CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina track & field head coach Jesse Norman announced the addition of 13 men’s signees for the 2020-21 school year. The newcomers will compete in sprints, distance, jumps, and throws, and are a blend of incoming freshmen and transfers.
“This year’s group was an important one for us in recruiting. We wanted to make sure that we laid a foundation for the future of the program and make a dedication back towards the sprints group,” stated Norman. “Kudos goes to (assistant coach) Derrick Atkins who took the lead in our recruiting efforts and played a huge role in the caliber of the student-athletes that we were able to sign this year.”
Norman added, “For the men’s program, we made some incredible strides with the long sprints group and the depth of that group. We feel that this group will build upon the storied past of the long sprints group and will be able to add their own twist to it in the future.”
Western Carolina is scheduled to open practice for the 2020 cross country season in August with practice for the indoor track season beginning later in the fall.
Below are the members of WCU’s incoming men’s track & field class for 2020-21 including their events, personal best marks, and comments on each from Norman:
2020-21 Men’s Track & Field Signees
Noah Alleyne, Acworth, Ga. (North Paulding HS):
Events (Personal Best): 100m (10.85), 200m (22.21)
Coach Notes: “A Georgia product that will immediately beef up the short sprints group here at WCU. He will add some much-needed depth within that side.”
Kaleb Ambrose, Douglasville, Ga. (Barton Community College / Alexander HS):
Events (Personal Best): 60m Hurdles (8.54), Heptathlon (4,673 pts), Decathlon (5,779 pts)
Coach Notes: “A great multi-talented athlete that will immediately step into an important role within the team. He is someone that has some great hurdle ability and within our training program we feel that he will significantly improve within the multi’s to become a high-level SoCon performer.”
Trevor Bone, Monroe, Ga. (Athens Academy):
Events (Personal Best): 200m (21.97), 400m (48.75)
Coach Notes: “A huge talent out of Georgia. His speed in the 200m will make him a great 400m runner for WCU in the future. We’re excited to have him within the long sprints group to help us in our domination of the long sprints at the SoCon level.”
Marcus Brown, Cary, N.C. (Cary HS):
Events (Personal Best): 200m (22.33), 300m (36.34), 400m (50.49), 500m (1:14.12)
Coach Notes: “Marcus came highly recommended from his high school coach as someone that is underdeveloped. Plug him into our long sprints group and we feel that he will flourish into a solid contributor at the SoCon level.”
Colby Crenshaw, Raleigh, N.C. (Leesville HS):
Events (Personal Best): 1600m (4:34.51), 3200m (9:51.82), 5k XC (16:27.57)
Coach Notes: “Colby comes from a solid program that has produced some great athletes in the past. I’m excited about his work ethic and excitement that he’ll bring to the program. If he comes in and works hard for a couple of years, I feel that he’ll become a key piece for the development of the distance program at WCU.”
Kevin Haley, Winder, Ga. (Apalachee HS):
Events (Personal Best): 200m (22.23), 400m (48.43)
Coach Notes: “Another talent out of Georgia, who when paired with Trevor (Bone) and our other long sprinters in this class, will help us to continue dominating the long sprints at the conference level. I feel that with this class and Kevin we’ll be able to start looking at the National level for the 4 x 400m team in the future.”
Mason Robinson, Villa Rica, Ga. (Alexander HS):
Events (Personal Best): Shot Put (52-11), Weight Throw (55-11), Hammer (159-3), Discus (143-10)
Coach Notes: “Mason comes from a talented high school which has produced numerous talents over the years. We feel that Mason will be able to continue our throws program depth as he has experience with the college events already and he’ll make the conversion to the college weights with ease.”
Tyler Rodriguez, Dodd City, Texas (Hendrix College / Bonham HS):
Events (Personal Best): 60m (7.16), Long Jump (23-2.50), Triple Jump (45-1.00)
Coach Notes: “Tyler has the potential to become a great conference level jumper in the coming years. He comes with some college experience already which will come in handy as he transitions into the program. I’m excited to see how he develops this year, training full time for his craft.”
Zeante’ Smith, Greenville, S.C. (St. Augustine College / Mauldin HS):
Events (Personal Best): 200m (21.24), 400m (49.24)
Coach Notes: “Zeante’ is transferring this fall and will more depth to the long sprints group. He’s excited to be a part of the program and helping us with the team goals. He’ll be a vital part of the equation as we build towards future success.”
Chase Spann, Monroe, Ga. (Monroe Area HS):
Events (Personal Best): 200m (21.43), 300m (35.16), 400m (48.44)
Coach Notes: “A great talent that adds more depth and speed to our long sprints group. We feel that he will bring some versatility to the program with his abilities. I’m excited to see how he develops within our sprint program.”
Griffin Williams, Charleston, S.C. (Philip Simmons HS):
Event (Personal Best): Javelin (130-8)
Coach Notes: “Griffin comes from the low country of South Carolina. He just recently picked up the throwing events, mainly the javelin. He has the desire to pick up the other events and once we add some technical proficiency and size to him, we feel that he could develop into a solid contributor for the team to win some team championships.”
Adam Winebarger, Hays, N.C. (North Wilkes HS):
Events (Personal Best): High Jump (6-6.00), 110m Hurdles (15.31)
Coach Notes: “Adam is a talent from North Carolina that will be a tremendous help in the high jump at the conference level. We feel that he can come in and immediately contend for an All-Conference type of position his first year.”
Drew Zink, Sherrills Ford, N.C. (Lincoln Charter School)
Events (Personal Best): 1600m (4:36.65), 3200m (9:46.43), 5k XC (16:12.97)
Coach Notes: “The first person to commit to the program this fall, Drew will become a piece of us moving the needle for the expectations within the distance program here at WCU. He’s passionate about the program and has a deep desire to help transform the program here.”
