MOREHEAD, Ky. — 9 in-state student-athletes, a North Carolina state championship medalist and an Ohio highschool convention Cross Nation Runner of the Yr comprise the additions to teach’s Morehead State cross nation and observe and discipline squad for 2023-24. All 11 enter as freshmen.”I’m enthusiastic about this group. We acquired some folks that may be contributors their freshman yr and a few folks that can take a while to develop, which is personally my favourite half about teaching,” Dixon stated.Garrett West and Aidan Whitsell each hail from Dixon, Ky., and Webster County Excessive College. West completed sixth and Whitsell thirty eighth in final autumn’s Kentucky’s Class 2A State Cross Nation Championship, serving to their crew place second total. As juniors, West was twentieth and Whitsell forty second, with the Trojans claiming third within the crew standings.West additionally was the 2022 regional runner-up in cross nation. Whitsell positioned tenth in that meet. In 2021, West completed fourth, with Whitsell ninth.Earlier this month, the pair paced Webster County’s 4×800-meter relay crew to a fourth-place end on the Class 2A State Outside Observe and Discipline Championship. Individually on the meet, West was seventeenth within the 800-meter run, whereas Whitsell was twentieth within the 3,200-meter run. West additionally ran a leg of the 4×400-meter relay that captured seventeenth.West was the 2023 regional champ within the 800m. As a junior, he completed fourth in that race within the regional meet. West and Whitsell’s 4x800m relay squad ended its profession as two-time area champs.West additionally completed 18th within the state cross county meet as a sophomore and fiftieth as a freshman.”(West) is a stable cross nation athlete. (He) simply is aware of the best way to race. Him and his teammate Aiden, I met on the annual summer season cross nation camp we host. I like them each and that actually helped get to know their character,” Dixon stated.”He has some respectable foot pace with a 2:05 800m. He noticed lots of enchancment this cross nation season and posted private bests of 16:18 on the cross course and 10:01 on the observe at an finish of cross nation season time trial for the 3200m,” continued Dixon about West.”It will be enjoyable teaching Aidan as a result of I really feel like I’ve identified him for years. His brother Iszack Whitsell was my teammate right here at MSU from 2014 till I graduated, and I bear in mind doing runs with him and Iszack speaking about his brother,” Dixon stated. “I met Aidan at our cross nation camp as properly and he got here out so motivated from it that he noticed his cross nation private greatest drop by 34 seconds. I feel he may have observe season and develop right into a stable runner right here in a number of years.”North Laurel Excessive’s Taylor Allen was nineteenth on the 2022 Kentucky Class 3A state cross nation championships. The London native, additionally was twelfth in each the 1,600-meter and three,200m occasions at this month’s state observe and discipline championships. On the latest regionals, she was second within the 1,600m and third within the 3,200m.Allen certified for the cross nation state meet all six years through which she was eligible. In 2021, she positioned twenty third. As a junior on the observe, she was fifteenth within the metric mile and seventeenth within the two-mile state races. She additionally ran the final leg of the Girl Jaguars’ 4x800m crew that completed twenty second.”She is somebody I can see being in our prime 5 subsequent cross nation season. She has file on the KHSAA state meet, bettering from 139th, 137th, 23th to nineteenth by her senior yr,” Dixon stated. “On the observe, she is a 2:29 (800m), 5:22 (1,600m), 11:45 (3,200m) runner and ought to be good within the 1,500m or 5,000m in school.”Ginger Hayden enters MSU as its first recruit within the horizonal jumps throughout Dixon’s tenure. The Newport, N.C., native and Croatan Excessive College graduate positioned fifth within the lengthy soar and tenth within the triple soar on the 2023 North Carolina Class 3A State Observe and Discipline Championships. As a junior, she additionally was tenth on the meet within the triple soar.Hayden was named the 2023 Coastal Convention 3A Feminine Discipline Athlete of the Yr. She captured the regional crowns in each the lengthy and triple jumps, in addition to the excessive soar, in the course of the recently-completed outside season, serving to Croatan to win the crew title. An achieved athlete, Hayden additionally earned all-area honors in basketball and lacrosse.”She is a tough employee and really passionate concerning the sport and competing,” Dixon stated.Bishop Brossart’s Lauren Gooderson is one among three Northern Kentuckians who will be a part of the MSU program this fall. A gifted soccer goalkeeper, who stated she had collegiate gives in that sport, Gooderson shall be a sprinter for the Eagles.This previous fall on the pitch, Gooderson registered 10 shutouts and a 1.00 goals-against common for a Girl ‘Stangs’ squad that superior to the state quarterfinals.Gooderson competed in 4 occasions on the 2023 Kentucky Class 1A State Observe and Discipline Championships. The Alexandria, Ky., resident positioned eighth within the 400-meter sprint, ran the anchor leg of the victorious 4×100-meter relay, and the primary leg of the 4x400m relay which completed seventh. As a sophomore, she additionally led off the state champion 4×200-meter relay crew and the fourth-place 4x100m foursome.Throughout her profession, Brossart received the state crew title in 2021 and was second this spring.On the 2023 regional, Gooderson positioned third within the 400m and was a member of the profitable 4x100m quartet. The Girl ‘Stangs captured the crew crown for the third consecutive yr.”She is simply an all-round athlete. I do know she is a reasonably stable soccer participant in highschool, however she ought to be addition to our lengthy sprints program,” Dixon stated. “She shall be specializing in the 200m-400m, and relying on how