Ball State University Athletics
Track & Field Bolsters Roster with Seven Additional Signees for 2016-17
April 19, 2016 | Track & Field
MUNCIE, Ind. - - Ball State cross country and track & field head coach Brian Etelman announced today that seven student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to compete for the Cardinals starting in the 2016-17 academic year.
Hannah Cummings (Ann Arbor, Mich./Saline), Peyton Kneadler (Monticello, Ind./Twin Lakes), Brooke Talhelm (Indianapolis, Ind./Frankin Central) and Emily Tromp (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing) will look to make an immediate impact in the fall, when they join the cross country program. Jasmine Harris (Moreland Hills, Ohio/Orange), Amber Jones (Matteson, Ill./Rich South) and Kelsey Walters (Troy, Ohio/Troy) will make their debuts in the winter with the indoor track & field program.
“Our full recruiting class is a reflection of all of the late nights, long weekends and hard work our staff has put into making Ball State cross country/track & field the high-caliber program we all know it can be,” Etelman said. “I am incredibly excited to have these student-athletes on board with us. One of the major themes we have preached this year is to be great now, no need to wait. This class shows we are taking big steps in the right direction, and while we have plenty of work to do, I am confident we will be successful in the very near future.”
The seven new signees join Bryeana Byrdsong (Indianapolis, Ind./Warren Central) and Lauren Whitehouse (Mahomet, Ill./Mahomet-Seymour) who signed NLIs during the 2015-16 early signing period last November.
STUDENT-ATHLETE PROFILES:
Name Events Hometown (Previous School)
Hannah Cummings Mid-Distance/Cross Country Ann Arbor, Mich. (Saline)
CROSS COUNTRY: A four-year letterwinner in cross country at Saline High School for coach Michael Smith … team captain as a senior, team Most Valuable Performer as a junior … all-state honoree as a sophomore and a junior … four-time all-conference honoree … placed second at both the regional meet and conference meet as a senior, while placing 31st at state with a time of 18:32 … helped guide the Hornets to a state runner-up finish her sophomore season by placing 26th at the state meet … placed 20th at the state meet as a junior with a career-fast time of 18:21 … helped Saline capture four regional championships and four conference titles over her career.
TRACK & FIELD: Will conclude her senior season as a four-year letterwinner in track & field at Saline High School for coach Michael Smith … named all-state as a freshman and a junior … a three-time all-conference honoree … all-area selection as a junior … owns career best times of 2:16 in the 800m run set as a sophomore; 5:07 in the 1600m run set as a sophomore; 59.0 in the 400m dash set as a junior.
DEGRIO ON CUMMINGS: “Hannah comes from a great high school program where she experienced a great deal of success with her team and individually. Her competitive nature and understanding of what it takes to be a great athlete will enable her to have an immediate impact on our program and propel our middle distance and cross country teams to new heights. She comes to Ball State as one of top runners in the state of Michigan, and has been very successful in national-level competitions as well.”
Name Events Hometown (Previous School)
Jasmine Harris Sprints/Hurdles Moreland Hills, Ohio (Orange)
TRACK & FIELD: Will conclude her senior season as a four-year letterwinner in track & field at Orange High School for coach Frank Peters … named team Most Valuable Performer as a sophomore and junior … also named the conference Most Valuable Performer as a junior … holds the school record in both the 300m hurdles (42.55) and 100m hurdles (14.29) … her 300m hurdles time was also a state record and helped her capture her second consecutive state title in the event as a junior … she also won the state title in the 300m hurdles as a sophomore with a clocking of 43.25 … placed third at the state meet in the 100m hurdles as a junior (14.29) and was a member of the second place 4x100m relay as a freshman (48.86).
ETELMAN ON HARRIS: “We made a commitment to our team and our recruits to be great right away, and Jasmine Harris is the embodiment of that. Jasmine is an incredibly talented athlete who has range across both the short and long hurdles, can compete in sprints and will contribute on relays. She will be a major player within the MAC and contend at the regional and national levels as she develops.”
