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brokaw signings

National and State Champions Highlight 2023 Track and Field/Cross Country Class

| By: WIU Athletic Communications

Leathernecks ink 35 new recruits

Western Illinois Director of Track & Field and Cross Country, Trey Brokaw, announced the 2023 recruiting class. The signees include five international students, eighteen Illinois natives, and over thirty-five new recruits. In his first two years, Brokaw and his staff have brought in nearly seventy new student-athletes.
 
"Our coaches did a fantastic job identifying, recruiting, and signing another large class of prospects," Brokaw said. "Culture is a major part of any successful program. We try to recruit the very best athletes possible but we also recruit successful students and individuals of high character. I'm really excited about the potential that this group has. It's one thing to sign good prospects on paper, it's another thing for those student-athletes to develop into champions. We're half way there. I'm confident that the coaching staff and winning culture will help these newcomers achieve their athletic potential. With their addition, we have a chance to be the first Leatherneck program to win an Ohio Valley Conference team championship."
 
Women's Signees
 
Renee Raglin: Alton, Illinois / Sprints and Long Jump
A sophomore transfer from Quincy University, Raglin was an all-conference performer during the Great Lakes Valley conference indoor track & field championships in the 60 meter dash and the long jump. She holds personal bests of 7.64 in the 60 meter dash and 5.60 meters (18' 4.5") in the long jump. At the Illinois class 3A high school state championships as a senior in 2022, Raglin finished fifth in the 100 meter dash with a personal best time of 11.81.
 
Franka Weil-Restrepo: Santiago, Chile / Heptathlon
Weil-Restrepo is the daughter of World Athletics Vice President, Ximena Restrepo, who won the bronze medal in the 400 meters (49.64) at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. Her father, Gert Weil, finished sixth in the shot put at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games and he has a personal best of 20.90 meters (68' 7"). Relatively new as a competitor to the sport of track & field, Weil-Restrepo has the potential to be a heptathlete with her versatile skillset in many events so far. 
 
Passion Crews: Virginia Beach, Virginia / Middle Distance
A junior college national champion while at Cloud County Community College in Kansas, Crews specializes in the 400 and 800 meters. Her personal bests of 57.47 and 2:16.74 make her one of the fastest middle distance commits WIU has signed in recent years. On the 4 x 400 meter relay at the 2023 junior college outdoor national meet, Crews split a 54.75 to help her team run 3:40.20 for third place.
 
Mya Hippolyte: Castries, Saint Lucia / Sprints
Hippolyte is mentored by Arkansas alum and former NCAA national record holder in the pentathlon, Makeba Alcide. In her prep career, Hippolyte was a three time Saint Lucia national champion in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and the 4 x 100 meter relay. While at Indian Hills Community College for the past trimester, Hippolyte was a pivotal piece of their 4 x 100 meter relay team that finished sixth at the junior college outdoor national championship meet.
 
Meg Simmons: Astoria, Illinois / Distance
One of many local commits in this signing class, Simmons is our closest resident signee to Western Illinois University. The 10x Illinois high school state qualifier set numerous school records on her way to becoming one of the most accomplished runners in the tri-state area. Her 18:50 three mile personal best in cross country gave her the win this last fall at the Prairieland Conference cross country meet. She swept the 800, 1600, and 3200 at the Prairieland conference track & field meet.  
 
Jolena Sites: Rockford, Illinois / Sprints and Long Jump
A Guilford High School graduate, Sites has qualified to the Illinois class 3A state championships 13x in her prep career. She capped off her senior campaign by leading her team to a sixth place finish in the 4 x 100 meter relay. Her personal best in the 60 meter dash is 7.82 and her personal best in the 100 meter dash is 12.22. Sites can also cover the longer sprints well running 25.39 in the 200 dash. 
 
Hannah Steinmeyer: Dixon, Illinois / Middle Distance
Steinmeyer was a three sport athlete while attending Dixon High School. Despite the added commitment of basketball, Steinmeyer still managed to qualify for the Illinois class 2A state championships eight times. As a senior she was the leader for their 4 x 800 meter relay team that finished top-7 at the indoor and outdoor state championships. Steinmeyer also made the state final as an individual in the 800 meters, running a personal best time of 2:19.30 to finish eighth.
 
Colleen Johnson: Medina, Ohio / Pole Vault
The northeast Ohio native jumped a huge personal best this spring, 3.65 meters (12' 0") in the pole vault. Her addition to the program now gives Western Illinois three women vaulters over the 12' 0" mark. This past year in the Ohio Valley Conference, 12' 0" would have placed third at the indoor & outdoor championships. Johnson ended her prep career placing 13th at the Ohio state championships. 
 
