Photo by: Red Box Pictures
Huskies Welcome Group Of 11 Early Signees
January 07, 2020 | Cross Country, Track & Field
SEATTLE – During the early signing period, Husky Track & Field saw its 2020 recruiting class take shape with eleven new commitments from seniors across the country and abroad. The first group features five athletes from Washington, one each from Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, and Montana, and international signees from Australia and New Zealand.
Further additions to the group will come throughout the winter and spring but as it stands the initial group of eleven already covers a wide range of events and packs quite a punch. The nine recruits within the U.S. have already combined for a total of 18 state titles in cross country and track, with their senior track seasons still to come.
Cruz Culpepper is one of the top distance recruits in the country out of Lafayette, Colorado. Culpepper ranked sixth in the U.S. in the mile in 2019 with a PR of 4:04.82. This fall he won his second-straight Colorado state cross country title and finished 20th at the Nike Cross National Championships. Culpepper's parents are both Olympians. Father, Alan, represented the U.S. in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics in the 10k and marathon, and mother, Shayne, also represented the U.S. at the 2000 and 2004 Games in the 1,500m and 5,000m.
Hailing from Gilbert, Arizona is Leo Daschbach, who won the 2018-19 Gatorade Arizona Athlete of the Year for both cross country and track & field. Daschbach left little doubt as he swept four state titles on the track last spring, getting individual wins in the 800m, 1,600m, and 3,200m. He capped his junior spring with a 4:03.98 mile time at the Brooke PR Invite in Seattle to finish third. This fall Daschbach won the Mt. SAC XC Invite and the Arizona Div. I state title.
Seattle's own Camille Duckett, who attends Roosevelt High School, is capable of helping the Huskies in a number of ways. Duckett is the reigning Washington 3A state champ at both 200-meters and in the long jump. She also took fourth in the 100m dash finals last spring. Duckett went 18-11 1/2 to win the Sea-King title last year and ran a 200m PR of 24.91 into a headwind in the state final.
Delaney Ezeji-Okoye is a pole vaulter from Boise, Idaho and has already upped her PR during the current indoor season, as she cleared 12-8 3/4 at a home meet in Boise in December. Ezeji-Okoye had one of her best meets of 2019 at the UW High School Invitational where she made 12-5 1/2. She competes for the Dragila Vault Co Club run by former Olympic gold medalist Stacy Dragila.
A versatile athlete with state titles in both the hurdles and the triple jump, Lauren Heggen comes to Seattle from Missoula, Montana. For Sentinel High School, Heggen set the Montana state record last year with a triple jump of 40-7 1/2 and won her second state title in the event. She took eighth in the triple jump at the 2019 New Balance Indoor Nationals and won the Simplot Games with a leap of 39-10 1.4. She also has a long jump best of 18-11 and a 100m hurdles best of 14.59.
Kathleen Horn brings her javelin skills across the state from Colbert, Wash. and Gonzaga Prep. Horn was second at state in the javelin as a sophomore and fourth as a junior and set a personal-best of 147-7 during the 2019 season. She is the No. 2 returner in the state heading into the spring.
Sophie O'Sullivan becomes the third Husky commit from Australia in the past two years, joining current UW freshmen Mel Smart and Carley Thomas. O'Sullivan is the first from Melbourne, where she has become a mid-distance standout, winning the 2019 Australian U20 Championship at 800-meters. O'Sullivan also has Irish citizenship and has competed internationally for Ireland, highlighted by a silver medal in the 800-meters at the 2018 European U18 Championships in a time of 2:06.05. O'Sullivan's mother, Sonia, was a World Champion for Ireland and the 2000 Olympic Games silver medalist in the 5,000-meters.
Also coming up from down under is Kirstie Rae, a native of Wellington, New Zealand. Rae joins fellow New Zealanders Lilli Burdon and Sam Tanner, and brings some impressive credentials with her. Rae was the 2019 Australian U20 Cross Country champion last August, and last March she finished 17th at the World U20 Cross Country Championships in Denmark. She ran a 5,000-meters best of 16:44 at the 2019 New Zealand Junior Championships, getting the victory by 11 seconds.
