JONESBORO, Ark. (9/10/12) – Arkansas State head track and field coach Jim Patchell has announced the addition of 25 student-athletes to that will compete for the Red Wolves during the 2012-12 track and field season.

Of the 25 student-athletes 10 will be joining the men’s team and 15 will be added to the women’s roster. The Red Wolves return two All-Americans to the team as well, including sprinter Sharika Nelvis and pole vaulter Stephanie Foreman.

“We are excited about the depth and quality of both the men’s and women’s classes,” Patchell said. “We believe this class has laid a solid foundation for the future of the team as well as allow for us to contend for Sun Belt titles right away.”

Fifteen new faces will join the women’s team this season, including seven from the state of Arkansas. Alexandra Pevtsova will join the pole vaulting squad after enjoying a very successful career at Valley View High School in Jonesboro. She is ranked No. 8 on the Arkansas High School All-time pole vault list and was ranked among the top 40 jumpers in the nation last year. She was the Arkansas Meet of Champions.

Jonesboro High School standout Macey Rodely will also join the team and will bring a wide range of talents to the team. She has competed in throwing events, sprinting events and the pole vault in the past.

Shakeria Marshall, a native of Texarakana, Ark., will compete in several events for the Red Wolves. She holds a personal best of 17’9’ in the long jump and a leap of 5’4’ in the high jump. She has also posted time of 25.65 in the 200-meter run and 58.77 in the 400-meter run.

Sabrina Antimo (Cabot, Ark.), Alecia Dodds (Camden, Ark.), Abbey Dixon (West Memphis, Ark.) and Riley Hancock (Russellville, Ark.) will all join this year’s team after successful high school careers in Arkansas. Antimo and Dodds will compete primarily in the sprinting and hurdling events, while Dixon and Hancock will compete on the cross country team. Antimo has a personal best of 11.94 in the 100-meter dash and was an All-State selection in Arkansas from three straight years.

Dodds has posted a top time of 14.30 in the 100-meter hurdles and time of 44.05 in the 300-meter hurdles. Dixon won multiple events at the high school, including several long distance running events. She has a personal best of 5:13 in the 1600-meter run and 11:22 in the 3200-meter run. Hancock was an All-State performer during her high school career and has times of 2:23.57 in the 800-meter and 5:22.19 in the 1600-meter events.

Other additions to the 2012-13 ASU women’s track and field team include Emenderlyn Iwuji (Carrollton, Texas), Jessica Maggio (Clearwater, Fla.), Erica Turner (Memphis, Tenn.), Logan Thiel (Clearwater, Fla.), Charlotte Williams (Decatur, Ga.), Taylor Swanson (Salina, Kan.), Megan Wright (Blue Springs, Mo.) and Ashleigh Price (Niceville, Fla.).

Iwuji would join an already strong group of long and triple jumpers at ASU. She has a personal best of 17’9 ¼ in the long jump and a lead of 38’7” in the triple jump. Maggio will compete in the hurdling events after earning honors a team MVP at the high school level. Turner will also join the hurdle crew after posting times of 14.26 in the 100-meter hurdles and 44.31 in the 300-meter hurdles at the high school level.

Thiel will add depth in the 400-meter for ASU and will push for a spot on the relay teams. She has a personal best of 25.26 in the 200-meter and a time of 57.05 in the 400-meter. Williams will round out the list of additions to the running crew. She won a regional title in the 400-meter race at the high level and has a personal best of 56.70 at the distance.

Swanson was the No. 25 ranked high school pole vaulter in the nation last year and was the state champion on her division on Kansas. Swanson was the Missouri state championship runner-up and was selected to the all-state twice as a pole vaulter. Price will compete on the cross country after having posted personal bests of 5:43.09 in the 1600-meter and 12:15.44 in the 3200-meter races.

Three sprinters will join the men’s team including Tahson Reese (Camden, N.J.), Billy Ellis (Newport, Ark.) and Jamal Jones (Kansas City, Mo.). Reese has personal bests of 10.60 in the 100-meter dash and a time of 21.76 in the 200-meter run, while Ellis has posted times of 14.21 in the 110-meter hurdles and 39.31 in the 300-meter hurdles. Jones is expected to compete for a spot on the relay team and has posted a time of 10.90 in the 100-meter dash.

Kashef Daniel (Scarborough, Trinidad & Tobago) and Foster Ngowe (Harare, Zimbabwe) will join the high jump and long jump squads, while Thomas Walton (Batesville, Ark.) will join the pole vaulting team. Daniel spent the previous two seasons at Iowa Western Community College and has posted personal bests of 6’11 ¼ in the high jump and 24’11 in the long jump. Ngowe has personal high jump best of 6’8 and leap of 24’ in the long jump, while Walton has had a personal best vault of 14’4.

The men’s cross country team has added Jesse Duvall (Russellville, Ark.), Lance Beckman (Conway, Ark.), Riley Talbot (Jackson, Mo.) and Andre Walker (Florissant, Mo.). Duvall placed second at the 2011 6A Arkansas State Cross Country meet and was helped Russellville High School win the 2012 6A State Outdoor Team Championship.

Beckman won state championships in the 1600-meter and the 3200-meter races at the 2A level in 2012, while Talbot had personal bests of 4:49 in the 1600-meter, 10:15 in the 3200-meter and 16:52 in the 5000-meter. Walker recently competed at the AAU National Junior Olympics where his 4x800 relay team narrowly missed setting a national record.