Lydia Bennett: DeKalb, Indiana / Distance
Twice qualifying for the Indiana state championships in cross country and twice qualifying in the mile for outdoor track & field, Bennett joins the Leathernecks with a lot of momentum. To close out her prep career this past spring at DeKalb High School, Bennett ran personal bests of 11:25.80 in the 3200 meters and 5:02.28 in the mile. Her fastest 5K time in cross country was 18:34 and she finished seventh overall at the Nike Cross Country Regional Championships as a senior.   
 
Bria Armstrong: Chicago Heights, Illinois / Hurdles and Triple Jump
Reuniting with her former coach, WIU assistant track & field coach Rob Tarpley and Armstrong look to build on the success they started a few years ago. Armstrong is transferring from Drury University where she set personal bests of 8.91 in the 60 hurdles, 14.26 in the 100 hurdles, and 11.79 (38' 8.25") in the triple jump. In her prep years at Bloom Township, Armstrong made the finals for the triple jump, long jump, and 100 meter hurdles at the 2021 Illinois class 3A state championship.
 
Denise Dominguez: Dodge City, Kansas / Distance
Dominguez, a 5x junior college national qualifier in cross country, the 5K, and the 10K will add some much needed depth to the Leatherneck cross country team. With only six girls on the roster in 2022, Dominguez is the one veteran newcomer who will help WIU showcase a roster of 15 girls this fall. The Dodge City Community College transfer finished 7th in the 10K at her most recent national appearance.
 
Savannah Harvey: Shawnee, Kansas / Sprints and Long Jump
Harvey attended Mill Valley High School where she was a 5x state qualifier in the sprints and relays. Harvey's personal best in the 100 meters came in the finals of the Kansas high school state championships where she ran 12.34 into a head wind to finish sixth. Harvey also has a long jump personal best of 5.09 meters (16' 8.5").
 
Karlee Zumstein: Canton, Illinois / High Jump
Another local recruit, Zumstein is a fantastic high jumper with the potential to compete in the pentathlon / heptathlon as well. As a senior, Zumstein finished third at the Illinois class 2A indoor state championships. Outdoors she was again one of the best jumpers in the state, setting a new personal best of 1.65 meters (5' 5").   
 
Janelle Marshall: Atco, New Jersey / Sprints and Hurdles
Joining Western Illinois all the way from New Jersey, Marshall was a standout hurdler at Winslow Township High School. She holds personal bests of 14.78 in the 100 hurdles and 1:05.02 in the 400 hurdles. Marshall also qualified to the New Balance Outdoor National Championships in Philadelphia earlier this summer.
 
Dana Surwillo: Plainfield, Illinois / Pole Vault
With a personal best of 3.50 meters (11' 6"), Surwillo was one of the most talented pole vaulters in the state of Illinois. The Plainfield South graduate finished top-10 at the Illinois class 3A state championships this spring. Her addition rounds out a core of young vaulters mentored by assistant coach Tom Unruh here at Western Illinois.
 
Ashley Derrick: Waukegan, Illinois / Hurdles
A hurdle specialist, Derrick was one of the most talented combination hurdlers in Illinois during 2022. She ran her personal bests at the 3A state championships; 14.83 to finish sixth in the 100 hurdles and 44.89 to finish third in the 300 hurdles.
 
Lina Maatouk: Casablanca, Morocco / Middle Distance
4,433 miles from home, Maatouk is our lone representative from Africa in this signing class. The Augustana College transfer is new to the sport of track. In her first year, Maatouk ran 1:08.25 in the 400 meters. She improved drastically as a sophomore, regularly splitting sub-60 on the relay and running 2:20.12 in the 800.
Ashley Thomas: Chicago, Illinois / Long Jump
This past spring Thomas was an Illinois class 3A state qualifier in the long jump for Perspectives Leadership Academy. She finished in 12th place. She concluded her senior year with a personal best of 5.44 meters (17' 10.25") in the long jump.
 
Kaytlyn Baker: St. Joseph, Illinois / Hurdles
As a senior this past spring, Baker qualified to the Illinois class 1A state championships in three events; the 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, and 4 x 400 meter relay. Her best event is the 300 hurdles with a personal best of 48.75.
 
Camiya Williams: Peoria, Illinois / Sprints
With personal bests of 8.07 in the 60 meter dash and 12.38 in the 100 meter dash, Williams brings some much needed depth to the Leatherneck short sprint group. Representing Manual High School, Williams was a 2x Illinois class 2A state qualifier.
 
Bailey Boddicker: Eldridge, Iowa / Distance
With a background in the 400 hurdles and cross country experience, Boddicker has the potential to develop into a Division I steeplechase runner. Representing North Scott High School, Boddicker was a multiple time state qualifier on various relays.
 
Angel Stanley: Calgary, Canada / Sprints and Pole Vault
An Ecole Notre Dame grad who resides in Alberta, Stanley competes in many track & field events including long jump, triple jump, sprints, and the pole vault. She joins a Leatherneck team that has three other Canadians, all juniors at WIU.   
 
