Huskies Add Thorner, Affolder To Recruiting Class
November 30, 2018 | Track & Field
SEATTLE – The Washington track and field team has picked up two more big additions to its 2019-20 freshman class over the past two weeks, as British decathlete Ollie Thorner and Virginia state cross country champion Sam Affolder have both signed their NLIs with the Dawgs. Thorner and Affolder bring the total of new recruits to eleven.
Even before the additions of Affolder and Thorner, Milesplit.com ranked the Husky men's recruiting class at No. 3 in the nation.
Thorner will travel to Seattle from Bridgwater in the United Kingdom. He represented Great Britain in the 2018 European U18 Championships this past summer, finishing 12th in the decathlon with 6,982 points. Thorner's personal-best of 7,032 points ranked 13th in the world last year among 18-under athletes.
Affolder is the two-time Virginia state cross country champion out of Purcellville, Virginia. He was a Foot Locker Nationals finalist as just a sophomore, and as a junior he was 23rd at Nike Cross Nationals. He won the 1,600m state title on the track last spring and set a PR of 4:08.69 which ranked 14th nationally and fifth among the class of 2019.
The release on the first nine members of the Washington recruiting class is reproduced here...
Great local talent will be staying at home, as six of the nine athletes hail from in-state, but Washington also expanded nationally to attract state champions from Virginia, Oregon and Colorado, as well as internationally with New Zealand prep national champion Samuel Tanner, a World Junior Championships competitor.
One of the standout men's distance recruits, Tanner comes to Seattle from the farthest away. A native of Tauranga, New Zealand, Tanner compete in Finland over the summer at the World U20 Championships, finishing 13th in the 1,500-meters. He owns a 1,500m PR of 3:46.6 and a 3k best of 8:22.4 and was the junior national cross country champion.
Local products Joe Waskom and Daniel Maton have established themselves among the nation's best as they finish their senior cross country seasons and set their sights on the track once again.
Waskom, the younger brother of current Husky sophomore Hannah Waskom, captured the Washington 4A state cross country title this fall and then took fourth at Nike Cross Northwest Regionals. Waskom was the 3,200-meter state champ last spring in a PR of 8:57.66 after taking second as a sophomore. He was also sixth in the 2-mile at the Brooks PR Invite in 8:54.25. Waskom's mile PR of 4:09.80 at the Nike/Jesuit Twilight Relays ranked 21st nationally and seventh among juniors.
Maton also has a strong Pac-12 sibling connection as his older siblings Ashley and Matthew were All-Americans at Oregon for the Powells. Daniel, competing for Camas, has swept the Washington 4A state titles the past two years at 800-meters and 1,600-meters. Maton got the win in the Nike/Jesuit Twilight Relays mile race where Waskom was third, with Maton running 4:08.13 to rank 10th nationally and third among the class of 2019. He's also the top-ranked returner in the U.S. at 1,600-meters as he ran a PR of 4:07.50 to win state last spring. Maton was third at the 2018 USATF Junior Championships at 800-meters in 1:50.79.
One of two new Dawgs out of Woodinville, Luke Houser was the KingCo cross country champion this fall and sixth at the 4A state meet for Woodinville High School. He was fourth in the 1,600m state final on the track last spring, with the first- and third-place finishers also signing as Huskies today. Houser boasts a 1,600m PR of 4:10.2.
On the women's distance side, the Huskies get a big talent out of Portland in Jesuit High School product Makenna Schumacher. Makenna's father, Jerry Schumacher, is one of the most accomplished and respected professional track coaches in the world, leading the Bowerman Track Club that includes several Olympians and American Record-holders. Makenna won the 2017 Oregon 6A state cross country title and was the runner-up this fall. She also won the past two 3,000-meter titles on the track.
Out of Boulder, Colo., Marlena Preigh is one of the top 800-meter runners in the nation. She rates as the No. 4 returner in the country at the 800m, having run a PR of 2:07.56 last spring. Preigh was the Colorado 5A 800m state champion and third in the 1,600m.
