Track & Field Signs Three to NLIs for 2018-19 Campaign

MUNCIE, Ind. - - The Ball State track & field program has strengthened its hurdles, multi-events and mid-distance groups with the signing of three high school standouts to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period according to head coach Brian Etelman.

Set to join the program in the fall of 2018 are hurdler and multi-event specialist Karlie Zumbro (Zanesville, Ohio/John Glen), as well as mid-distance specialists Karleigh Connor (Maineville, Ohio/Kings) and Meghan Hedrick (Norwalk, Ohio/St. Paul).

"The three young women we signed in the early period show our commitment to developing Midwest talent, as they all hail from Ohio," Etelman said. "We have very specific recruiting needs this year and addressing our depth in the distance areas and the need for quality in the long hurdles and multis are at the top of our list. Karlie, Meghan and Karleigh all check many boxes for us. We're really excited to have these hard-working, talent student-athletes represent our program over the coming years, and we anticipate highly successful senior years of high school from all three. This is a great start to our 2018 class, and we look to add more future Cardinals in the April signing period."

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Karlie Zumbro
Zanesville, Ohio (John Glen High School)

PRs: 60m Hurdles - 9.23 | 100m Hurdles - 14.90 | 300m Hurdles - 43.43 | 400m - 58.04 | Long Jump - 17'-1" | Triple Jump – 35'-5.5" | Heptathlon - 4,272

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Placed third in the 300m hurdles (43.43) and eighth in the 100m hurdles (15.04) at the Ohio High School Athletics Association (OHSAA) Division 2 State Outdoor Championships as a junior … placed second in the triple jump (35'-5.5"), second in the 400m (58.85), fourth in the 60m hurdles (9.23) and 11th in the long jump (15'-8") at the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches (OATCCC) Indoor State Meet as a junior … finished third in the 300m hurdles (44.32) and fifth in the 100m hurdles (15.23) at the OHSAA Division 2 State Outdoor Championships as a sophomore … won the triple jump at the OATCCC Indoor State Meet as a sophomore with a distance of 34'-7.25", while also placing fifth in the 400m (59.01) and ninth in the long jump (16'-0.75") … took fourth in the 300m hurdles (45.16), seventh in the long jump (16'-8.75") and 14th in the 100m hurdles (15.62) at the OHSAA Division 2 State Outdoor Championships as a freshman … took 11th in the 60m hurdles (9.94) and 12th in the long jump (15'7.5") in her first OATCCC Indoor State meet as a freshman.

ETELMAN ON ZUMBRO: Karlie fits the mold of what I look for when recruiting student-athletes. She's an incredibly tough, hard-working individual that loves our sport and is dedicated to her craft. In Karlie, I know that I am getting a gamer with huge upside that will be reliable when it matters most. She's performed well in a variety of areas in high school and will be a tremendous asset to our program for years to come.

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Karleigh Connor
Maineville, Ohio (Kings High School)

PRs: 400m - 1:00.22 | 800m - 2:15.90 | Mile - 5:20 | 5K (XC) - 19:40

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Placed 60th in the Ohio High School Athletics Association (OHSAA) Division 1 Cross Country Regional as a senior … ran the second leg for the third-place 4x800m relay (9:01.43) at the OHSAA Division I State Meet as a junior … placed 10th in the 800m (2:23:75) at the OHSAA Division 1 Outdoor Track & Field Regionals as a junior, while also running a leg for the sixth-place 4x400m relay (4:00.72) at the meet … helped guide her 4x400m relay to a ninth-place time of 3:56.64 at the OHSAA Division I State Meet her sophomore season … placed 16th in the 800m at the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches (OATCCC) Indoor State Meet her sophomore season, while helping guide the 4x800m relay to a fifth-place finish and the 4x400m relay to a 12th-place showing at the meet.

DEGRIO ON CONNOR: Karleigh comes to Ball State as one of the top middle-distance runners in the state of Ohio. We're excited for her to add depth to our middle-distance group, and to continue progressing as a cross country runner. In addition to being an incredibly talented athlete, Karleigh is an outstanding student and person, who will contribute positively to the Ball State community.

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Meghan Hedrick
Norwalk, Ohio (St. Paul High School)

PRs: 400m - 1:00.15 | 800m - 2:17.44

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Relatively new to track, being a standout for the St. Paul High School volleyball program … placed 12th in the 800m (2:20.14) at the Ohio High School Athletics Association (OHSAA) Division 3 State Championships as a junior, while also competing for the seventh-place 4x100m (51.17) and 4x400m (4:02.72) relays at the meet … a three-time competitor at the OHSAA Division 3 State Championships as a sophomore, running for the sixth-place 4x200m relay (1:46.52), the 10th-place 4x400m relay (4:05.54) and the 12th-place (51.39) 4x100m relay.

DEGRIO ON HEDRICK: A tremendous all-around athlete, having played volleyball at a high-level for many years, we are very excited Meghan has chosen to pursue her collegiate running career at Ball State. Meghan has the potential to develop into a great middle-distance runner now that she is able to focus solely on track. Her dedication to performing at a high level in all aspects of life, as well has her desire to win, are key qualities we have identified in Meghan during the recruiting process.

Ball State University Athletics

Track & Field Signs Three to NLIs for 2018-19 Campaign

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