CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel track and field teams announced Monday afternoon the addition of 12 more signees to the incoming class.

With the addition of the latest 12 signees, head coach Jody Huddleston and the Bulldogs will be adding 20 to their ranks for the 2020-21 academic year.

"We are very excited to announce this latest group because we feel they will all make an immediate impact next year and add even more depth in key events," said Huddleston. "We feel like this group mixes well with the eight we signed in the early signing period, and we can't wait for all of them to join us in the fall."

The new batch of 12 incoming cadet-athletes hail from eight different states and Japan, including two each from Georgia, New York and South Carolina, and one from Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Japan.

On the women's side, the newest future Bulldogs include sprinters Mecca Jackson, Jayln "Jay" Mitchell and Brianna Owens, jumper and sprinter Amanda Konieczny, and distance runner Gabriella "Gabby" Shea.

The seven new Bulldogs on the men's side include jumper and sprinter Mason Draxton, jumper Stephen Kraeling, distance runner Tyler Manon, pole vaulter Phillip "Drew" Newman, distance runner William "Will" Ray, Jr., distance runner Luke Segee, sprinter Mac Strunk.

The eight signees that were added during the early signing period include sprinter Cyla Byrd, jumper Emily Hickey, sprinter Leah Murray, pole vaulter Jenna Patterson, sprinter Alijah Alford, middle-distance runner Bryce Baglia, distance/cross country runner Robert Perrecone and pole vaulter Tucker Young.
 
Mecca Jackson (Sandersville, Ga. / Washington County HS)
Event: Sprints
Jackson is a three-time letterwinner from Washington County High School where she was a three-time state individual champion and five-time region individual champion. As a junior, she claimed her third region individual championship in the 400-meter dash, and her second in the 200-meter dash. Jackson won the state title in the 400-meter dash for the second time and claimed her first state title in the 200-meter dash. During her sophomore campaign, Jackson was crowned the 400-meter dash state champion for the first time, and was the state runner up in the 200-meter dash. She also claimed region titles in both the 400m and 200m, was named to the all-state first team, and was crowned the Player of the Year by the Augusta Chronicle. As a freshman, Jackson was the state runner up in the 400-meter dash, while claiming her first region crown in the 400m. Jackson was also a member of the cheerleading squad and played basketball. She plans to study exercise science.

Coach Huddleston on Jackson – "Mecca is a very strong runner that can make an immediate impact, not only with the program, but in our conference as well. She should find herself on both relays and will run the 400m and 200m for us. She has an enormous amount of potential and we are excited to watch her make school history."
 
Jay Mitchell (Louisville, Ky. / Eastern HS)
Event: Sprints
Mitchell won the Kentucky state title in the 400-meter dash and advanced to the USA Track and Field (USATF) Nationals in the 200-meter dash as a junior. That year, she posted a career-best time of 58.01 in the 400m, 25.55 in the 200m and 12.36 in the 100-meter dash. Mitchell's father, Aurmon Satchell, was a linebacker for the football team at the University of Texas and is currently the associate football strength and conditioning coach at the University of Louisville. Her mom, Veronica Satchell, ran track at South Carolina State for four years. Mitchell plans on majoring in exercise science.

Coach Huddleston on Mitchell – "Jay will look to make an immediate impact in the conference in the 400m and the 200m. She will also help on both relays.  She has run some very fast times and will make school history right away."
 
Amanda Konieczny (Lancaster, N.Y. / Lancaster HS)
Events: Jumps and Sprints
Konieczny comes to Charleston from Lancaster, New York where she was a part of two sectional championships with the 4x200-meter relay and 4x100-meter relay teams. During her senior indoor season, Konieczny helped the 4x200 relay team to the Section 6 and league championship crowns, qualifying for the state meet. During the outdoor season of her junior year, she set personal-best times of 12.85 in the 100-meter dash and 25.90 in the 200-meter dash. As a sophomore, she finished third in the long jump in Section 6 and helped the 4x100-meter relay team to the section championship crown, while qualifying for the state meet. Konieczny was also a member of the gymnastics team, which claimed the section championship in 2016. In the classroom, she was named a WNY Scholar Athlete Honorable Mention, and earned the Presidential Award for Educational Excellence. She plans to major in civil engineering.

Coach Huddleston on Konieczney – "Amanda will add some much needed depth to the jump squad. She has a tremendous amount of potential to help us in the long jump, as well as on the sprint relays. We are very excited to work with her next year!"
 