Another Woodinville product but coming from Bear Creek High School is Andrea Markezich. Markezich is a two-time top-five finisher at the Washington state cross country championships and was 13th at the 2018 Arcadia Invitational with a 3,200-meter PR of 10:57.92.
Andrew Ninow's first two recruits have impressive résumés. Tanya Simora from Puyallup and Puyallup High School ranked seventh in the nation in the javelin last year and is the reigning state champion. She threw a new PR of 154-6 to win state, improving by twenty-five feet from her sophomore to junior seasons. She ranks fourth for the class of 2019.
Samuel Van Peursem completes the day one signees, as the shot and discus thrower out of Bothell, Wash. is coming off an undefeated season and state title in the discus and a state runner-up finish in the shot put. In the class of 2019 Van Peursem is the top returning shot putter in the state and third in the discus coming off season's-bests of 58-8 and 171-8.
Washington Track & Field Freshman Class of 2019
Sam Affolder – Distances – Loudoun Valley High School
1600m - 4:08.6 | 3200m - 8:59.8
Luke Houser – Distances – Woodinville High School
1600m - 4:10.2 | 3200m - 9:02.4
Andrea Markezich – Distances – Bear Creek High School
1600m - 5:03.02 | 3200m - 10:57.92b
Daniel Maton – Distances – Camas High School
800m - 1:50.7 | 1600m - 4:07.5 | Mile - 4:08.1
Marlena Preigh – Mid-Distances – Fairview High School
800m - 2:07.56 | Mile - 4:54.03
Makenna Schumacher – Distances – Jesuit High School
1500m - 4:32.38 | 3000m - 9:42.56
Tanya Simora – Throws – Puyallup High School
Javelin - 154-6
Samuel Tanner – Distances – Bethlehem College
800m - 1:51.8 | 1500m - 3:46.6 | 3000m - 8:22.4
Ollie Thurner - Multis - Millfield School
Decathlon - 7,032
Samuel Van Peursem – Throws – Cedar Park Christian
Shot Put - 58-8 | Discus - 171-8
Joe Waskom – Distances – Mt. Si High School
Mile - 4:09.8 | 2-Mile - 8:54.2
Even before the additions of Affolder and Thorner, Milesplit.com ranked the Husky men's recruiting class at No. 3 in the nation.
Thorner will travel to Seattle from Bridgwater in the United Kingdom. He represented Great Britain in the 2018 European U18 Championships this past summer, finishing 12th in the decathlon with 6,982 points. Thorner's personal-best of 7,032 points ranked 13th in the world last year among 18-under athletes.
Affolder is the two-time Virginia state cross country champion out of Purcellville, Virginia. He was a Foot Locker Nationals finalist as just a sophomore, and as a junior he was 23rd at Nike Cross Nationals. He won the 1,600m state title on the track last spring and set a PR of 4:08.69 which ranked 14th nationally and fifth among the class of 2019.
The release on the first nine members of the Washington recruiting class is reproduced here...
Great local talent will be staying at home, as six of the nine athletes hail from in-state, but Washington also expanded nationally to attract state champions from Virginia, Oregon and Colorado, as well as internationally with New Zealand prep national champion Samuel Tanner, a World Junior Championships competitor.
One of the standout men's distance recruits, Tanner comes to Seattle from the farthest away. A native of Tauranga, New Zealand, Tanner compete in Finland over the summer at the World U20 Championships, finishing 13th in the 1,500-meters. He owns a 1,500m PR of 3:46.6 and a 3k best of 8:22.4 and was the junior national cross country champion.
Local products Joe Waskom and Daniel Maton have established themselves among the nation's best as they finish their senior cross country seasons and set their sights on the track once again.
Waskom, the younger brother of current Husky sophomore Hannah Waskom, captured the Washington 4A state cross country title this fall and then took fourth at Nike Cross Northwest Regionals. Waskom was the 3,200-meter state champ last spring in a PR of 8:57.66 after taking second as a sophomore. He was also sixth in the 2-mile at the Brooks PR Invite in 8:54.25. Waskom's mile PR of 4:09.80 at the Nike/Jesuit Twilight Relays ranked 21st nationally and seventh among juniors.
