Charleston, S.C. The Citadel track and field team announced 22 student-athletes committing to the school during the late signing period, announced Monday by head coach Jody Huddleston. The Bulldogs will be adding 19 men and three women to the ranks as they will be joined by early signee Sarah Creel, rounding out a 23-person signing class.

The 2007 signing class includes a crop of top runners from the South Carolina Lowcountry, including the top distance runner from James Island, West Ashley, Wando and Beaufort High Schools. Three state champions also head to the Military College of South Carolina with two-time state champion Quintin Turner from Wando High School and Maryland high jump state champion James Harris.

“This is one of our biggest and most talented incoming classes in the last 10 years,” said head coach Jody Huddleston. It is a testament to the recent success of the program that we are getting these quality athletes. The incoming women will be a talented complement to a young distance squad that has a nice balance of juniors, sophomores and freshmen while the men will have the chance to make an immediate impact. [Recruiting Coordinator and assistant coach] Kris Kut has done a really good job to get this class.”

Distance
One of the strongest groups of incoming athletes, 13 total student-athletes will be moonlighting in the fall on the cross country team. LeAnne Ferrell and Sarah Stierwalt's 5,000m times will both put them leading the way of the returning women and both have marked two-mile times of 12:00 and faster. Also joining the women in distance events will be Suzie Gay who enters with a 21:57 mark in the 5k.

On the men's side, Zach Yereb ran a sub-10 minute two-mile time in high school and will join Chris Fallis and AJ Russell in vying for a top five spot on the team in distance reports. Fallis was a two-time 4A South Carolina State Finalist this past year, placing seventh in the two-mile and sixth running the third leg of the 4x800m relay. Joining that trio will be Alex Anderson, a transfer from Florida International, who brings 8k experience.

Middle Distance
Jospeh Tkach will help the 800m runners next year as he brings a 1:58 mark, a time that would put him second on the team compared to The Citadel's 2007 marks. Tkach received All-State honors in the 4A South Carolina State 4x800m relay and missed the state finals in the 800m by one-tenth of a second. Despite taking a year of, William Leek can run a sub-two minute time in the 800m and will also help in cross country.

Sprints
Matt Sheaffer and James Hansil will work to find a spot on the men's relays while Sheaffer will also help in the 400m. Sarah Creel, the Bulldogs' early signee, finished second in the 200m and third in the 400m at the Tennessee State Championships, bringing home two All-State honors.

Field Events
Quintin Turner joins The Citadel cadets after winning the 4A South Carolina State shot put (57' 3”) and discus (158' 4”) titles while at Wando High School. Turner will also be a walk-on member of the football team at The Citadel. James Harris brings a Maryland State Championship with him after winning the high jump in the Old Line State. His 6'4” state mark places him second behind rising junior Shaquill Smith on the team's depth chart.

Bill Hendrix placed seventh in the 2A North Carolina state meet in the pole vault and will pave the way for The Citadel in that event this upcoming year. Austen Ditzhazy, a Michigan native, will help Turner train in the shot put and discus while Tariek Leith brings a 43' mark in the triple jump to aide in the jumping events alongside Smith and Preston Kight.

The runners kick off the cross country season on Sept. 1 when the Bulldogs compete at the USC Invitational in Columbia, S.C. For complete coverage of Bulldog Track and Field and Cross Country, visit the official home of The Citadel Athletics at CitadelSports.com.

2007 Track and Field/Cross Country Commitments