A local distance standout, Naomi Smith from Woodway, Wash. has three state titles to her name already. She won the local mile at the Brooks PR Invite last spring in 4:55 and her 3,200-meter PR of 10:25.50 ranks her eighth-fastest in Washington over the past decade.
Joining the throws crew is Nolan Such from East Wenatchee, Wash. Such was a top-five scorer in both the shot put and the discus at the 2019 state meet, launching a shot put best of 53-feet and going 166-11 in the discus for third.
Jayden White joins Coach Ninow's group and brings in valuable experience in the hammer throw. The Everett, Wash. native was third in the state hammer throw championships last season as well as taking second in the shot put and sixth in the discus at state. White took seventh at the 2019 USATF National Junior Olympics with a hammer toss of 182-feet.
2020 Washington Track & Field Recruiting Class
Cruz Culpepper – Distances – Niwot High School
800m - 1:52.93 | Mile - 4:04.82
Leo Daschbach – Distances – Highland High School
800m - 1:51.911 | Mile - 4:03.98 | 3,200m - 8:51.09
Camille Duckett – Jumps – Roosevelt High School
200m - 24.91 | Long Jump - 18-11 1/2
Delaney Ezeji-Okoye – Pole Vault – Boise High School
Pole Vault - 12-8 3/4
Lauren Heggen – Jumps – Sentinel High School
Triple Jump - 40-7 1/2 | Long Jump - 18-11 | 100m Hurdles - 14.59
Kathleen Horn – Throws – Gonzaga Prep
Javelin - 147-7
Sophie O'Sullivan – Mid-Distances – Wesley College
800m - 2:06 | 1,500m - 4:22 | 2nd at European U18 Champs at 800m
Kirstie Rae – Distances – Wellington East Girls' College
17th at World U20 Cross Country | 5,000m - 16:44
Naomi Smith – Distances – King's High School
Mile - 4:55.59 | 3,200m - 10:25.50
Nolan Such – Throws – Wenatchee High School
Discus - 167-6 | Shot Put - 53-0 1/2
Jayden White – Throws – Everett High School
Hammer - 182-0 | Discus - 163-6 | Shot Put - 55-8 3/4
Further additions to the group will come throughout the winter and spring but as it stands the initial group of eleven already covers a wide range of events and packs quite a punch. The nine recruits within the U.S. have already combined for a total of 18 state titles in cross country and track, with their senior track seasons still to come.
Cruz Culpepper is one of the top distance recruits in the country out of Lafayette, Colorado. Culpepper ranked sixth in the U.S. in the mile in 2019 with a PR of 4:04.82. This fall he won his second-straight Colorado state cross country title and finished 20th at the Nike Cross National Championships. Culpepper's parents are both Olympians. Father, Alan, represented the U.S. in the 2000 and 2004 Olympics in the 10k and marathon, and mother, Shayne, also represented the U.S. at the 2000 and 2004 Games in the 1,500m and 5,000m.
Hailing from Gilbert, Arizona is Leo Daschbach, who won the 2018-19 Gatorade Arizona Athlete of the Year for both cross country and track & field. Daschbach left little doubt as he swept four state titles on the track last spring, getting individual wins in the 800m, 1,600m, and 3,200m. He capped his junior spring with a 4:03.98 mile time at the Brooke PR Invite in Seattle to finish third. This fall Daschbach won the Mt. SAC XC Invite and the Arizona Div. I state title.
Seattle's own Camille Duckett, who attends Roosevelt High School, is capable of helping the Huskies in a number of ways. Duckett is the reigning Washington 3A state champ at both 200-meters and in the long jump. She also took fourth in the 100m dash finals last spring. Duckett went 18-11 1/2 to win the Sea-King title last year and ran a 200m PR of 24.91 into a headwind in the state final.
Delaney Ezeji-Okoye is a pole vaulter from Boise, Idaho and has already upped her PR during the current indoor season, as she cleared 12-8 3/4 at a home meet in Boise in December. Ezeji-Okoye had one of her best meets of 2019 at the UW High School Invitational where she made 12-5 1/2. She competes for the Dragila Vault Co Club run by former Olympic gold medalist Stacy Dragila.
