LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Louisville cross country/track and field head coach Ron Mann announced Friday a star-studded incoming class that features 13 true freshmen and one transfer.
“This is certainly one of the largest recruiting classes we’ve had in my time here at Louisville,” Mann said. “It is arguably one of the most diverse and highest-end recruiting classes we’ve had with two top-10 recruits and a host of others that will contribute at the ACC level.”
The group is headlined by the one of the top sprinters in the country in Maryland native Gwen Shaw. Coming to Louisville from Potomac, Md., Shaw ranks fourth nationally in her class in the 400m hurdles with a time of 1:00.77. The four-time All-American has won 20 competitions in the last three months and has secured six national medals, including gold at the AAU Club Championships.
“Gwen Shaw brings a lot to the program,” Mann added. “She’s a versatile sprinter. Her specialty is the hurdles, but she also is going to be great for our short and long relays. She will be very valuable to our program from the onset.
“She’s a great young lady, and she comes from a great family. That’s a recruiting area that we want to focus on in the future. She certainly fits all of the needs we have as not only a versatile sprinter, but the type of quality athlete and family that we want to represent our program.”
The women’s group also features distance athletes Emily Bushey, Adair Gennocro and Tori Schoettmer, jumps members Kelsie Courtney, Mary Chanel Krause and Bre’Yana Wash, and Kayla Tyson in sprints.
Throwing phenom and local sensation Codie Hamsley leads the men’s incoming class. Hamsley was a highly recruited athlete from Floyd Knobs, Ind., and he ranks 12th nationally in his class in the discus. A sectional champion, his personal-best 56.15m/184-3 was good enough for second at the state meet. He also captured runner-up at the regional meet.
“Cody’s family is a very well-known family here in the area,” Mann said. “He is one of the top throwers in the United States. When you’re looking at throwers, one of the things you look for is not only who they are now, but what they’re going to grow into. You look at his body type and what he’s going to be – when he grows into his body, he’s going to be extremely valuable to the program. What he’s going to be doing in the weight room and under the direction of coach (Dale) Cowper and the next few years – he reminds of some of the great throwers we’ve had here in the past and some of the great throwers I’ve coached in my career.”
With a heavy focus on distance athletes, the men’s group features three freshman distance runners in Thomas Cave, Nicholas Reader and Jonathan Reynolds, one distance transfer in Scott Anderson, and sprinter Jermaine Parrish.
Below is a breakdown of each student-athlete, consisting of their event group and individual write-up.
Event: Distance
Hometown: Vernon, N.J.
High School: Vernon Township High
Emily Bushey a highly recruited track athlete from Vernon, N.J., was a two-sport star. Bushey took home two first-place finishes in January 2013, winning the 1,600m at Ridgewood Winter Games and 800m at East Stroudsburg Warrior Classic. She also lettered in soccer her first three years in high school. Her personal bests include 2:18.09 in the 800m and 4:56.75 in the 1,600m.
Coach Mann on Bushey:
“Emily Bushey was one of our first commitments and she is going to be a great addition to our distance group.”
Kelsie Courtney
Events: Jumps/Multis
Hometown: Bedford, Ky.
High School: Trimble County
Kelsie Courtney, a decorated athlete from Bedford, Ky., was named the 2012 KYTrackXC.com Field Athlete of the Year and All-Grade Athlete of the Year. Courtney placed first in two events at the Kentucky State Track Meet: the 300m hurdles by running a personal-best 46.07 and the high jump by jumping a personal-best height of 5-9. Her personal-best high jump of 5-9 ranked 18th nationally. Courtney also holds the school records for the high jump and 300m hurdles.
Coach Mann on Courtney:
“Kelsie is a top-10 recruit in the high jump and right here in Kentucky. We’re really excited with what she’s going to add to our program.”
Adair Gennocro
Event: Distance
Hometown: St Marys, Pa.
High School: Saint Marys Area
Adair Gennocro, a distance standout from Saint Marys Area High, was crowned a cross country state champion in 2012. A year earlier, the St. Marys, Pa., native was selected to the 2011 Pa. Track and Field Coaches Association All-State cross country team. At the state championships, Gennocro took first in the 3,200m, while setting a personal-best time (10:36.62). She placed fourth in the 1,600m run (4:59). She has run the 3,200m race nine times in the last two years, winning eight. She competed in the 1,600m race 13 times the last two years, winning the race three times, placing second six times and third twice. Gennocro also was selected to the District 9 Girls’ basketball league all-star team. She finished her career with more than 1,000 points.
Coach Mann on Gennocro:
“Adair is going to just add to that distance group. She is a great addition from Pennsylvania, and she is going to be one of our early leaders for cross country next fall.”