Name Events Hometown (Previous School)
Amber Jones Sprints Matteson, Ill. (Rich South)
TRACK & FIELD: Will conclude her senior season as a four year letterwinner in track & field at Rich South High School for coach Sharon Green … placed sixth in the 200m dash at the 2015 Illinois Class 2A State Finals with a time of 25.28 her junior season … also a member of the second-place 4x200m relay (1:42.53) and fifth-place 4x100m relay (49.09) at the meet … placed eighth in the 200m dash at the 2014 state meet with an effort of 25.81 her sophomore season … also placed 22nd in the long jump at the state meet as a sophomore, posting a distance of 15'-5.25” … owns career-best times of 24.83 in the 200m dash and 56.93 in the 400m dash.
ETELMAN ON JONES: “Amber comes to us as a raw talent from Illinois. Her range across all three sprint events will add to an already talented sprint/hurdle group. We have made depth in the relays a priority, and Amber will contribute right away.”
Name Events Hometown (Previous School)
Peyton Kneadler Mid-Distance/Cross Country Monticello, Ind. (Twin Lakes)
CROSS COUNTRY: A three-year letterwinner in cross country at Monticello High School for coach David Schultheiss … second team all-conference as a senior … all-county selection as a sophomore, junior and senior … team's Mental Attitude Award winner as a sophomore, and the Larry Crabb Sportsmanship Award honoree as a junior … placed 17th at regionals her senior season with a time of 20:17 … earned a career-best time of 20:16 at state her sophomore season to help the team finish 12th overall in its first-ever appearance at the state meet … helped guide the Indians to sectional titles her sophomore and senior seasons.
TRACK & FIELD: Will conclude her senior season as a four-year letterwinner at Monticello High School for coach James Creamer … first team all-conference as a freshman and sophomore … Larry Crabb Sportsmanship Award winner as a freshman … most points scored on the team as a freshman … Girls Mental Attitude Award winner as a junior … sectional champion in the 800m run as a freshman (2:33) … sectional champion in the 400m dash as a sophomore (1:01.72) … placed 10th at regionals in the 800m run as a sophomore (2:20.49) … member of the school-record setting 4x800m relay (10:10.55) and 4x400m relay (4:11) … owns career-best times of 2:20.49 in the 800m run set as a senior; 59.08 in the 400m dash set as a senior; 26.84 in the 200m dash; 5:51 in the mile run.
DEGRIO ON KNEADLER: “Peyton is developing into a great middle-distance runner and has the ability to be an outstanding collegiate runner. We are excited to see where her talent takes her when she dedicates herself full-time to running rather than splitting time with soccer. She is incredibly dedicated and is determined to fulfill her potential as a Cardinal.”
Name Events Hometown (Previous School)
Brooke Talhelm Mid-Distance/Cross Country Indianapolis, Ind. (Franklin Central)
CROSS COUNTRY: A four-year letterwinner in cross country at Franklin Central for coach Matt Sweetman … all-state honorable mention as a freshman … all-conference as a sophomore, junior and senior … named team Most Valuable Performer as a junior, after earning Co-MVP honors her freshman season … Marion Country Coaches of Girls Sports Association (MCCGSA) Athlete of the Year nominee … led Franklin Central to a fourth-place finish at the state meet her freshman season, finishing second on the squad and 44th overall with a time of 19:12 … helped guide the Flashes to four sectional titles and a pair of regional championships … placed first at regionals as a sophomore (19:28) … clocked a career-fast time of 19:07 at the Marion Invitational as a junior … placed fourth at regionals as a junior (19:12) and senior (19:24).
TRACK & FIELD: Will conclude her senior season as a four-year letterwinner at Franklin Central for coach Matt Sweetman … all-state in the 4x400m relay (9th) as a freshman … all-state in the 4x800m relay (7th) and 800m run (7th) as a sophomore ... all state in the 800m run (5th) and 4x400m relay (4th) as a junior … five-time all-conference honoree … team captain as a senior … team Most Valuable Performer as a sophomore and a junior … owns career-best times of 2:13.84 in the 800m run set as a junior; 57.7 in the 4x400m relay set as a junior; 5:05:36 in the mile run set as a senior.
