Eight high school standouts have signed national letters of intent or written offers of admission and financial aid from Augustana to compete for the Viking women's track and field and cross country programs, head coach
Tracy Hellman announced today.
Signing with the Vikings were
Hollie Bloom and
Anne Pfeifle of Rapid City, S.D.,
Molly Kokesh of Scotland, S.D.,
Kaitlin Hjerpe of Hutchinson, Minn.,
Kyle Blakeslee of Cannon Falls, Minn.,Rachel Biederman of Maple Grove, Minn.,
Leah Hansen of Moorhead, Minn., and
Kristen Nielson of Ranchester, Wyo.
Bloom was a four-year letterwinner at Rapid City Central High School. She is the school record holder in the pole vault with a personal best of 11-feet, 6.25 inches. In the pole vault, Bloom finished in third and fourth place at state in her sophomore and junior years, respectively. She also competed in volleyball and gymnastics and is the sister of current Augustana wrestler, Elliot Bloom.
Pfeifle was a four year letter winner in both cross country and track and field at Rapid City Stevens High School. She is currently ranked fourth in the state in the 1,600 meter run with a time of 5:15.70. Pfeifle finished sixth at the state cross country tournament in the fall, finishing the 4,000 meter run in 15:00.53. She also earned all-state, all-conference and all-academic honors, while the Raiders finished fourth as a team in state and helped the track and field team win the state championship her junior season.
Pfeifle placed fourth in the state cross country meet her junior season to earn all-conference and all-state honors. Pfeifle also finished second in state in the 1,600 meter run and sixth in the 3,200 meter run, as the Raiders won a state track and field championship. As a sophomore, she finished third in the state in the 3,200 meter run and seventh in the 1,600 meter run to help the Raiders win a state championship.
Kokesh was a four-year track and cross country letterwinner at Scotland High School. In her senior cross country season, she finished in fourth place at regionals and 15th at the South Dakota state cross country meet with a time of 17:42. She was also named team MVP for the fourth time. As a junior, she was the state champion in the 1,600-meter run and finished third in the 800 meter run and helped lead the Highlanders to a South Dakota state championship. She is also a three-year basketball letterwinner.
Hjerpe was a two-year cross country letterwinner and four-year letterwinner in track and field at Hutchinson High School. In her senior cross country season, Hjerpe was a team captain and received Outstanding Leader Recognition as well as the Most Improved Award. She boasts a personal-best time of 16:11 in the 4K and logged the most season miles on her high school team. In track and field, Hjerpe recorded a personal-best 5:51 in the 1,600 meter as well as a personal best 2:29 in the 800 meters. She was named to the 2008 All-Minnesota Academic Team.
Blakeslee was a four-year letterwinner in track and field and cross country for Cannon Falls High School. She is currently ranked seventh in the 800 meter run, second in the 1,600 meter run and first in the 3,200 meter run. In cross country, Blakeslee won the Hiawatha Valley Conference Championship as a senior before finishing 11th in state, while earning All-State honors. As a junior, she finished 45th in state after finishing second in the conference.
Blakeslee also participated in the two mile event at the track and field state tournament and was named All-Conference in track and field. She set school records in the mile and two mile run his junior season. As a sophomore, she was All-Conference in both track and field and cross country. She participated in the two mile track and field event at state after winning the section championship. Blakeslee was named All-Conference in both sports as a freshman and finished second in the conference in cross country.
Biederman was a three-year track letterwinner at Maple Grove High School. As a junior, she was named to the All-Northwest Suburban Conference for the second time in her career and received the Crimson Coaches Award. She finished in third place in the 800 meter run at the conference meet and helped the Maple Grove 4x800 team to a second-place finish. She also was a two-year letterwinner in both soccer and basketball.
Hansen is a three-year letterwinner from Moorhead High School. In her senior season, Hansen has posted a time of 15:35 in the 4k, 11:29 in the 3,200 meter run, 5:24 in the 1,600 and 2:25 in the 800 meter run. As a captain, Hansen helped her cross country squad finish 5th in state her senior season. She also captained her squad as a junior, and finished the 4k in 15:50, the 3,200 meter run in 11:29, the 1,600 meter run in 5:25 and the 800 meter run in 2:32 and was a part of a 10th place finish at state in cross country. As a sophomore, she was clocked in the 4k at 15:33, the 3,200 meter run in 11:28, the and the 1,600 meter run in 5:28 and helped the cross country team finish in 10th at state. She earned Rookie of the Year honors in track as a freshman after posting a time of 11:44 in the 3,200 meter run and 5:41 in the 1,600 meter run.
Nielson is a four-year letterwinner from Tongue River High School. As a junior, she helped lead the Eagles to a regional championship and a fourth-place finish at the Wyoming state track meet. She was named to the All-Powder River Conference team for the third time in shot put and first time in discus. Nielson is also a two-time All-Wyoming selection in shot put and has a personal best of 37-feet, 11 inches. Her personal best for the discus is 119 feet and she currently leads all Wyoming 2A participants in the discus. She was also a three-year letterwinner in basketball and volleyball.
