GRAND FORKS, N.D. - University of North Dakota Head Track and Field Coach Kevin Galbraith announced today that nine recruits have been signed to National Letters of Intent for the 2012-13 season: Hailey Brinkman, Jayd Eggert, Emma Erickson, Molly Griep, Jami Johnson, Alyssa Lueck, Lydia Lutz, Bethany Schultz and Alyssa Stolt.

"I'm real excited about this class for a lot reasons," said Galbraith. "This is our first chance as a staff to bring in a recruiting class, and these are all people who can come in and step up and compete at the Division I level and be competitive in the Big Sky (Conference). This is the kind of group that we need to move the program forward and be successful at the Division I level."

Brinkman is a native of Grey Eagle, Minn., and will be a 2012 graduate of Melrose High School. She placed third in the triple jump at the 2011 Minnesota State championship with a mark of 36 feet, 5 ½ inches. She also was a member of Melrose's fourth-place entry in the 4x200 relay. Brinkman was named 2011 West Central North Conference champion in the triple jump, earning all-conference honors in the process, and was voted her team's rookie of the year and most valuable field athlete. She also competed in tennis and gymnastics, setting a school record on the beam and winning a conference championship in the all-around.

Eggert is a native of Minot, N.D., and will be a 2012 graduate of Minot High School. She was the top discus thrower in the state of North Dakota last year and was the 2011 North Dakota Class A runner-up in both the discus and the javelin. She placed fifth in both events at the 2010 state meet and finished third in the discus at the 2009 state meet. Her personal bests include 136 feet, 9 inches in the discus and 126 feet, 9 inches in the javelin. Eggert also competed in volleyball and basketball, and is an honors student.

Erickson is a Lakeville, Minn., native and will be a 2012 graduate of Lakeville North High School. A discus thrower with a personal best of 134 feet, 4 inches, Erickson placed fifth at the 2011 Minnesota AA state meet and seventh at the 2010 state meet. She was the 2011 Section 1AA discus champion and the 2011 South Suburban Conference discus champion.

Griep (pronounced 'greep') is a native of Whitewater, Wis., and will be a 2012 graduate of Whitewater High School. A combination shot put and discus thrower, she has recorded personal bests of 42 feet, 7 inches in the shot put and 133 feet, 3 inches in the discus. Griep, who has qualified for the state championship every year as a prep, placed second in the shot put and fifth in the discus at the 2010 Wisconsin Division II state meet. She earned three straight Rock Valley Conference championships in the discus from 2009 to 2011 and back-to-back conference titles in the shot put in 2009 and 2010. In 2011, she was the conference runner-up in the shot put to fellow UND recruit Alyssa Lueck. Griep also competed in basketball and volleyball, earning all-conference honors in the latter.

Johnson is a native of Glasgow, Mont., and will be a 2012 graduate of Glasgow High School. She was the 2011 state champion in both the 1,600-meters and 3,200-meters after earning fourth-place finishes in both events in 2010. She was her team's No. 1 cross country runner for the past three seasons, leading Glasgow to state championships in each of the last two while earning back-to-back third-place individual finishes. In 2009, she led Glasgow to a third-place team finish and placed ninth individually.

Lueck is a native of Walworth, Wis., and will be a 2012 graduate of Big Foot Union High School. A shot putter with a personal best of 42 feet, 1 ½ inches, Lueck was the 2011 Rock Valley Conference shot put champion. She placed seventh at the 2011 Wisconsin Division II state meet and sixth in 2010. An honors student, Lueck also competed in basketball and volleyball.

Lutz (pronounced 'lutts') is a native of Park Rapids, Minn., and will be a 2012 graduate of Park Rapids Area High School. She was the 2011 Minnesota True team champion in the 1,600-meters and the 3,200-meters. In cross country, Lutz won both Section 8A team and individual championships in 2011 and placed sixth individually at the state meet, ranking no lower than seventh in the Minnesota polls during the season. Lutz was also a three-time Mid-State cross country individual champion from 2009 to 2011. Her older sister, Victoria, is a sophomore on UND's track and field team.

Schultz is a native of Rochester, Minn., and will be a 2012 graduate of Century High School. A discus thrower with a personal best of 129 feet, 3 inches, she was the 2011 Big 9 Conference discus champion and placed eighth at the 2011 Minnesota AA state meet. An honors student and a member of the National Honor Society, Schultz also competed in soccer and basketball.

Stolt is a native of Plymouth, Minn., and will be a 2012 graduate of Wayzata High School. A shot putter with a personal best of 40 feet, 11 ½ inches, she was the Section 6AA shot put champion in 2011. Stolt placed fifth in the shot put at the 2011 Minnesota AA state meet after a 15th-place finish in 2010.

 

 

 

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