Brianna Owens (Marshville, N.C. / Piedmont HS)
Event: Sprints
This season, Owens managed to record times of 15.64 in the 100-meter dash, 35.84 in the 200-meter dash, and 1:27.54 in the 400m before the rest of the season was canceled. As a junior, Owens posted a career-best time of 31.33 in the 200m and 14.77 in the 100m, while advancing to the Southern Carolina Conference (SCC) Championship for the second straight year. She also made it to the league championship meet as a sophomore after running season-best times of 31.98 in the 200m and 14.75 in the 100m, and she was a member of the 4x200-meter relay team. Owens earned four varsity letters in track and field, as well as four academic gold bars. She was named group commander and has earned three national medals for ROTC. Owens is a four-time all-As Honor Roll student and plans to major in criminal justice. She plans to commission into the United State Marine Corps upon graduation.

Coach Huddleston on Owens – "Brianna will add some depth to the sprint squad. She is a hard worker that has a lot of potential. We expect her to find a spot on the relays and help us in the 100m and 200m." 
 
Gabby Shea (Sparkill, N.Y. / Tappan Zee HS)
Event: Distance
Shea comes to Charleston from Tappan Zee High School in Sparkill, New York where she was a four-year runner in both cross country and track. As a senior, Shea earned all-county in both cross country and winter track and field. She attended the state qualifying meet, and also qualified for the Penn Relays. As a junior, Shea attended the winter and spring national meet, the state meet and the Penn Relays, while being named all-league. As a member of the 4x800-meter relay team, she finished 14^th at the spring nationals, and she was a member of the 4x400 team that set the school record. During her sophomore year, Shea was named to the all-county team, and attended the Penn Relays and state qualifying meet after attending sectionals as a freshman. She plans to major in exercise science.

Coach Huddleston on Shea – "Gabby will help in the 400m and the 800m, and she will help on both relays. She has continued to get better and better, and we know she can make an impact next year as a freshman, not only on the team, but in the conference as well."
 
Mason Draxton (West Chester, Pa. / Unionville HS)
Events: Jumps and Sprints
The second of the incoming Bulldogs from Pennsylvania, Draxton earned two varsity letters in track and field at Unionville High School, serving as the varsity co-captain as a senior after serving as the assistant varsity captain as a junior. In cross country, he advanced to the district meet as a senior. Draxton also played soccer, serving as the junior varsity captain, and he holds the JV record for most shutouts in a season. In the classroom, Draxton was an Honor Roll student all four years. His mother, Michelle Draxton, played field hockey at Davis & Elkins in West Virginia. He plans to major in engineering.

Coach Huddleston on Draxton – "Mason has a lot of potential in the horizontal jumps. He improved tremendously during the indoor season with the long jump and will also help add depth to our triple jumpers."
 
Stephen Kraeling (Guyton, Ga. / South Effingham HS)
Event: High Jump
A four-year letterman at South Effingham High School, Kraeling ended his career as the school record holder in the high jump with a mark of 6' 6". As a junior, he finished second in Region 2-AAAAA, and placed fourth at the state championships. Kraeling won the region title as a sophomore, finishing fifth at the state championship meet. He was also a two-time letterwinner in football as an outside linebacker and defensive end, making 21 starts. In the classroom, he was an Honor Roll student all four years. Kraeling's grandfather, Howard Kirk, was a swimmer at the University of Georgia and his other grandfather, Robert Kraeling, swam at Maryland. His cousin, Robert Kraeling, just wrapped up a four-year football career at Duke. Kraeling plans to major in mechanical engineering before commissioning with the United States Army.

Coach Huddleston on Kraeling – "Stephen will add some depth to our jump squad and will make an immediate impact in the high jump. He is a very strong jumper that should make some noise in the conference as a freshman."
 
Tyler Manon (Bryan, Ohio / Bryan HS)
Event: Distance
Manon comes to Charleston from Bryan High School in Bryan, Ohio where he was a three-time all-league selection and district champion in the 400-meter dash, and a two-time All-Ohio honoree. As a junior, he earned All-Ohio and all-league honors, and was the runner-up in regionals after claiming the district championship in the 400m. He was also named the Bryan Times Boys Track Athlete of the Year following the season. During his sophomore year, Manon earned All-Ohio and all-league plaudits after earning all-league honors as a regional qualifier as a freshman. He was the district champion in the 400m both as a freshman and sophomore. Manon was also a four-year letterwinner in soccer, serving as the team captain for three years. He earned All-Northwest Ohio Athletic League (NWOAL) First Team and all-district first team honors. In 2018 and 2019, the team claimed the sectional championship, and were NWOAL champions in 2016. In cross country, he set a personal record of 17:46, earning all-league honorable mention. In the classroom, Manon earned academic varsity letters four times, was a four-year recipient of the Bryan Academic Booster Club Award and Honor Roll, a two-year member of the National Honors Society, and earned the Bryan Booster Club Achievement Award as a junior. He plans on majoring in intelligence and security studies.

