After losing more than five athletes to graduation, LSU coach Dennis Shaver hopes to keep a talented squad after recruiting nine future Tigers and Lady Tigers for the 2017 season.
“LSU is a name and a brand in our sport that is able to attract some of the best talent out there each recruiting season,” Shaver said in a press release on Nov. 24. “Our staff has done a tremendous job this season of identifying and recruiting across the country some special athletes who we believe will keep our teams competing at the highest level in the coming years.”
Each athlete has strengths and accomplishments they bring to the team.
Sprinter Chris Lewis from Heflin, Louisiana signed from Meridian Community College. Lewis has numerous accolades, including two national silver medals at the National Junior College Athletics Association Championships in the 60-meter indoor and 100-meter outdoor events during the 2015 season.
According to an article in the Press-Herald, Lewis said running for LSU is a “dream come true.”
Lewis joins outstanding athletes like LSU senior sprinter Michael Cherry, who has earned four All-American honors as well as being a part of a winning 4×400-meter relay team alongside senior LaMar Bruton, and graduates Cyril Grayson and Fitzroy Dunkley.
LSU also adds talents to the jump events with recruits Rayvon Grey, Milton Harrell and Christian Miller.
Grey competed in the 2015 New Balance Outdoor Nationals and won fourth place in the long and triple jumps. He won the long jump event at the 2016 New Balance Indoor Nationals and won a silver medal in the triple jump championship.
Harrell is a four-time Mississippi State Champion, winning the Class 3A crown in the high jump with a 7 foot record in 2015.
Miller took home three state championships in the long and triple jumps during his time at Northside High School, among other accomplishments.
With the three jumpers joining junior Da’Quan Bellard, they make a promising group to watch.
“We have a great tradition here in the jumps, so we felt it was important for us to reestablish depth in that event area with our men’s class this year,” Shaver said. “We’ve been able to do that by signing some talented young men with the right attitude to come in and perform at a very high level in our program.”
The Lady Tigers enhance their team as well, rallying five new athletes —Nickolette Dunbar, Brittley Humphrey, Cassondra Hall, Tonea Marshall, and Ruby Stauber.
Hall joins an impressive lists of sprinters including junior and senior sprinters Mikiah Brisco and Jada Martin, respectfully, both a part of a NCAA winning 4×100-meter relay team.
During her high school career, Hall accomplished titles in the 100-meter and 200-meter events at the 2015 USA Track & Field Junior Olympic National Championships. Hall showed her stripes when she refused to stop there. She also won two silver medals in the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes at the New Balance Indoor and Outdoor Nationals in 2015.
Humphrey and Marshall join the hurdlers as Humphrey won second place at the 2015 USATF World Youth Track & Field Trials, and Marshall ranked third in her indoor and outdoor seasons with her performances in the 100-meter and 60-meter hurdle events.
Dunbar is sure to continue breaking records at LSU like she did during her high school career when she became the first in her event and New Jersey high schools to bypass the 50-foot mark in the shotput event.
Stauber joins the middle distance runners winning the U.S. Junior Silver Medal in the 800 meters at the USATF Junior National Outdoor Championships.
“This is a great class that really addresses some of our needs across all of the event areas,” Shaver said. “They have the pedigree, and now it’s our job as coaches to help develop their talent when they join us starting next fall.”