Tay'Maro Powell-Peters: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma / Sprints
A 4-4-4 transfer from Wyoming and Oral Roberts, Powell-Peters will have to sit for one year before she can compete in a Leatherneck uniform. The dynamic sprinter has personal bests of 7.63 in the 60, 24.84 in the 200, and 58.91 in the 400.
 
Ellie Bauer: McHenry, Illinois / Distance
Bauer joins Western Illinois University from Johnsburg High School where she participated in cross country and track & field. She competed for the Skyhawks in many events ranging from the 4 x 100 meter relay to the 3200 meter run.
 
Men's Signees
 
Logan Beckmier: Atwood, Illinois / Distance
A 10x Illinois class 1A state qualifier, Beckmier, joins the Leatherneck distance squad from ALAH High School. Coached by his grandfather Lyle Dorjahn, Beckmier had a fantastic senior year which included a top-10 finish at the state cross country meet, and a top-5 finish in the 3200 at the indoor and outdoor state meet. He has personal bests of 4:26.94 for the mile, 9:27.91 for the 3200, and 15:15 for 3 miles.
 
Matthew Thomas: Danville, Illinois / Hurdles and Pole Vault
Thomas, an 8x Illinois class 3A state qualifier in the hurdles and pole vault, has shown great potential to be a future decathlete for the Leathernecks. With personal bests of 4.64 (15' 3") in the pole vault, 14.58 in the 100 hurdles, and 39.83 in the 300 hurdles, Thomas is one of the most versatile recruits of the 2023 signing class. As a senior, he finished second at the indoor state championships in the pole vault.
 
Alexander Del Popolo: Lidcombe, Australia / Javelin
The lone international recruit on the men's side, Del Popolo is a star in his home country of Australia. The javelin specialist has a personal best of 59.53 meters (195' 3"). The Western Illinois school record stands at 62.90 (206' 4"), set by Max Ford. At 9,071 miles from home, Del Popolo is the furthest signee from Macomb. He also is one of our only state champions, winning the New South Wales meet.
 
Sean Hudspath: Marion, Illinois / Distance
A 10x Illinois class 2A state qualifier, Hudspath led his team this past year in the middle distance and distance events. He boasts personal bests of 15:28 for the three mile in cross country, 4:27.28 in the 1600 meters, and 1:56.97 in the 800. As a junior, Hudspath helped lead his team to an indoor state title in the 4 x 800 relay.
 
Malachi Barendilla: East Lansing, Michigan / Sprints
With a personal best of 10.58 in the 100 meters, Barendilla will add some much needed depth to the Leatherneck short sprint group. He also contributed greatly on the East Lansing High School relay teams and has run 21.82 in the 200 meters.
 
Alex Girardin: Liberty, Illinois / Sprints and Long Jump
Girardin was coached by WIU alum and track & field school record holder in the distance medley relay, Jared Schmidt. While at Liberty High School, Girardin was an 11x class 1A state qualifier. He boasts personal bests of 10.99 in the 100 meters, 22.35 in the 200 meters, and 6.65 meters (21' 10") in the long jump.  
 
Jerome Jackson: Monmouth, Illinois / Sprints and Long Jump
A graduate of Monmouth-Roseville, the same district that head track & field coach Trey Brokaw attended, Jackson was a 6x class 2A state qualifier. His personal bests are 22.37 in the 200 meters and 6.66 meters (21' 10.25") in the long jump.
 
Seville Louissaint: Commack, New York / Horizontal Jumps
The Commack, New York native qualified to the state championships as a senior in the long jump, finishing 20th. With personal bests of 6.77 meters (22' 2.75") in the long jump and 13.71 meters (45' 0") in the triple jump, Seville has great potential.
 
Jaiden Young: Tampa, Florida / Sprints
Originally a boxer, Young transitioned to the sport of track & field late in his senior year at Thomas Jefferson High School. A natural in the long sprints, Young qualified to the Florida state championships in the 400 meters where he finished 15th overall in class 2A. He has personal bests of 50.12 in the 400 meters and 22.65 in the 200.
 
Cage Davison: Stevensville, Michigan / Long Jump
A Sterling College transfer, Davison's primary focus is the long jump where he has a personal best of 6.86 meters (22' 6.25"). Davison joins a Western Illinois long jump core that went 1-2 at the outdoor conference championships last spring.
 
Rayvon Wright: Blue Springs, Missouri / Jumps
An Iowa Central Community College transfer, Wright was a 1.93 meter (6' 4") high jumper and 13.57 (44' 6.25") triple jumper. Wright also competed in the long jump and short sprints while attending the junior college national powerhouse program.
 
John Turner: Roselle, Illinois / High Jump
Turner finished seventh at the Illinois class 3A indoor state championships in the high jump. He has a personal best in the event of 1.93 meters (6' 4").
 
 
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