KEVIN JENISON

GoSycamores.com

TERRE HAUTE, IND. ? Indiana State women's track & field head coach Angie Martin has announced the addition of six athletes who will be competing for the Sycamores starting with the 2010-2011 season including four freshman and two transfer students.

Lindy Jones (Terre Haute, Ind.), a four-time letter winner in both cross country and basketball at Terre Haute North Vigo High School, will be competing in cross country and track & field this year. Jones has personal bests of 19:08 in the 5K and 16:06 in the 4K for cross country and a personal best 11:41.06 in the 3200 meters during the track & field season.

“We are very excited to add Lindy to our squad this year,” Martin said. “She comes from a great tradition at Terre Haute North High School. She will be able to contribute to our team in cross country and has a lot of potential on the track. Lindy is an athletic young woman. Not only was she a good high school runner but she was also a four-time varsity letter winner in basketball.”

Jones was a member of the 4x800 relay team at Terre Haute North that won the sectional and regional championship, and placed 17th at the state finals this past spring. She has competed in the state cross country championship the past two seasons and competed in the state track & field championship as a junior and senior.

Alexa McFadden (Brazil, Ind.) will join her Terre Haute North teammate on the Sycamore cross country and track & field teams beginning this fall. McFadden has a personal best of 20:32 in the 5K cross country and a personal best 2:24.89 in the 800 meters during the track & field season.

“Alexa is another good athlete from the reputable Terre Haute North program,” Martin said. “Her high school coaches did a nice job in moving her up from the sprints to the middle distance events. Alexa has great potential on the track and will help add depth to our cross country squad. She is a young cross country runner and I am excited to watch her develo0p within our program.”

McFadden was another member of the 4x800 relay team that placed 17th at the 2010 IHSAA State Track & Field Championship. She also competed in the 2009 State Cross Country Championship. McFadden won four sectional and two regional titles in the 800 meters and as a member of the 4x800 relay team in track & field.

Rachael Johnson (Fort Branch, Ind.) was a seven time Indiana State qualifier and 11 time sectional champion at Gibson Southern High School where she was also named the track & field MVP all four years. Johnson will concentrate on the high jump and hurdles at Indiana State. She has personal bests of 15.75 in the 100 meter hurdles, 46.92 in the 300 meter hurdles, and a vault of 5'-5” in the high jump. She also had a personal best of 20:00 in the 5K cross country.

“Rachael has been a very good all around athlete at the high school level,” Martin said. “She will add needed depth to our team in the high jump and possibly the combined events. I look forward to working with Rachael and watching her develop as a Sycamore.”

Johnson placed eighth in the high jump at the 2010 Midwest Meet of Championships after finishing sixth at the IHSAA State Track & Field Championship. She has competed in the hurdles and high jump at the state meet in each of the last three years.

Jasmine Milton (Fort Wayne, Ind.) was one of the state's top sprinters while competing at Fort Wayne Northrop High School. She has a personal best 7.40 in the 55 meter hurdles, 12.37 in the 100 meter hurdles, and 25.11 in the 200 meter hurdles.

“I am looking forward to having Jasmine as a part of our sprint core this year,” Martin said. She brings a spunk and competitiveness that is great for our program. She has the flexibility to run from the 60 meters up to the 400 meters, and will be a key leg on our 4x100 meter relay. Her father was a great track & field athlete at Vincennes University and Louisiana State University.”

Milton competed as a member of the 4x200 meter relay team at the 2010 Midwest Meet of Champions. She has competed in the last two state track & field championships in the 100 meters and as a member of the 4x100 meter relay team which was fourth in the state. She also competed in the 200 meters in 2010, finishing sixth in the state.

Nicole Hope (Wilmington, Ohio) transferred to Indiana State from Ohio Northern University and will be competing in the vaults for the Sycamores. She has a personal best of 12'-9.5” in the pole vault and 5'-2.5” in the high jump.

“Nicole was a great athlete at the high school level and has developed into a very good pole vaulter,” Martin said. “She will come in and immediately contend for a spot in the Missouri Valley Conference Championships. We are very excited that Nicole has chosen Indiana State as the place she wants to continue her education in nursing and further herself as a Division I athlete.”

Hope set the Ohio Northern indoor (12'-9.5”) and outdoor (12'-8”) pole vault records, was an Honorable Mention selection to the Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference team, and was the 2009 ONU Newcomer of the Year. She placed 11th in the pole vault at the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships and 13th at the Division III Outdoor Championships earlier this year. Hope competed in high school at Wilmington High School where she high school league and district record of 11'-1”.

Jessica Zangmeister (Fairview Park, Ohio) transferred to Indiana State from the University of Kentucky after redshirting during her freshman year. She will compete in both cross country and track & field. Zangmeister had a very successful high school career at Fairview High School where was a four-time cross country MVP, three-time All-Academic Ohio in both cross country and track, and set numerous school and conference records.

“We are very excited about Jessica joining out program,” Martin said. “She has the credentials to come in, push our top runners, and round out our team in a very positive way. She was a tremendous high school distance runner in Ohio who has run well on some very tough cross country courses. She will help us in the longer distances during the track season.”

Zangmeister has personal bests of 17:55 in 5K cross country, 10:58.17 in the 3200 meters, 5:13.07 in the 1600 meters, and 2:20.08 in the 800 meters. She was seventh in the Footlocker Midwest Regional and placed 26th at the nationals in 2008. She finished third in the 3200 meters at the Midwest Meet of Champions in 2009 after placing second in the Ohio State championships.