WAYNE – After 15 incoming recruits joined the men’s team, Wayne State College women’s track & field added 10 signees.
According to a release from the Wayne State Athletic office, head cross country and track & field coach Marlon Brink announced the addition of 10 student-athletes in the 2021 spring signing period that will continue their academic and athletic careers and compete for the Wildcat women’s track and field team in the 2021-22 academic year. The list includes Hailey Baker from Blair, Kevona Brown of Atkinson, Maya Couch from David City, Emily Erickson from Aurora, Veronica Guenther of Papillion, Lauryn Hoffman of Spencer, Brooke Languis from Ponca, Faith Lubischer of Pierce, Kennedy Miller from Plattsmouth and Kenzie Moeller of Pierce.
Hailey Baker is a thrower from Blair High School, lettering four years in track and field. She was a Class B state qualifier in the shot put and discus this spring as a senior, placing eighth in the shot put (38’ 7”). Baker was also a Class B state qualifier in the shot put as a sophomore in 2019. Her personal bests are 40’ 3 ½” in the shot put and 134’ 3” in the discus.
Kevona Brown is a sprinter from West Holt High School where she lettered four years in volleyball, basketball and track and field. She was a three-year conference champion in track and field and a two year district champion, placing 10th in the Class C 200 meter dash as a senior. In 2019, Brown won three medals at state in sprint events, taking fourth in the 200-meter dash (26.29), sixth in the 100-meter dash (12.88) and seventh in the 400-meter dash (1:01.10). Personal bests include 12.70 in the 100 meters, 26.29 in the 200 meters and 1:00.51 in the 400 meters.
Maya Couch is a sprinter from David City High School where she was a three-sport standout in volleyball, basketball and track and field. She medaled in three events and was a four-event Class C state qualifier as a senior, placing fourth in the 200-meter dash (26.33), fifth in the 100-meter dash (12.61) while anchoring the third place 400-meter relay team (50.61). Couch holds the school record in the 100-meter dash (12.48) and 400-meter relay (50.61). She earned All-Southern Nebraska Conference Second Team honors in volleyball as a senior and was an NCPA Academic All-State honoree in volleyball, basketball and track and field. Personal bests for Couch are 12.48 in the 100-meter dash and 25.96 in the 200-meter dash.
Emily Erickson is a three-sport standout from Aurora High School where she was a Class B state qualifier in the triple jump this spring. She earned Class B All-State and All-Heartland honorable mention in volleyball and was a NCPA Academic All-State Award winner in 2020 as a senior. Erickson’s personal bests are 27.36 in the 200 meters, 1:02.87 in the 400 meters and 34’ 6 3’4” in the triple jump.
Veronica Guenther, a thrower from Platteview High School, was a two-event Class B state qualifier this spring in the shot put (11th – 36’ 7 3/4”) and discus (16th – 110’ 1”). She was an All-Trail Blazer Conference selection in volleyball last fall averaging 2.5 kills per set with a .278 hitting percentage. Personal best marks for Guenther are 42’ 7 ¾” in the shot put and 122’ 2” in the discus.
Lauryn Hoffman is a sprinter/jumper from Boyd County High School where she placed fifth this spring in the Class D long jump (16’ 0”) while also being a state qualifier in the 200 and 400-meter dashes. She is an All-Niobrara Valley Conference selection in volleyball as a junior and senior and was honorable mention in basketball as a senior. Hoffman also excels in the classroom earning NCPA Academic All-State honors in volleyball, basketball and track and field. Personal best marks are 27.52 in the 200 meters, 1:02.20 in the 400 meters and 16’ 6 ½” in the long jump.
Brooke Languis is a thrower from Ponca High School where she is a two-time Class C state medalist in the shot put, taking third this spring as a senior (40’ 9”) and seventh as a sophomore in 2019 (40’ 2 ¾”). She was also a Class C state qualifier this year in the discus (10th – 114’ 3”) and is a two-time district champion and Lewis and Clark Conference champion as a sophomore. Personal best marks are 44’ 5 ½” in the shot put and 116’ 10” in the discus.
Faith Lubischer, a hurdler/sprinter from Pierce High School, was a three sport standout for the Bluejays in volleyball, basketball and track and field. She was a Class B state qualifier in the 300 meter hurdles this year, taking 11th in 48.56 seconds. Lubischer earned All-Mid States Conference honorable mention honors in volleyball and basketball and is two-time Academic All-State selection in three sports – volleyball, basketball and track and field. Lubischer’s personal best marks include 16.64 in the 100 hurdles and 48.56 in the 300 hurdles.
Kennedy Miller is a sprinter from Plattsmouth High School where she was named the schools’ Female Athlete of the Year. In track and field, she ran on the 400-meter relay team that qualified for state. On the basketball court, Miller averaged 9.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game this season to earn Class B All-State honorable mention honors and was All-Conference honorable mention in volleyball. Her personal best marks 13.06 in the 100 meters and 28.37 in the 200 meters.
Kenzie Moeller is a three sport athlete from Pierce High School where she excelled in volleyball, basketball and track and field. She was the top point scorer for the Bluejays in track and field as a junior and senior and was a Class B state qualifier in the long jump as a senior. In basketball, Moeller averaged 11.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game as a senior, earning All-Mid States Conference honors. She was a two-time Norfolk Daily News Elite 8 selection in basketball and three-time Class C All-State honorable mention. On the volleyball court, Moeller set a Class C1 state record for most digs in a season (687) in the 2019 season as a junior and was an All-Mid States Conference honorable mention selection. Moeller’s personal bests include 17’ 4” in the long jump, 12.48 in the 100 meters and 25.96 in the 200 meters.
Brink quotes:
“As it is with any recruiting class, it will probably take a year or two to see just how good this recruiting class is,” remarked Coach Brink. “With that said, I think this could turn out to be a very good recruiting class.”
Brink added, “One of the areas that we had to address was the sprints and jumps group. I believe we have several girls who could run any distance from 100 to 400 meters and be able to help our team out. Some of them could also cross over into the horizontal jumps and can do well there also.
“We also brought in three more girls who we believe would be able to fit into our throws program and have the potential to continue the tradition of excellence that our throwers have established over the years. Most importantly, this recruiting class is commendable in the classroom as well as in competition, which will help us continue our streak of USTFCCCA All-Academic team and individual awards.”