A versatile athlete with state titles in both the hurdles and the triple jump, Lauren Heggen comes to Seattle from Missoula, Montana. For Sentinel High School, Heggen set the Montana state record last year with a triple jump of 40-7 1/2 and won her second state title in the event. She took eighth in the triple jump at the 2019 New Balance Indoor Nationals and won the Simplot Games with a leap of 39-10 1.4. She also has a long jump best of 18-11 and a 100m hurdles best of 14.59.
Kathleen Horn brings her javelin skills across the state from Colbert, Wash. and Gonzaga Prep. Horn was second at state in the javelin as a sophomore and fourth as a junior and set a personal-best of 147-7 during the 2019 season. She is the No. 2 returner in the state heading into the spring.
Sophie O'Sullivan becomes the third Husky commit from Australia in the past two years, joining current UW freshmen Mel Smart and Carley Thomas. O'Sullivan is the first from Melbourne, where she has become a mid-distance standout, winning the 2019 Australian U20 Championship at 800-meters. O'Sullivan also has Irish citizenship and has competed internationally for Ireland, highlighted by a silver medal in the 800-meters at the 2018 European U18 Championships in a time of 2:06.05. O'Sullivan's mother, Sonia, was a World Champion for Ireland and the 2000 Olympic Games silver medalist in the 5,000-meters.
Also coming up from down under is Kirstie Rae, a native of Wellington, New Zealand. Rae joins fellow New Zealanders Lilli Burdon and Sam Tanner, and brings some impressive credentials with her. Rae was the 2019 Australian U20 Cross Country champion last August, and last March she finished 17th at the World U20 Cross Country Championships in Denmark. She ran a 5,000-meters best of 16:44 at the 2019 New Zealand Junior Championships, getting the victory by 11 seconds.
A local distance standout, Naomi Smith from Woodway, Wash. has three state titles to her name already. She won the local mile at the Brooks PR Invite last spring in 4:55 and her 3,200-meter PR of 10:25.50 ranks her eighth-fastest in Washington over the past decade.
Joining the throws crew is Nolan Such from East Wenatchee, Wash. Such was a top-five scorer in both the shot put and the discus at the 2019 state meet, launching a shot put best of 53-feet and going 166-11 in the discus for third.
Jayden White joins Coach Ninow's group and brings in valuable experience in the hammer throw. The Everett, Wash. native was third in the state hammer throw championships last season as well as taking second in the shot put and sixth in the discus at state. White took seventh at the 2019 USATF National Junior Olympics with a hammer toss of 182-feet.
2020 Washington Track & Field Recruiting Class
Cruz Culpepper – Distances – Niwot High School
800m - 1:52.93 | Mile - 4:04.82
Leo Daschbach – Distances – Highland High School
800m - 1:51.911 | Mile - 4:03.98 | 3,200m - 8:51.09
Camille Duckett – Jumps – Roosevelt High School
200m - 24.91 | Long Jump - 18-11 1/2
Delaney Ezeji-Okoye – Pole Vault – Boise High School
Pole Vault - 12-8 3/4
Lauren Heggen – Jumps – Sentinel High School
Triple Jump - 40-7 1/2 | Long Jump - 18-11 | 100m Hurdles - 14.59
Kathleen Horn – Throws – Gonzaga Prep
Javelin - 147-7
Sophie O'Sullivan – Mid-Distances – Wesley College
800m - 2:06 | 1,500m - 4:22 | 2nd at European U18 Champs at 800m
Kirstie Rae – Distances – Wellington East Girls' College
17th at World U20 Cross Country | 5,000m - 16:44
Naomi Smith – Distances – King's High School
Mile - 4:55.59 | 3,200m - 10:25.50
Nolan Such – Throws – Wenatchee High School
Discus - 167-6 | Shot Put - 53-0 1/2
Jayden White – Throws – Everett High School
Hammer - 182-0 | Discus - 163-6 | Shot Put - 55-8 3/4
Players Mentioned
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