Men's Track and Field receives 11 commitments for 2010-11
March 16, 2010
AUSTIN, Texas -- The Texas men's track and field team has received 11 commitments for the 2010-11 season, head coach Bubba Thornton has announced. The group includes three middle distance runners, two distance runners, two pole vaulters, two throwers, a hurdler and a decathlete. "I'm really excited about the versatility in this class," said head coach Bubba Thornton. "We're continuing to try and build a competitive team for both the conference and national meets, while having quality depth, and I think this class addresses both of those areas. I'm looking forward to getting these guys on campus later this year and getting to work." Boosting the middle distance group will be the trio of Michael Quercia (Marcellus, N.Y./Marcellus), Kevin Rayes (Scottsdale, Ariz./Arcadia) and Devon Snack (Brunswick, Ohio/Brunswick). Quercia owns personal bests of 1:19.37 (600m), 1:53.16 (800m) and 2:30.58 (1,000m). He set his personal best in the 800 meters while finishing fifth at the 2010 Nike Indoor Nationals. Earlier in the season, he won the 600 meters at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational. That time ranks as the top time in the nation, the third-fastest in New York state history and the eighth-fastest in the country all-time. Rayes posted personal bests of 1:52.45 (800m) and 4:17.11 (1,600m) during his prep career. He won the 800 meters at the 2009 Arizona Meet of Champions (1:52.45) as a senior after finishing second in both the 800m (1:54.17) and 1,600m (4:17.11) at the 2009 4A-II state meet. Snack holds personal bests of 1:51.45 (800m) and 4:26.26 (1,600m). He used his personal best in the 800 meters to finish second at the Ohio state meet as a junior. Joining the distance group will be Nathan Christianson (Boerne, Texas/Boerne) and Ryan Dohner (Spring, Texas/Klein Oak). Christianson has notched personal bests of 9:21.52 (3,200m) and 15:04 (5K). He was tabbed first-team all-state in cross country as a senior after winning the 4A state title with a time of 15:24.30 (5K). Christianson also won the 4A state title in the 3,200 meters (9:21.52) as a junior. Dohner, a two-time second-team all-state selection, claims personal bests of 4:15.19 (1,600m), 9:04.17 (3,200m) and 15:22.50 (5K). He finished his senior cross country season by placing 12th at the Nike Cross Nationals after winning the Nike Cross South Regional. He finished 11th at the 5A state cross country meet as a senior and eighth as a junior. In the pole vault, Texas received commitments from Mark Thomas (Lorena, Texas/Lorena) and Casey Wicker (Dallas, Texas/Dallas Jesuit). Thomas finished fifth at the 2010 Nike Indoor Nationals with a 16-0 clearance. His personal best of 16-6 was tied for the third-best mark nationally indoors this season. Wicker also has a personal best of 16-6, which he set in winning the region 1-5A meet as a junior. He went on to tie for fourth at the 2009 5A state meet. Blake Jakobsson (Burleson, Texas/Burleson) and John Trucilla (Erie, Pa./Erie Cathedral Prep) will bolster the throwing group for Texas. Jakobsson, the son of Oskar Jakobsson, who was a two-time Olympian and seven-time All-American for Texas, holds personal bests of 178-9 in the discus and 52-2 in the shot put. He finished fifth in the discus at the 5A state meet as a junior after placing second in the discus and fourth in the shot put at the region 1-5A meet. Trucilla will throw the javelin at Texas after posting a personal best of 197-7 as a prepster. He placed ninth at the Pennsylvania state meet as a junior with a mark of 185-6. Rounding out the class are hurdler Josh Brudnick (Katy, Texas/Cinco Ranch) and multi-event performer Jacob Wohlford (Coppell, Texas/Coppell). Brudnick placed fourth in the 300-meter hurdles (37.85) and helped the 4x400-meter relay team finish fifth at the 2009 5A state meet as a junior. He clocked a 38.15 to finish second at the region 3-5A meet after winning the district title at that distance. Wohlford competed in both hurdle events, jumps and relays as a prepster. While focusing on the hurdles, he finished third in the 300m hurdles (37.70) and fifth in the 110m hurdles (14.51) at the 2009 5A state meet.
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