Mary Chanel Krause
Event: Pole Vault
Hometown: Mobile, Ala.
High School: St. Paul’s Episcopal
Hailing from Mobile Ala., Mary Chanel Krause comes to Louisville as an established track and field athlete. In the past year, Krause competed in pole vault nine times, each competition. During that stretch, she set the state record of 12-4 at the ALL CLASS State Meet. Her personal best in the pole vault (12-7) came at the AHSAA 5A – Section 1 meet in 2011. At the 2012 AHSAA State Track and Field Championships, Krause took home first in pole vault, third in the 300m hurdles (46.63) and fourth in the 100m hurdles setting her personal-best time of 15.38. Krause holds school records in the 60m (8.20) and pole vault (12-7).
Coach Mann on Krause:
“She is a great pole vaulter, and she has a lot of upside. She’s already jumping well and she’s going to jump even better as the outdoor season comes along.”
Tori Schoettmer
Event: Distance
Hometown: Greenwood, Ind.
High School: Center Grove High
A Greenwood, Ind. native, Tori Schoettmer will add depth to the distance group in the fall. During her junior year at Center Grove High, she placed first in 1,600m race five out of eight times. Her 1,600m season-best came at the IHSAA State Championships, with a time of 5:00.33 for a fifth-place showing. At the same meet, Schoettmer took home eighth in the 3,200m run with a personal best of 10:50.18. As a sophomore, Schoettmer placed first in 1,600m run at the IHSAA Regionals (5:08.66) and second in the 800m run by running a personal best of 2:16.99. Currently, her personal best in the 1,600m is 4:55.
Coach Mann on Schoettmer:
“Tori is from one of the best high schools in the state of Indiana, Center Grove High School. They have a long tradition of track and field and cross country. I’ve been watching her for a long time and she’s going to do great things.”
Gwen Shaw
Event: Sprints
Hometown: Potomac, Md.
High School: Thomas S. Wootton High
A four-time All-American, Gwen Shaw will travel to Louisville from Potomac, Md. She holds the fourth-fastest mark nationally in her class in the 400m hurdles (1:00.77). In the past three months, Shaw competed in 22 indoor events: the 55m, 55m hurdles, and the 300m. She won 20 of the races. The only two losses came when she placed second in both the 55m and the 55m hurdles. Her junior year proved to be record setting. Shaw won six national medals, including gold at the AAU Club Championships in the 400m dash. She also became a Maryland state champion in the 400m, and the 4x400m relay (anchor), and was a runner-up in the 100m hurdles. To go along with all the medals, Shaw was named to the 2012 Washington Post All-Met Girls’ outdoor track first team and the 2012 Gazette Athlete of the Year for Girls Outdoor Track. In 2010, she was named the MocoRunning Running Freshman of the Year and to the Washington Post All Area-All Stars First Team. Her prep bests include 14.41 in the 100m hurdles and 55.19 in the 400m.
Coach Mann on Shaw:
“She’s a versatile sprinter. Her specialty is the hurdles, but she also is going to be great for our short and long relays. She will be very valuable to our program from the onset.”
Kayla Tyson
Event: Sprints
Hometown: Evans, Ga.
High School: Greenbrier
Kayla Tyson, another solid addition to the sprints group, treks to Louisville from Evans, Ga. Leading into her senior year, the Greenbrier High product has captured six county titles and four region titles – split between the 100m and 200m events. In 2011, she became the title Region 3-AAAA Championship Individual High Point Record Holder after securing 38 points at the meet. A two-time captain and two-time team MVP, Tyson qualified for the Georgia state meet in 2011 and 2012 in the 100m and 200m events, as well as the long jump in 2010. Her prep bests include 24.98 in the 200m and 57.94 in the 400m.
Coach Mann on Tyson:
“She is really a great addition from Georgia. She’s going to really help us in the 200m, 400m and 4x400m relay events.”
Bre’Yana Wash
Events: Sprints/Jumps
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
High School: Dallas Skyline
Bre’Yana Wash hails from Dallas, Texas, and attended Dallas Skyline High, the same school as former All-American Charachesicia Lockhart. Wash finished off her junior year by placing second in the long jump at the UIL Track and Field Championships with a personal-best leap of 19-8.25. At the Region 2-5A Meet, Wash won the long jump (19-4.75). At districts, she helped her team win the event by placing third in the long jump and sixth in the 200m. Her best meet that year came at the TCU Horned Frog Invitational, when she won the 200m with a season-best time of 25.31 and placed second in the long jump (19-3).
Coach Mann on Wash:
“Bre’Yana is one of the top jumpers in the United States. Skyline High School has a great tradition of track and field, and we think she can she have a great career like Charachesicia Lockhart.”
Scott Anderson
Event: Distance
Hometown: Edinboro, Pa.
