Six high school standouts have signed national letters of intent to attend Augustana College and compete for the Vikings' cross country and track and field teams, Viking head coach
Tracy Hellman announced today.
Signing with the Vikings were
Ben Chozen of Milford, Iowa,
Tim Welsch of Dallas Center, Iowa,
Mairead Kelly of Forest City, Iowa,
Lindsey Schultz of Lakeville, Minn., and
Chad Backsen and
Robert Ihry of Fargo, N.D.
Chozen is a sprinter and hurdler at Okoboji High School. As a junior last year, Chozen was the medalist at the Drake Relays in the 400-meter low hurdles. An all-conference and all-state performer, Chozen ran a leg on the Class 2A state champion 4X200 meter relay team. He also ran a leg on the medley relay team that finished second at state. The Pioneers won the Class 2A state championship in 2003.
"Ben will be looked upon to add depth in our men's sprint and hurdle squads," Hellman said. "His combination of speed and strength will be a tremendous addition to our outstanding track team."
Welsch is a middle distance runner at Dallas Center-Grimes High School, where he competes for the cross country and track teams. He is a two-time selection to the all-area cross country team. Last fall, he helped lead the Mustangs to three team titles and a runner-up finish at the Raccoon River Conference Championships. He also is an all-conference and all-area performer in track and field, helping the 4X400 and 4X800 relay teams win conference titles last season.
"Tim has been an outstanding performer in the 400 and 800-meter events over the past year," Hellman said. "He has the desire, work ethic and attitude to be a key contributor to the Augustana track and field team in the near future."
Kelly is a cross country and track standout at Forest City High School. She helped lead the Indians to four consecutive North Iowa Conference cross country titles, as well as four top 10 finishes at the Class 3A state meet. Last fall, she placed second at the NIC meet, fifth at districts and 31st at the state meet with a time of 15:46. As a junior, she set a school record for a 4K race, turning in a time of 15:25. Individually, she won the NIC crown as a junior, while placing second in her other three years. In track and field, she has competed on three straight NIC championship squads. Individually, she placed sixth in the 1500 meters at the Class 3A state meet. She set the school record in the 3000 meters as a freshman, only to break that record, as well as the 1500 meter record as a sophomore. She placed second at state in both events that year. She also ran a leg on the distance medley relay team that won the state title.
"Mairead has been a consistent all-state performer for Forest City High School," Hellman said. "She has tremendous range as she will be able to be a threat in the middle distance events as well as the distance events."
Schultz is a weight thrower at Lakeville High School. Heading into her senior season, she already is a two-time All-Lake Conference and all-state performer, and she has led the Panthers to two straight conference and state titles. She placed second in the discus and fifth in the shot put at the 2003 state meet after placing third in the discus and fourth in the shot put in 2002. She has personal best marks of 46-2 in the shot put and 138-5 in the discus.
"We are ecstatic to have a student-athlete of Lindsey's stature commit to Augustana College," Hellman said. "She has the potential to be one of the all-time greats in the throws."
Backsen and Ihry are teammates at Fargo South High School. Both played key roles in the Bruins winning the 2002 and 2003 Eastern Dakota Conference and the Class A state championships. The Bruins were also ranked No. 11 in the final 2003 national harrier rankings. Fargo South also won the 2003 Class A state track title.
Backsen is a four-time all-conference and three-time all-state cross country performer as well as a three-time all-state performer in track.
"Chad has shown tremendous consistency in his running all through his high school career," Hellman said. "He was a major contributor to the overwhelming success Fargo South High School has had at the national level. Chad has the potential to step in as a true freshman and make a significant impact in the North Central Conference."
Ihry is a three-time all-conference and all-state runner for the Bruins. He was sixth individually at the state meet after placing ninth as a junior and 10th as a sophomore. At the 2003 state track meet, he finished seventh in the mile and sixth in the two-mile run.
"Robert is another fine example of the quality student-athlete that we hope to attract to Augustana College," Hellman said. "He has shown excellent range in the distance events and has the potential to be an outstanding performer for Augustana in the future."
The six signees join a recruiting class that already includes
Jarvis Jelen and
Kaleb Boese of Sioux Falls, S.D.,
Caitlin Hiedeman of Watertown, S.D.,
Kati Newgard of Pipestone, Minn., and
Margaret Osgood of St. Cloud, Minn.
- Augie -
