Colorado State University Athletics
CSU Track & Field Announces Signing of Eight Student-Athletes
11/21/2016 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The Colorado State track and field team has signed eight athletes to a national letter of intent, CSU head coach Brian Bedard announced on Monday.
Three of the eight athletes will compete in throws, while two will run middle distance events. Each of the hurdles, jumps and multis are also represented in this class. Each athlete will be eligible to compete for the Rams beginning in the 2017-18 season.
"I think we have a talented and well-rounded early recruiting class," Bedard said. "The coaches worked extremely hard to put together a good signing group and the areas that we still need some work on will get covered in the April signing period."
Read below for details on each student-athlete.
Jackson Morris
Albuquerque, N.M. (Albuquerque Academy)
Athletics Achievements
- 2016 NM 5A State Meet Champion: Javelin, Discus, Shot Put
- 2016 NM 5A State Meet High-Point Male Athlete
- 2016 Stanford Invitational: Second Place, Discus
- 2015 NM 5A State Meet Champion: Javelin, Discus, Shot Put
- 2015 NM Gatorade Track and Field Male Athlete of the Year
- 2015 USATF Junior Olympic National Meet: Second Place, Discus
- Four-Time Varsity Track and Field Letterman, Albuquerque Academy
- Two-Time Varsity Basketball Letterman, Albuquerque Academy
Bedard on Morris
"Jackson's an outstanding young javelin thrower with a huge up-side. His dominant event at Colorado State will be the javelin but he shows the ability to help us in several other throwing events. He's just starting to mature physically, so we should see big improvements his senior year of high school through his college career."
Adam Dawson
Parker, Colo. (Lutheran HS)
Athletics Achievements
- 2016 3A State discus champion
- 2015 3A State discus runner-Up
- 2016 First Team All-State
- Member of 3A state championship track & field Team, 2015 and 2016
- School record holder, discus and javelin
- PR in Discus: 180'
- PR in Javelin: 171'11"
- Third Place in Javelin Emerging Athlete Division at 2016 New Balance Outdoor Nationals
- 18th Place in the Discus Championship Division at 2016 New Balance Outdoor Nationals
- Undefeated in discus during 2016 Colorado high school season
- Field Athlete of the Meet at the 2016 Mullen Adidas Runners Roost Invitational
- Started competing in track as a sophomore in high school
- Competes in Varsity baseball and track, with scholarship offers in both
Bedard on Dawson
"I always like to sign Colorado kids at CSU. We want to give local talent an opportunity to excel in college. I've been tracking Adam's progress for years, and he's been to several of my throwing camps. This has allowed me to develop a rapport with him and evaluate his coachability. He's been a dual-sport athlete with baseball and track his entire high school career which has limited his practice time. Considering he's had the success he's had training part time for track, we're really excited to work with him as a full-time track athlete."
Tarynn Sieg
Eaton, Colo. (Eaton HS)
Athletics Achievements
- Shot Put: 46'6.5"
- Discus: 149'8.5"
- CHSAA Girls Class 3A State Champions, 2015 and 2016
- 3A all-time performance records for shot put and discus
- CHSAA Girls Class 3A State Champion in shot put with state record of 45'5", 2016
- CHSAA Girls Class 3A State Champion in shot put, 2015
- 2015, 2016 all-conference
- 2015, 2016 all-state
- CHSAA Girls Class 3A state champion in discus at 142'10"
- Academic all-state
- Qualifier for the USATF Junior Outdoor National Championships in shot put
Volleyball
- 3A state champions, 2014, 2015, 2016
- All-state first team, 2015, 2016
- Academic all-state, 2016
- All-conference, 2015, 2016
- All-state second team, 2014
- All-conference honorable mention, 2014
Academics Achievements
- Three-time academic letter winner
- Student Council Class President, senior year
- National Honor Society
- Link Student Leader
Bedard on Sieg
"Tarynn is a local girl from 30 minutes east of Fort Collins, so essentially right in our back yard. I've had an opportunity to get to know her at my throwing camps and watch her develop over the years and build a rapport with her. She's a very talented volleyball player that has split time with club volleyball and track. I feel as she begins to work on a full time training basis for track, she's going to have some huge gains. More importantly, her leadership qualities and her competitiveness really stand out to me and that will help her to be successful at the next level."
Isa Bynum
District Heights, Md. (Suitland HS)
Athletics Achievements
- Long Jump: 24'6"
- Triple Jump: 46'7"
- 100m: 10.93
- Third Place MPSSAA Outdoor State Championships in long jump, 2016
- Second Place MPSSAA Outdoor State Championships in triple jump, 2016
Head assistant coach Ryan Baily on Bynum
"Isa has posted some impressive marks and we feel he can have an immediate impact on our team. Isa will focus primarily on the long and triple jumps, while training for short sprint races as well."
Tate Thornton
Fort Collins, Colo. (Rocky Mountain HS)
Athletics Achievements
- Long Jump: 17'4"
- Pole Vault: 11'4"
CHSAA State Championships - 2016
- 13th Place - long jump
- Third Place - pole vault
- Ninth Place - triple jump
Baily on Thornton
"Tate is a great student and well-rounded athlete. She will focus on multiple events, with primary focus in the pole vault and long jump. We are excited she has chosen to remain in Fort Collins and join our team."
Hannah Freeman
Boulder, Colo. (Fairview HS)
Athletics Achievements
- 400m: 58.61
- 800m: 2:12.83
Assistant coach Art Siemers on Freeman
"We are super excited to have one of the best middle distance runners in the state of Colorado joining our program. Hannah could have an immediate impact in the Mountain West in the 800m."
Jenna Diers
New Lenox, Ill. (Lincoln Way West HS)
Athletics Achievements
- 400m: 58.94
- 800m: 2:13.46
- Three-mile (XC): 17:51.20
Siemers on Diers
"Jenna has improved dramatically in cross country this year, qualifying for the Illinois 3A State Championships. Her leg speed and range will be big assets for the Rams in the coming years."
Destinee Rocker
Lithonia, Ga. (Arabia Mountain HS)
Athletics Achievements
- 60m Hurdles: 8.81
- 100m Hurdles: 13.87
- Georgia championship holder within her high school region
- First female to win a state championship title in Arabia Mountain High School's history
- Received MVP award sophomore and junior year
- Qualified for Junior Olympics five years in a row, ranked in the top eight every year
- Will be studying business and sports management at CSU
- Has a twin brother and a younger sister
Assistant coach Karim Abdel-Wahab on Rocker
"I couldn't be more excited to have a young hurdler joining out team with Destinee's character, great potential on the track and commitment to her academic career. She will be able to be a contributor on the team as a freshman hurdler and has the ability to contribute in other event areas as well."