Eastern Michigan Athletics
Women’s Track and Cross Country Announces 2009 Recruiting Class
3/12/2009 1:46:59 PM | Women's XC, Women's Track & Field
Seven sign National Letters of Intent
YPSILANTI, Mich. — Eastern Michigan University women's cross country and track and field head coach Sue Parks has announced the signing of seven student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. Ashlee Abraham (Detroit, Mich.-Renaissance), Cortney Calka (Livonia, Mich.-Stevenson), Tiffany Kincaid (Clarkston, Mich.-Clarkston), Rachel Quaintance (Walled Lake, Mich.-Northern), Asia Rawls (Waterford, Mich.-Mott), Lisa Stuto (Brick, N.J.-Brick) and Frederike Schoenfeld (Hessen, Germany-Tilemannschule Limburg/ Fachhochschule Wiesbaden) will join the squad for the 2009-10 school year.
"All of these athletes are or have been either state champions, members of state championship teams or all-state performers," said Parks. "Anytime you can bring in athletes who have competed at that level, you know that they understand what it means to perform well in championship meets and contribute to the team. We are pleased to add five Michigan athletes to the roster along with adding another student-athlete from New Jersey and one international student-athlete from Germany. We still have more recruiting to do for the upcoming year but this is a fantastic start to our 2009-2010 class."
Abraham, who will graduate from Detroit's Renaissance High School this spring, helped lead the team to the Michigan Division II state championship title in 2007, winning the 200 meters with a time of 25.01 seconds. She was also part of the winning 4x200-meter relay team. Despite suffering a stress fracture in 2008, she still placed third in the 200 at the state championship. Abraham is a former teammate to current EMU trackster, Christina Farrow.
"I feel that Ashlee is a real sleeper on the sprint side," said Parks. "She won a state championship in the 200 as a sophomore and then suffered an injury during her junior year. The fact that she could still finish 3rd in the state coming back from injury shows the kind of talent that she has. It will be exciting to see what she can do now that she is healthy for her senior year."
Calka is perhaps one of the most decorated signees, having won the 2008 Michigan High School Division I cross country regional with a time of 17:47 for the 5,000-meter course. A four-time All-State qualifier, she went on to finish eighth at the Division I State Championship with a time of 17:55. Calka also qualified for the 2008 Michigan All-Star cross country team that competed at the Midwest Meet of Champions. A versatile runner, Calka won the Michigan state championship in the 1,600 meters in 2008 and fifth in the 1,600 at the outdoor state track championship. She has already posted indoor best marks of 2:20.50 for the 800 meters, 5:06.47 for the 1,600 and 11:15.55 for the 3,200 meters for the current 2009 indoor season. An outstanding student in the classroom, Calka will be receiving a Regents scholarship at EMU. She is coached by former EMU runner Nancy Gavoor.
"After watching Courtney compete, I knew that she had the kind of toughness and competitiveness that you need to be a top college distance runner," said Parks. "I see her being a strong front runner for our team and someone who will help raise the level of our distance squad."
Kincaid was a member of Clarkston's Division I state championship cross country team in 2005. A two-time captain of Clarkston's cross country team, she has posted a personal-best mark of 18:57 for the cross country 5K. She is a two-time Division I state qualifier in track, with a best of 11:25 for the 3,200. Kincaid also qualified for the 2008 Michigan All-Star team that competed at the Midwest Meet of Champions. She is coached by former EMU runner Mike Franko.
"Tiffany has been a member and team captain of one of the most dominant cross country programs in the state of Michigan," said Parks. "She is a hard worker and a team player who is going to do what it takes to contribute to the team."
Quaintance, the sister of current EMU student-athlete Lauren Quaintance, is a four-time Division I state qualifier in cross country. An All-State selection in 2007, she ran 18:28 for the 5K to finish 19th at the state cross country championship. Quaintance also qualified for the 2008 Michigan All-State team that competed at the Midwest Meet of Champions. On the track, she has posted personal-best marks of 2:21 for the 800, 5:14 for the 1,600 and 11:33 for the 3,200. Quaintance, an excellent student in the classroom, will also be receiving a Regents-Gold scholarship at EMU.
"I believe that Rachel is an untapped talent," said Parks. "I am confident that she will thrive in a situation where she has other strong distance runners around her. I have no doubt that Rachel is going to work hard to be a top distance runner at the college level."
Another multitalented athlete, Rawls helped Mott High School finish second in the 4x800-meter relay at the 2008 Division I state championship with a 2:13 800 meter split. She came back to finish fourth in the 400 meters with a time of 57.59 seconds. Rawls is also an accomplished long jumper and a top point scorer on Mott's basketball squad.
"Asia is a versatile athlete who will be able to contribute in a number of different areas," said Parks. "She has excelled in the sprints, middle distances, and long jump. I am excited to see where her talent lies at the college level. She is a tough competitor and a great athlete. "
Stuto will add some depth for EMU throwing, as she has claimed personal-best marks of 44-06.00 in the shot put and 120-06 in the discus. In 2008, she set per personal best in the shot while finishing second at the New Jersey Meet of Champions. She recently finished first in the shot at the 2009 Group Three Indoor meet and third at the 2009 meet of Champions. She plans to study Education at EMU.
"When Lisa came on her visit to EMU, I knew that she was the kind of athlete that we wanted on our team," said Parks. "She is a true student of the throwing events and she is willing to put in the hard work necessary to succeed at the college level. We hope to start making an impact in the throws and I believe that Lisa is kind of person who can help us move in that direction."
As a member of the TC Camberg track club, Schoenfeld has set personal-best marks of 14.54 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles, 58.19 in the 400-meter hurdles, 55.50 in the 400 meters and 2:10 in the 800 meters. In 2007 and 2008 she finished sixth at the German National Championship in the 400. In 2007, she was also the Under-21 German National Champion in the 400 hurdles. In 2006, she was a semifinalist at the World Junior Championship in the 400 hurdles.
"Frederike is a proven international performer who will be able contribute to immediately in the sprints, hurdles and middle distances," said Parks. "We are excited to add such an outstanding international student-athlete to our roster."
2009 Women's Cross Country and Track and Field Signing Class
Name Hometown-High School
Ashlee Abraham Detroit, Mich.-Renaissance
Courtney Calka Livonia, Mich.-Stevenson
Tiffany Kincaid Clarkston, Mich.-Clarkston
Rachel Quaintance Walled Lake, Mich.-Northern
Asia Rawls Waterford, Mich.-Mott
Lisa Stuto Brick, N.J.-Brick
Frederike Schoenfeld Hessen, Germany-Tilemannschule Limburg/ Fachhochschule Wiesbaden