Previous School: Edinboro University
A two-time Division II cross country All-American, Scott Anderson will transfer from Edinboro University to join the Cardinals in the upcoming fall. While a junior at Edinboro, Anderson won the 1,500m run at the PSAC Track and Field Championships, the 5000m at the NCAA Division II Team Challenge hosted by SPIRE, the 3,000m at the Kent State Tune-Up, and placed 13th in the 5,000m at the NCAA Division II Track and Field Championships. During his sophomore year, Anderson won three meets and placed 15th in the 5,000m at the NCSS Division II Track and Field Championships. Anderson, a three-time all-PSAC and all-Atlantic Region runner, helped Edinboro to its 28th PSAC Men’s Cross Country title. In 2010, he was the PSAC Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Year. Academically, he was recognized in 2012 a first team Capital One Academic All-American for NCAA Division II cross country/track and field.
Coach Mann on Anderson:
“Scott Anderson is going to give us the depth that we need in the fall to be a great cross country program. He also adds some additional strength as it relates to experience and maturity.”
Thomas Cave
Event: Distance
Hometown: Louisville, Ky.
High School: St. Xavier
A local native, Thomas Cave will join Louisville after a successful career at St. Xavier High. As a junior, Cave became a state champion in the 4x800 relay, when his team set a Kentucky state record at the KHSAA state meet (7:52.18). The relay team also won the 4x800 relay at the Indiana Track Club HS Open, edging out the second-place finisher by 55 hundredths of a second. Individually, Cave won the 1,600m with a personal best time of 4:26.92, second in the 800m run at the Lenny Lyles Invitational and fifth at the UK HS Invitational.
Coach Mann on Cave:
“We have always said that we want to work from the inside out. He’s from one of the great programs here. Coach Chuck Medley has a great program and one of the best programs in the country. We want any of the kids that want to come from that program as part of our program.”
Codie Hamsley
Event: Throw
Hometown: Floyd Knobs, Ind.
High School: Floyd Central High
Codie Hamsley, a highly recruited athlete from Floyd Knobs, Ind., ranks 12th nationally in the discus for his class. That year, Hamsley’s personal discus record came at the IHSAA State Championships (184-3) for a second-place showing. He advanced to the state tournament by winning sectionals (177-1.25) and placing second at regionals (176-9).
Coach Mann on Hamsley:
“He is one of the top throwers in the United States. When you’re looking at throwers, one of the things you look for is not only who they are now, but what they’re going to grow into.”
Jermaine Parrish
Event: Sprints
Hometown: New Albany, Ind.
High School: New Albany High
A New Albany, Ind. native, Jermaine Parrish became a state champion when he ran a personal best of 10.67 in the 100m at the IHSAA State Championships. At the same meet, he was runner-up in the 200m with a time of 21.91. Parrish, who attends New Albany High, advanced to the state tournament by winning the sectionals and regionals in both the 100m and 200m. During his junior season, Parrish won 11-of-16 100m and 200m races, and the four of the five in which he didn’t win resulted in runner-up finishes. Parrish also had a successful basketball career. He scored 20 points to lead to his high school to a sectional title in 2013.
Coach Mann on Parrish:
“Jermaine is right across the river and is one of the great sprinters from this area, and we’re excited to have him aboard.”
Nicholas Reader
Event: Distance
Hometown: Louisville, Ky.
High School: St. Xavier
A local product, Nicholas Reader attended St. Xavier High. While there, his fourth-place finish at the Kentucky State cross country meet helped his team win the Class AAA Team Title. Reader also was part of the 4x800 relay that took first at the KHSAA State Meet with a time of 7:52.18.
Coach Mann on Reader:
“That group from St. Xavier has great tradition. Nicholas is going to be a good and developing athlete in the longer distances.”
Jonathan Reynolds
Event: Distance
Hometown: Ramsey, Ind.
High School: North Harrison High
Jonathan Reynolds will join Louisville in the fall after a standout career at North Harrison High. Once a teammate of current talent Tyler Byrne, Reynolds won the sectional and regional cross country titles in the fall of 2012. At the regional meet, he beat the runner-up by more than 20 seconds and fell one-tenth of a second short of catching Byrne’s 2008 school record of 15:49.2 in the 5,000m. Earning a spot in the Indiana state cross country meet, he placed 12th. On a larger scale, Reynolds participated in the junior race of the 2013 USA Cross Country Championships. Reynolds also experienced success academically, and was part of the Business Professionals of America club.
Coach Mann on Reynolds:
“Jonathan comes to us from southern Indiana, and that one is particularly interesting because of his heritage. His high school coach was one of my All-Americans at Northern Arizona. Coach Tim Martin does great things, and I think Jonathan will fit greatly into the program.”