Maton also has a strong Pac-12 sibling connection as his older siblings Ashley and Matthew were All-Americans at Oregon for the Powells. Daniel, competing for Camas, has swept the Washington 4A state titles the past two years at 800-meters and 1,600-meters. Maton got the win in the Nike/Jesuit Twilight Relays mile race where Waskom was third, with Maton running 4:08.13 to rank 10th nationally and third among the class of 2019. He's also the top-ranked returner in the U.S. at 1,600-meters as he ran a PR of 4:07.50 to win state last spring. Maton was third at the 2018 USATF Junior Championships at 800-meters in 1:50.79.
One of two new Dawgs out of Woodinville, Luke Houser was the KingCo cross country champion this fall and sixth at the 4A state meet for Woodinville High School. He was fourth in the 1,600m state final on the track last spring, with the first- and third-place finishers also signing as Huskies today. Houser boasts a 1,600m PR of 4:10.2.
On the women's distance side, the Huskies get a big talent out of Portland in Jesuit High School product Makenna Schumacher. Makenna's father, Jerry Schumacher, is one of the most accomplished and respected professional track coaches in the world, leading the Bowerman Track Club that includes several Olympians and American Record-holders. Makenna won the 2017 Oregon 6A state cross country title and was the runner-up this fall. She also won the past two 3,000-meter titles on the track.
Out of Boulder, Colo., Marlena Preigh is one of the top 800-meter runners in the nation. She rates as the No. 4 returner in the country at the 800m, having run a PR of 2:07.56 last spring. Preigh was the Colorado 5A 800m state champion and third in the 1,600m.
Another Woodinville product but coming from Bear Creek High School is Andrea Markezich. Markezich is a two-time top-five finisher at the Washington state cross country championships and was 13th at the 2018 Arcadia Invitational with a 3,200-meter PR of 10:57.92.
Andrew Ninow's first two recruits have impressive résumés. Tanya Simora from Puyallup and Puyallup High School ranked seventh in the nation in the javelin last year and is the reigning state champion. She threw a new PR of 154-6 to win state, improving by twenty-five feet from her sophomore to junior seasons. She ranks fourth for the class of 2019.
Samuel Van Peursem completes the day one signees, as the shot and discus thrower out of Bothell, Wash. is coming off an undefeated season and state title in the discus and a state runner-up finish in the shot put. In the class of 2019 Van Peursem is the top returning shot putter in the state and third in the discus coming off season's-bests of 58-8 and 171-8.
Washington Track & Field Freshman Class of 2019
Sam Affolder – Distances – Loudoun Valley High School
1600m - 4:08.6 | 3200m - 8:59.8
Luke Houser – Distances – Woodinville High School
1600m - 4:10.2 | 3200m - 9:02.4
Andrea Markezich – Distances – Bear Creek High School
1600m - 5:03.02 | 3200m - 10:57.92b
Daniel Maton – Distances – Camas High School
800m - 1:50.7 | 1600m - 4:07.5 | Mile - 4:08.1
Marlena Preigh – Mid-Distances – Fairview High School
800m - 2:07.56 | Mile - 4:54.03
Makenna Schumacher – Distances – Jesuit High School
1500m - 4:32.38 | 3000m - 9:42.56
Tanya Simora – Throws – Puyallup High School
Javelin - 154-6
Samuel Tanner – Distances – Bethlehem College
800m - 1:51.8 | 1500m - 3:46.6 | 3000m - 8:22.4
Ollie Thurner - Multis - Millfield School
Decathlon - 7,032
Samuel Van Peursem – Throws – Cedar Park Christian
Shot Put - 58-8 | Discus - 171-8
Joe Waskom – Distances – Mt. Si High School
Mile - 4:09.8 | 2-Mile - 8:54.2
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