May 17, 2005

WACO, Texas - The Baylor track and field team has signed six more athletes, sprinter Tiana Hood, triple jumper Stasia Taylor, pole vaulter Ashley Korol, half-miler Rachel Glandorf and quarter-milers Katrina Taylor and R.J. Anderson, to national letters of intent, head coach Clyde Hart announced Tuesday. The signings bring the Bears 2005 recruiting class up to 13.

"We've got some help in events where we have had a void the last few years, especially the pole vault and triple jump," Hart said. "We are doing an outstanding job filling in for people we are losing to graduation, but we're still in the recruiting process, so this could shape up to a tremendous class."

Anderson, a runner for Key West High School in Key West, Fla., was the 2A state champion in the 400 meters and has run a personal best of 47.47. "R.J. is a soccer player who has only been running track for two years, so he has a lot of potential," Hart said. "Even though he is inexperienced, we were impressed with how he's developed in two years. He will be able to help us immediately once he enters a full-time track program and he's already run a 46.1 relay split."

Hood hails from Wilson High School in Long Beach, Calif., and runs the 100 and 200 meters. Hood has personal bests of 11.90 in the 100 and 23.97 in the 200 and runs on Wilson's No.1-nationally ranked 4x100 and nationally ranked 4x200 and 4x400 relays. "Tiana has a lot of the characteristics of the sprinters we're losing, like a Lakadron Ivery and Elizabeth Wilson," Hart said. "I have no question she will develop into a Division I sprinter and she will be able to help us in many ways, running the 100 up to the 400."

Stasia Taylor comes from Greater Atlanta Christian School in Atlanta, Ga. And ranked eighth nationally in the triple jump with a mark of 40-5. She also has a personal best of 63.9 in the 400 hurdles. "Stasia will help us in more ways than one, filling a void in the triple jump we've had since Stacey (Bowers Smith) graduated," assistant head coach Danny Brabham said. "I believe she could be at that same level by the time she is finished at Baylor and she is a dual athlete who adds strength in the hurdles."

Glandorf is from Vail Christian High School in Vail, Colo. And finished second in the state last year in the 800 with a personal best of 2:21 and will run in the state championships this weekend. "We believe Rachel's best running is all ahead of her," Hart said. "In time, we fully expect her to help the program."

Katrina Taylor, from Magnet High School in Baton Rouge, La., is the two-time state champion in the 400 meters with a personal best of 54.96. "Since we have lost some 400 runners, she will give us help in that area," Hart said.

Korol is from Wheaton Warrenville South High School in Wheaton, Ill., and has a personal best of 12-0 in the pole vault, ranking her among the top 20 nationally and second in the state. "We have two vaulters coming in to fit in nicely with Brinn Newman (Salado, Texas)," Brabham said. "They could all be in the top 10 in the Big 12 right now, so we expect big things out of them."

The spring group joins the fall class of long jumper Quieto Teasley and quarter-miler David Gettis, who will both play football, hurdler Rachel Long, pole vaulter Kaleigh Teel, sprinters Quenton Summers and Jacob Norman and middle distance phenom Erin Bedell, sister of current Bear Lyndsy Bedell.

Erin Bedell recently set new state records in both the 800 meters with a time of 2:08.16 and the 1,600 meters with a time of 4:43.58. Since signing with the Bears in the fall, she has also finished second individually to lead the Metroplex Striders to the national cross country championship and finished 28th individually at the IAAF Junior World Cross Country Championships in France.

2005 Baylor Track & Field SigneesR.J. Anderson    400           Key West, Fla. (Key West)Erin Bedell      Distances     Plano, Texas (Plano West)David Gettis     400           Los Angeles, Calif. (Dorsey)Rachel Glandorf  800           Vail, Colo. (Vail Christian)Tiana Hood       Sprints       Long Beach, Calif. (Wilson)Ashley Korol     Pole Vault    Wheaton, Ill. (Wheaton Warrenville South)Rachel Long      400 Hurdles   Houston, Texas (Lamar)Jacob Norman     Sprints       Temple, Texas (Temple)Quentin Summers  400           San Antonio, Texas (Madison)Katrina Taylor   400           Baton Rouge, La. (Magnet)Stasia Taylor    Triple Jump   Atlanta, Ga. (Greater Atlanta Christian)Quito Teasley    Long Jump     Katy, Texas (Cinco Ranch)Kaleigh Teel     Pole Vault    Friendswood, Texas (Friendswood)