LEXINGTON, Va. - VMI men's track and field and cross country has announced its recruiting class for the 2009-10 academic year, according to information released by the coaching staff Thursday. The class is headlined by the 2009 Russian Federation junior cross country champion, Andrey Dmitriev, as well as one of the top pole vaulters in the country, Suffolk's Allen Kelly. The class includes 13 other competitors, for a total of 15 commitments.
“I am very pleased with our incoming class,” said VMI head coach Darrin Webb. “To bring in one of the top junior mid-distance/distance runners in the world, as well as a nationally-ranked pole vaulter and several other young men that are currently ranked near the top of their events in their respective states, I could not have asked for more from this year's recruitment efforts.”
Dmitriev is the most accomplished of this year's class, as the native of Neftekamsk, Russia has committed to join VMI. Dmitriev was the 2009 junior (under-20) cross country champion in Russia, and also was the 2009 Russian junior indoor champion in the 1,500 and 3,000-meter runs. His top 1,500-meter time of 3:49.04 would have placed him second in the Big South last year, while his best clocking in the 800-meters, a 1:50.34, would have put him in contention for the top spot at the Big South Championships. In addition, the soon-to-be Keydet finished 50th at the 2009 World Cross Country Championships in Amman, Jordan.
Kelly was one of VMI's earliest commitments, as the Suffolk, Va. native will come to the Institute from King's Fork High School. There, Kelly posted a PR of 15'8” (4.77 M) in the pole vault, and that success took him to the 2008 outdoor and 2009 indoor Virginia AAA State Championship. Overall, he was ranked as the 13th-best pole vaulter in the country during the 2009 indoor campaign.
Sprinter Nate Gant begins the remainder of this year's class, as he was the 2009 2A Maryland State Champion in the 55-meter dash with a time of 6.52. Gant also was the 2008 Marriott Ridge champion, winning the 100-meters, and comes to VMI ranked as the #2 in his native Maryland in the long jump, with a personal best leap of 22'6” (6.85 M). Also in the sprints, Austin Lewis comes to Lexington from Severna Park, Md., and plans to participate in both football and track. On the track, Lewis boasts a top time of 10.86 in the 100-meters. He has also stepped outside that specialty, competing for his high school's 4X400-meter relay team and clocking a split time of 49.4 seconds.
The Keydets' distance corps gets a strong addition with the next recruit, Booth Hornsby, who comes to VMI from Richmond's Deep Run High School. Hornsby, who was All-State in the 3,200-meter run, brings a 4:29 1,600-meter personal best and a 9:37 3,200-meter PR to the Institute.
Five other distance runners have committed to VMI for the next academic year as well. Chris Wunsch of Columbia, Md. was the runner-up in the 1,600-meters at the Maryland State Indoor Championships, and holds a top time of 4:24 in that event. Frank Van Valkenburg joins VMI from Marietta High School in Marietta, Ga., where he posted a top 5K time of 15:32, and he will be aided by follow out-of-state recruit Logan Hawke. Hawke, who attended Pinecrest High School in Southern Pines, N.C., holds a top time of 10:06 in the 3,200-meter run.
Two Virginia recruits will round out the new members of the VMI distance squad, as Dante Morales and Lucas Moffett conclude the quintet. Morales was a member of the state champion cross country team while at Oakton High School in Oakton, Va., and has personal best efforts of 16:06 in the 5K and 4:37 in the mile. Moffett is from nearby Stuarts Draft, Va., and holds a 10:04 PR in the 3,200-meters as well as a 4:40 PR in the 1,600.
Those recruits will be joined by an AAU All-American, as Dean Gonsalves comes to the Institute from Barton County Community College in Kansas, where he posted a 3:58 personal best on his way to those All-American honors in the 1,500-meter run. He was also All-State in the 800-meter run following the 2007 season at his native Grafton High School in Yorktown, Va.
The middle-distance unit will get further help, as three other commitments participate in those events. Jonathon Jackson, out of Valley Forge Military Academy, posted a 49.5 personal best in the 400-meters. Logan O'Day, who ran for Atlee High School in Mechanicsville, Va., will help provide depth in the 800-meter run, and finally, the Keydets will add one additional All-State honoree. Jason Thorpe, a native of Midlothian, Va., was named All-State in the indoor 1,000-meters this past season, thanks to his top time of 2:33 in that event. Thorpe also holds PR's of 4:35 in the mile and 1:56 in the 800-meters.
A complete listing of all signees, with photos, is linked above. The listing will be updated frequently as signees improve on their best marks.
