Colorado State University Athletics
CSU track & field adds 3 to 2016 roster
4/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- Head coach Brian Bedard announced on Thursday the additions of three track & field student-athletes, Eric Hamer, Rebecca Finley and Maddie Minnaert to next year's squad.
Distance runner Eric Hamer joins Colorado State from Palmer Ridge High School in Mounment, Colo., where he was named the 2014-15 Gatorade State Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year for the state of Colorado following a Class 4A individual state title and a Bears' team championship. Hamer placed third at the Nike Cross Nationals Southwest Regional and then later took fourth on the national stage, earning All-America status.
Last season Hamer won five consecutive races, crossing the finish line in first place four times prior to the state meet. He won the title at the Region 2 championships, the Pikes Peak Conference championships, the Dave Sanders Invitational and the Woodland Park Run Above the Clouds. Following his stellar senior campaign, the Colorado Springs Gazette named him the boys' cross country Peak Performer of the Year. He placed fourth at the USA Junior Cross Country National Championship and took 42nd at the IAAF World Junior Cross Country Championship.
Hamer's top marks are impressive, clocking 1 minute, 57.17 seconds in the 800-meter run, 4:22.37 in the 1,600, 8:58.97 in the 3,200 and 14:55.8 in the cross country 5K.
"We are thrilled to add Eric Hamer to our strong distance crew," commented distance coach Art Siemers. "As one of the top high school prospects in the country, he will help us compete for Mountain West titles and our bid for a top 10 national finish."
A thrower from Lawrence High School in Kansas, Rebecca Finley is the younger sister of Wyoming's standout thrower Mason Finley. Last season she broke the Lions' school record in the discus by over six feet, and she's placed second in the Class 6A state meet in the same event in the past two years. In the shot put, she took eighth at state her sophomore season, followed by a sixth-place finish in her junior campaign.
A native of Salida, Colo., Finley won the discus event at the Colorado State games. She also took top honors in the discus at state for USATF last summer, while placing second in the shot put.
"Rebecca comes from a thrower family with Mason, her brother, competing at the highest levels in shot and discus, and her father having success at the University of Wyoming," praised Bedard. "She has good size and shows the explosive ability to compete at the Division I level. We will need to get to work on some technical changes and strength training, but with hard work and consistency Rebecca has the tools to be a top competitor in the MW, and an NCAA qualifier. She will make an immediate impact on our throws squad in the upcoming season."
Coming to CSU from Bishop Kelly High School in Boise, Idaho, Maddie Minnaert excels in sprints and jumps. During her sophomore season, she set a Class 4A record leaping 18 feet, 10.5 inches. That distance would rank second among the Rams' best jumpers this season.
Minnaert boasts PRs of 12.48 seconds in the 100-meter dash, 25.96 in the 200 and 15.62 in the 100-meter hurdles. In addition to track, she also competed in basketball and soccer for the Knights.
"We are very excited Madelyn has chosen to be a Ram," said jumps coach Ryan Baily. "She has aspirations to compete at a high level in the long jump and the multi-events. We are confident she is a great fit for CSU and the track & field team."
The three signees join five incoming Rams that were added during the early signing period: Mostafa Amr Ahmed, Karlie Gilbeck, Linnéa Jönsson, Ali Kallner and Eli Oftedal.
Players Mentioned
