loebl. “He comes from a tradition-rich javelin program at Clackamas, where numerous throwers have gone on to be successful at the NCAA Division I level.”

Heath Reedy, Distances, Clovis, Calif. (Buchanan HS)
Reedy recently placed seventh at the California State meet, running a sub-nine 3200m time of 8:59.58. He was also a top five finisher at the California State High School Division I Cross Country meet and took 12th at the 2009 Footlocker West Regional.

“We are very excited that Heath has chosen Long Beach State,” said Cunniff. “He is one of the most accomplished recruits in the history of the distance program. He had an amazing cross country season and followed that up with an outstanding track season, improving all his personal bests. Heath is also a great student and shares our program’s commitment to strong academic performance.”