DEGRIO ON TALHELM: “Brooke is an incredibly talented athlete who will make an immediate impact on our success in both cross country and track & field. She is one of the top middle distance runners in the state of Indiana, and has shown steady improvement throughout her high school career. As an outstanding young woman who comes from a great family, Brooke will have a very positive impact on our team culture right away.”
Name Events Hometown (Previous School)
Emily Tromp Mid-Distance/Cross Country Hibbing, Minn. (Hibbing)
CROSS COUNTRY: A two-year letterwinner in cross country at Hibbing High School for coach James Plese … team captain as a senior … all-area selection as a junior and senior … Mesabi Daily News, Hibbing Daily Tribune and Grand Rapids Herald Area Runner of the Year as a junior … qualified for the Minnesota State AA Meet as a junior … won the Nemadji Invite (20:11.5), Eveleth Invite (20:34.40) and Virginia Invite (18.35) her senior seasons; while placing second at the Milace Mega Meet (19:05.66) and fourth at the Twin Ports Meet (19.49) … her time at the Milaca Mega Meet was a career-best 5K time, while her clocking of 15:03.9 in the Hibbing Rotary Meet as a junior was her career-best 4K effort.
TRACK & FIELD: Will conclude her senior season as a five-year letterwinner in track & field at Hibbing High School for coaches Greg Buus and Christie Estey … three-time Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) Girl's Class AA Honor Roll honoree in the 400m dash … three-time all-conference selection in the 400m dash … all-conference in the 200m dash and 4x400m relay as a junior and the triple jump as a freshman … three-time team Most Valuable Performer … program's Rookie of the Year as an eighth grader … all-area all four seasons she has competed so far … team captain as a junior and senior … Minnesota State AA Meet qualifier as a freshman, sophomore and junior … section 7AA 400m dash champion as a junior with a school-record time of 58.38 … placed second in section 7AA of the 200m dash as a junior with a career-fast time of 26.42 … owns a career-best triple jump of 34'-7.5”,
DEGRIO ON TROMP: “Emily is really is a diamond in the rough; she has a unique background of being a sprinter who has experienced success in cross country as well. She has a ton of untapped potential, and is very driven and dedicated to being an outstanding athlete. She has all the tools to be great at any distance from 400m up to the 6K in cross country; we're excited to see her fulfill that potential as a Cardinal.”
Name Events Hometown (Previous School)
Kelsey Walters Throws Troy, Ohio (Troy)
TRACK & FIELD: Will conclude her senior season as a four-year letterwinner in track & field at Troy High School for coaches Kurt Snyder and Aaron Gibbons … holds the school record in the shot put at 40'-6.5” set last weekend (April 16) … her previous career-best was 38'-9.5” set her junior year, which was also a school record … first team all-conference in both the shot put and 4x100m relay as a junior, while earning second team all-conference in the 4x200m relay and all-conference honorable mention in the 100m dash … earned all-state honors as a sophomore after helping guide the Trojan's 4x100m relay to a seventh place finish at the state meet with a time of 48.96 ... first team all-conference in the 4x200m relay, and second team all-conference in the 4x100m relay and all-conference honorable mention in the shot put as a sophomore … has helped guide the Trojans to three Great Western Ohio Conference North Division titles over her career, as well as a three overall conference runner-up finishes … helped lead Troy to a District Championship as a junior, and district runner-up finishes her first two years with the program … was also a three-year letterwinner in soccer at Troy, earning third team all-Dayton area honors as a senior.
KRUPA ON WALTERS: “Kelsey is an extremely talented yet raw thrower. She will have a great impact with her pure athletic ability and raw power. She will make huge waves for us in the future as a shot putter, with great hopes for her ability to throw the hammer.”
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