Niners Sign 19 to Letters of Intent for Track / Cross Country
Aug. 28, 2002
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Charlotte 49ers head coach Robert Olesen announced today that 19 competitors have signed national letters of intent to compete in track and field and cross country this season. The group joins the program's 18 other newcomers that will be on the team. The class of 18 incoming freshmen and one redshirt freshman include seven sprinters, six distance runners, and six jumpers.
Sprinters James Bacon (Durham, NC), Benjamin McCallum (Rockingham, NC) and Gino Stewart (Charlotte, NC) will look to add to the 49ers' success on the track. Bacon finished third in the 400 meters at last year's 4-A state meet. McCallum was second in the100 at last year's 2-A state meet and owns a personal best time of 10.5 seconds.
On the women's side, Teri Burton (Piscataway, NJ), Tayesha Gass-Gray (Broadway, NC), Karina Murray (Cincinnati, OH) and Latasha Rhem (Hope Mills, NC) will bring their impressive talent to a very athletic team. Burton has posted times of 12.15 in the 100 and 25.5 in the 200. Gass-Gray finished third in the 200-meter dash at the 2001 3-A North Carolina State Championships. Murray, who is also a jumper, was a former Ohio state qualifer in the pole vault. Rhem finished fifth in the 100 meters last year at the 4-A state meet. She owns a top time of 12.1 in that event.
Charlotte has signed Damony Giles (Philadelphia, PA), Jamil Muhaimin (Raleigh, NC), Adam Whitman (Wilkesboro, NC) and Derek Smit (Charlotte, NC) to compete in the distance events. Giles finished eighth in last year's indoor high school nationals. His times are 15:32 in the indoor 5,000 and 4:25 in the 1,600. Muhaimin finished fifth in the 2002 4-A 1,600. Whitman finished second in the 2002 2-A 800. His best time during his high school career was 1:57.4. Smit's best time in the 800 was 1:58.
Andrea Craig (Cary, NC) and Marenika Wisdom (Central Islip, NY) bring their competive endurance to the women's team. Wisdom ran 5:18 in the 1,600, 2:24 in the 800, and recorded 19:21 in the 5K for cross country.
Two men's jumpers and four women's jumpers have also signed with the 49ers. Terry Watson (Sandy Ridge, NC) was a 2002 1-A state champion in the pole vault and recorded the mark of 14'6" during his high school career. Sean Patterson (Hickory, NC) finished second at the 2002 3-A meet in the triple jump. His best mark during his high school career was 47'1".
On the women's side, Gina Childress (Morganton, NC), Sharonda Johnson (Raleigh, NC), Kasheba King (Burlington, NC) and Sarah Morrison (Apex, NC) will help to leave their mark on the other competition. Childress recorded a mark of 10' in the pole vault. Johnson was the 2002 4-A state champ in the triple jump and was fourth in the high jump. She also recorded marks during her career of 39'5" in triple, 5'6" in high jump and 18'3" in the long jump. King, a redshirt-freshman, was second in the 2002 2-A triple jump. She also finished third in the 100 meters, fourth in the long jump and recorded marks of 37'4" in the triple jump, 15.19 in the 100-meter hurdles and 17'2" in the long jump during her career at Cummings High School. Morrison was a state runner-up in the 2002 4-A pole vault. Her personal best mark as a prepster was 10'6".
Men's Newcomers Name Event Hometown High School Josh Allen Distance Arden, NC T.C. Robertson James Bacon Sprints Durham, NC Southern Zeke Fleischer Distance Kings Mountain, NC Gardner Webb Damony Giles Distance Philadelphia, PA Simon Gratz Benjamin McCallum Sprints Rockingham, NC East Bladen Jamil Muhaimin Distance Raleigh, NC Southeast Raleigh Sean Patterson Jumps Hickory, NC Hickory Kevin Ryan Jumps Charlotte, NC South Mecklenburg Derek Smit Distance Charlotte, NC South Mecklenburg Gino Stewart Sprints Charlotte, NC East Mecklenburg David Stother Distance Rocky Mount, NC Edmond Memorial Eli Sunquist Jumps Alison Park, PA Hampton Terry Watson Jumps Sandy Ridge, NC Northern Stokes John Webb Jumps Gibsonville, NC W.Almance Adam Whitman Distance Wilkesboro, NC Wilkes Central Matt Yost Distance Charlotte, NC West MecklenburgWomen's Newcomers Name Event Hometown High School Teri Burton Sprints Piscataway, NJ Piscataway Gina Childress Jumps Morganton, NC Freedom Andrea Craig Distance Cary, NC Leesville Ashley Davis Sprints Salisbury, NC South Rowan Alison Fout Distance Wakeman, OH Firelands Courtney Freiburg Distance Charlotte, NC Harding Tayesha Gass-Gray Sprints Broadway, NC West Harnett Kimberly Haith Jumps Burlington, NC Cummings Shayla Hayes Sprints Buffalo, NY City Honors Klara Jarolimova Distance Huntersville, NC North Mecklenburg Sharonda Johnson Jumps Raleigh, NC Southeast Raleigh Kasheba King Jumps Burlington, NC Cummings Sarah Morrison Jumps Apex, NC Southeast Raleigh Karina Murray Jumps/Sprints Cincinnati, OH Anderson Annalee Norekia Distance Davidson, NC Northwest Cabarrus Amanda Perkins Combined Millbury, MA Millbury Latasha Rhem Sprints Hope Mills, NC Southview Jennifer Sniffen Distance Wilimington, NC Hoggard Lenora Watchman Distance Ganado, AZ Ganado Christie Williams Jumps High Point, NC Southwest Guilford Marenika Wisdom Distance Central Islip, NY Central Islip
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