Coach Huddleston on Manon – "Tyler is going to bring a spark to the 400 runners and should help us on both relays.  He has run some fast times that could make an immediate impact next year."
 
Drew Newman (Sumter, S.C. / Sumter HS)
Event: Pole Vault
Newman is the younger brother of recent Citadel graduate Turner Newman. A three-year letterwinner at Sumter High School, Newman set his personal record of 12' as a junior. Each year, he showed improvement beginning with a vault of 10' as a freshman, improving to 11' as a sophomore. He also lettered in tennis as a junior, playing at No. 1 singles. He earned the Top 5% Academic Letter his first three years, and also earned Academic Honor Roll his first three years. He is a member of the National Honor Society and was a junior marshal for the 2019 graduation. Newman plans to major in biology before pursuing a commission with the United States Air Force.

Coach Huddleston on Newman – "Drew is a hard worker that has a lot of potential. We look forward to watching his development as he gets a chance to work with a very talented vault squad."
 
Will Ray (Okinawa, Japan / Kadena HS)
Event: Distance
Ray spent last season at Kadena High School in Ukuda, Okinawa, Japan where he was named the team's Most Valuable Runner. While at Kadena, he set the DODEA Pacific 5K record with a time of 16:03. As a junior, he was named to the St. Louis Track Club 2019 All-Metro Cross Country First Team, and he set a season-best time of 14:59.91 in the 3-mile IHSA 3A State Meet in Illinois. Ray has three cousins who graduated from The Citadel, including Jay Minor, '20, Stockton Blanchard, '19, and Bo Minor, '11. Ray plans on majoring in mechanical engineering.

Coach Huddleston on Ray – "William ray is going to make an immediate impact on the cross country team. He has a lot of potential, and we are excited to see how he does running at the collegiate level."
 
Luke Segee (Easley, S.C. / Easley HS)
Event: Distance
Segee will join both the track and field and cross country teams after earning six varsity letters in track and three in cross country. He is a two-time Easley High School Leadership Award recipient for the track and field teams. As a junior, he was a member of the 4x800 and 4x400-meter relay teams that claimed the Pickens County Championship crowns. He was ranked in the top 20 in the state 5A for the 400-meter dash and qualified for the upper state meet in the 4x400, 4x800 and 400m. During his sophomore season, he qualified for the upper state meet in the 4x400 and 4x800 meter relays after helping the 4x800-meter relay team qualify for the upper state meet as a freshman. Segee is a member of the National Honor Society and Student Council. His father, Mark, played baseball at Erskine College. He plans to major in intelligence and security studies.

Coach Huddleston on Segee – "Luke will be running with the 400 runners and could find himself on a relay next year. He continues to show improvement and with some additional strength he will make an impact for us."
 
Mac Strunk (Port Isabel, Texas / Port Isabel HS)
Event: Sprints
A four-year letterman in track and field, Strunk was a three-year captain for the Port Isabel High School track and field team. As a junior, he set personal records of 21.9 in the 200-meter dash and 10.96 in the 100-meter dash. Strunk was the district and area champion in the 200m, and placed third in the region meet that year. He earned first-place honors in the 200m at the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Meet of Champions and the Regional Junior Olympics. He also placed seven in the 200m at the San Antonio Texas HS Meet of Champions and seventh at the Great Southwest Classic in Albuquerque, New Mexico. During his sophomore year, Strunk finished second in the 200m at the district meet and third at the area meet. As a freshman, Strunk was named the Lubbock High Track and Field Newcomer of the Year, and was an area-meet qualifier as a member of the 4x200-meter relay team. Strunk was also a three-year letterwinner with the football team, serving as a team captain as a senior. He was named a unanimous all-district first team honoree as a wide receiver. Outside of athletics, he is the president of Rachel's Challenge (a high school committee for anti-bullying) and is a member of the Superintendent's School Advisory Committee. Strunk is a Red Ribbon Rally spokesman, Elementary School Greeter, Read Across America (Dr. Seuss) representative and Junior Leadership of Lubbock Texas Tech Chapter member. He plans to major in criminal justice.

Coach Huddleston on Strunk – "Mac will bring some depth to the sprint squad. He has a tremendous amount of potential and will do very big things for us in the 100m and 200m. He will also be able to make an impact on both relays. With some added strength work, Mac will be special."


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