Emporia State track and field coach Dave Harris has brought a lot more than just talent with his latest eight signees.
He has also added some much-needed beef to rosters in need of some depth.
The most recent eight recruits bump Harris’ 2007 class to 22 athletes. He also has a few more that have verbally committed and said he will continue his recruiting efforts through June.
His hope is to have more than 30 new athletes on campus in the fall, which would mean half of his roster next year would be made up of first-year Hornets.
“With the numbers and quality we’re going to have,” Harris said, “no spot is going to be taken for granted.”
The latest eight are highlighted by three athletes that could contribute right away.
Adam McGovern finished 15th in the state of Missouri as a cross country runner his senior season at Lee’s Summit West High School. He also was a member of the Missouri Class 4 state championship 3,200-meter relay team his junior year.
The distance runner should especially help ESU in cross country — a sport where the Hornets were particularly thin last season.
“Adam was one of the top cross country runners in the Kansas City area this past fall,” Harris said. “We think he can step up into our top five immediately.”
Morgan Frehe should help the women’s distance events, as she placed 15th in the Kansas State 4A Cross Country Championships for DeSoto High School. She also was part of DeSoto’s 3,200-meter relay team that placed sixth at State.
Josh Honeycutt comes to ESU after posting the best triple jump in the state of Kansas for Iola High School last year.
His mark of 48 feet, 3 inches led all classes.
Honeycutt also had the best long jump last year in Class 4A.
Cody Burns of Eudora and Jed Ricke of Medicine Lodge round out the men’s signings.
Burns was 19th in the 4A state cross country championships, earning All-State honors. He is one of six men’s distance runners joining ESU next season.
“In men’s cross country, it was hard to get competition last year,” Harris said. “Now, it’s going to be competitive when everyone comes back in the fall.”
Ricke was a three-time state qualifier in the 110-meter hurdles, placing fifth in Class 3A last season.
LaNeisha Douglas of Grandview, Mo., Ashley Spencer of Jefferson City, Mo., and Katie Barezinsky of Scranton complete the women’s class.
Douglas was a member of the Missouri Class 4 State Champion 400-meter relay team, Spencer was 11th in the Missouri Class 4 300-meter hurdles and Barezinsky placed seventh in the javelin and 14th in the shot put for Santa Fe Trail High School in the Kansas Class 4A competition.
“It’s going to be exciting to see those new individuals and create an atmosphere of competition,” Harris said. “We have not really had that recently.”