Huskies Add Pair Of Hurdlers To Recruiting Class
July 05, 2011 | Track & Field
July 5, 2011
Washington track has added two additional prep stars to its incoming class, a pair of the top women's hurdlers on the West Coast. Naivasha Sophusson-Smith is the Washington State 3A Champion at the 100-meter hurdles while Gianna Woodruff out of Los Angeles ranked in the top-20 nationally at the 300-meter hurdles. Both could provide big contributions right away in their individual events and on relays.
Woodruff and Sophusson-Smith bring the total number of official signees, who will begin training this fall, to seventeen. They are the second and third women's sprinters to commit, joining Haley Jacobsen of Bellevue.
Woodruff, from St. Mary's Academy in Inglewood, was one of the top 300-meter hurdlers in the country this past season, placing fourth at the California state meet. In the state prelims, she ran a PR of 42.24 seconds that ranked 18th nationally and was 10th among graduation seniors. Just last month, Woodruff stepped up to the 400-meter hurdles to compete at the U.S. Junior Championships, where she placed 10th overall in 1:03.10. Current UW freshman Kayla Stueckle made the final and placed sixth, so Woodruff and Stueckle should give the Huskies a great one-two punch in that event for the next few years.
Woodruff was also a standout on relays, having run on the 4x100-meter relay squad which placed fourth at state her senior year, and third in both her junior and sophomore seasons, as well as a leg on the 4x400-meter relay which was third at state her junior season.
Washington assistant sprints coach Raul Sheen likes the experience Woodruff will bring right away to the Dawgs.
"What excites me the most about Gianna is her competitiveness and her experience," said Sheen. "She has competed at a high level for a few years now, and I feel her desire to succeed is infectious and will add to our group. Gianna is a workhorse, and will help us on both relays as well as in 1-lap open and hurdle events."
A graduate of Nathan Hale High School, Sophusson-Smith came on strong her senior year, running the fifth-best 100-meter hurdles time in Washington state history when she clocked 14.00 at the district meet. She went on to win the 3A state title in 14.50 seconds into a strong headwind. Her winning time was fastest among all divisions. She also anchored the runner-up 4x200-meter relay team and the fourth-place 4x100-meter relay at the state meet. A great all-around athlete, Sophusson-Smith has competed in the multi-events and has a gymnastics background as well.
"Naivasha came on strong at the end of her senior year, and I think honestly surprised some people," said Coach Sheen. "She had a great high school hurdle coach, Jeannine Sheppard, who really helped get her going once she decided to focus on the high hurdles. Naivasha has tremendous upside, and will help us continue a strong tradition in the 100HH as well as be a relay pool member."
Following is the list of track and field recruits for the 2011-12 season.
Washington's 2011 Track & Field Recruits (Coach Quotes For Each Athlete Included)
» Joelle Amaral - Mid-Distances - Randolph, N.J. - Randolph
» Curtis Clauson - Throws - Edmonds, Wash. - King's
» Tim Cummings - Distances - Yakima, Wash. - Eisenhower
» Derrick Daigre - Mid-Distances - Kent, Wash. - Kent Meridian
» Eleanor Fulton - Distances - Lone Tree, Colo. - Highlands Ranch
» Quinn Hale - Throws - Tacoma, Wash. - Bellarmine Prep
» Haley Jacobson - Sprints - Bellevue, Wash. - Issaquah
» J.J. Juilfs - Pole Vault - Eugene, Ore. - Sheldon
» Tyler King - Distances - Coupeville, Wash. - Coupeville
» Baylee Mires - Mid-Distances - Spokane, Wash. - Mead
» Dylan Morin - Distances - Sheridan, Wyo. - Sheridan
» Aaron Nelson - Distances - Walla Walla, Wash. - Walla Walla
» Kristina Owsinski - Pole Vault - Ridgefield, Wash. - Prairie
» Jaleecia Roland - Jumps - Federal Way, Wash. - Federal Way
» Meron Simon - Distances - Federal Way, Wash. - Federal Way
» Naivasha Sophusson-Smith - Sprints - Seattle, Wash. - Nathan Hale
» Gianna Woodruff - Sprints - Los Angeles, Calif. - St. Mary's Academy
