COLUMBIA, Ky. The Lindsey Wilson men's and women's track and field teams added six student-athletes for the upcoming 2015-16 season, head coach Jamaine Gordon announced on Thursday.
Three Kentucky state champions highlight a signing group that brings depth to both the short track and distance running events.
Khari Saunders, DeQuan Robinson, Emma Looney, Jacob Scott, Nikki Coffey and Dana Kaftan join the Blue Raiders for both the cross country and track & field seasons next year.
Saunders, Robinson and Scott join the men's program while Looney, Coffey and Kaften join the women's team.
Saunders is a Kentucky Class A state champion in both the 100 and 400 meter dash events from Fort Knox High School. He is also a state runner-up in the 200 meter dash. Saunders holds personal-best times of 10.81 in the 100 meters, 21.92 in the 200 meters and 49.39 in the 400 meters.
Robinson is also a Kentucky state champion, winning the Class AAA title in the 200 meters at Henry Clay High School. He was also part of the 4x100 and 4x200 meter relay teams that claimed state titles. His 4x200 meter relay team finished third overall at the 2014 New Balance Outdoor Nationals and he is ranked 25th nationally in the 200 meter dash event. His personal bests include a 10.77 mark in the 100 meter and a 21.50 mark in the 200 meter.
Scott is a distance runner from Edmonton County where he competed in both track and cross country. His cross country team qualified for state competition both his junior and senior seasons. He holds a career-best time of 17:53.94 in the 5,000 meter event.
Looney is a thrower from Pikeville High School where she was a Class A regional champion in the discus and finished third in the shot put in 2014. She finished in the top 20 in the Class A Kentucky State Track Meet and holds personal bests of 97 feet and 11 inches in the discus throw and 30 feet and nine inches in the shot put.
Coffey is a distance runner from Boyle County High School where she was a seven-time state qualifier in cross country. She finished sixth overall at the Kentucky state competition her senior season, breaking the school record with a time of 19:26.16.
Coffey also competes in track & field and was part the Boyle County 4x800 meter relay team that claimed state championships in 2011, 2013 and 2014. Her 2013 relay team won the title with a time of 9:43.42, breaking the Class AA state meet record that still stands today. Coffey is also a four-time regional champion in the 800 meters and a two-time regional champion in the 1,600 meters. She holds a career-best time of 2:25.96 in the 800 meters and a time of 5:28.64 in the 1,600 meters.
Kaftan is expected to compete in swimming, cross country and track & field for Lindsey Wilson. She comes from De Pere High School in Wisconsin and holds career-best times of 2:27.34 in the 800 meters and 5:27.56 in the 1,600 meters.
"This group of signees is the first of the 2015-16 class and we expect them to make an immediate impact academically, athletically and to the community of Lindsey Wilson College and Columbia," Gordon said.