coaching goes, she could have the endurance for 800m.”Brady Baker additionally hails from Alexandria, Ky., however graduated from Campbell County Excessive College. He was a member of the Camels’ 14th-place 4x800m relay crew on the 2023 Class 3A state championships. He additionally certified for the 2022 3A state cross nation meet. He completed forty first on the regional competitors for the crew titlists final fall. As a junior, he was thirty seventh on the occasion. Within the outside season’s regional, he positioned twelfth within the 1,600m and thirteenth within the 800m.”He actually confirmed progress his senior yr and labored onerous for it,” Dixon stated. “I feel he has potential to proceed that and develop properly these subsequent few years.”Armando Montes capped off his profession at Dixie Heights Excessive College with a third-place end on the state Class 3A Observe and Discipline Championships this month. He additionally ran the anchor leg of the squad’s 4x400m relay that positioned fifteenth. In Could, he captured the 800m regional crown. This previous fall, he was twenty eighth within the Class 3A state cross nation meet and sixteenth within the regionals. He was the highest finisher for a crew which positioned nineteenth total at state and fifth within the area.As a junior, he completed sixth within the 800m and seventh within the 1,600m on the regional observe championships.A local of Covington, Ky., Montes certified for the state cross nation meet 3 times.”(He’s a) very gifted person that I feel ought to transition properly to varsity working,” Dixon stated.Noah Bunting was the Nationwide Division Runner of the Yr for the Southern Buckeye Athletic and Tutorial Convention this previous fall in cross nation and in addition was named to the All-SBAAC First Crew. His Clermont Northeast Excessive College Rockets captured back-to-back league crowns in 2021 and 2022.In outside observe and discipline, the Batavia, Ohio, resident, owns the second-fastest time within the 3,200m (10:08.71) and third-fastest mark within the 1,600m (4:55.92) in his college’s historical past.As a senior, he received each regular-season meet through which he raced. In his junior season, he completed forty ninth on the state’s Division II championship.”This man is a cross nation runner. He went your complete season going undefeated till sadly at his district meet he was sick with the flu or one thing and will barely race,” Dixon stated of Bunting. “His junior yr, he certified for the Ohio state cross nation meet, the place he positioned forty ninth, which is saying one thing with how deep and gifted Ohio cross nation is. He has a 16:04 5K private greatest in cross nation and I feel his observe occasions will present enchancment right here this yr, if he stays wholesome.”A local of Lexington, Ky., Asher Jack enters MSU having made his biggest mark in cross nation. The Tates Creek Excessive College graduate, certified for the state 3A cross nation meet 4 occasions. On the regional cross nation championship, Jack boasted two top-30 finishes and 4 top-60 finishes.In observe and discipline, Jack ran in a pair of regionals, inserting eighth within the 800m in 2022 and twelfth within the 3,200m in 2021.”(He is) child, actually sensible, (who) simply has the traditional cross-country-kid look to him,” Dixon stated. “I feel he can grow to be runner and probably be a contributor in a number of years.”Lick Creek, Kentucky’s Keghan Thompson joins the Eagles after having certified for 4 state Class A Cross Nation Championships and 4 state Class A Observe and Discipline Championships. This previous fall, the East Ridge Excessive College graduate positioned thirty seventh. In his three earlier state cross nation races, he was 119th, 142nd and 223rd. In observe, he earned berths in 4 totally different occasions, with highlights of ending eleventh within the 800m in 2022, and 14th in each the 1,600m and three,200m in 2023. As a freshman and sophomore, he was a member of the 4x800m relay squad that completed twenty first twice.In regional meets, Thompson crossed the road in third, seventh and ninth, respectively, in every of the final three cross nation campaigns. He additionally claimed thirty sixth as a freshman and Sixtieth as an eighth-grader. In observe, he received the three,200m title and completed third within the 1,600m this previous Could. As a junior, he was second within the 800m and third within the 1,600m. In his sophomore season, he was third within the 3,200m and fourth within the 1,600m.”He has progressed properly by his profession and ran a private greatest on the state meet,” Dixon stated. “I feel he has the suitable software units to develop properly over his profession.”Emily Spradlin ran each the 800m and 1,600m at her final three outside observe regionals. A local of Hartford, Ky., and a graduate of Ohio County Excessive College, the identical place that produced rising senior, Spradlin’s greatest end got here in 2022 when she was eighth within the 1,600m.Spradlin didn’t run in her regional cross nation meet this previous fall, however within the 4 earlier seasons she picked up three sub-Sixtieth-place finishes. As an eighth-grader, she positioned sixty fourth.”She progressed properly her senior season,” Dixon stated. “She first acquired in touch with us at our summer season camp and stayed in touch her senior yr.”The detrimental affect Covid-19 had on Dixon’s capacity to recruit is lastly coming to an finish.”This was additionally the primary yr for the reason that summer season of 2019 we had our summer season cross nation camp and we instantly noticed the affect that has on our recruiting efforts. We picked up two guys (Garrett West and Aidan Whitsell) from the camp,” Dixon stated. “On our roster now, we have now seven individuals who went to that camp sooner or later once they have been in highschool, so it actually is an effective recruiting software. In actual fact, that’s how I first acquired in touch with the coach at Morehead (State) after I was a senior in highschool.”The Eagles are anticipated to deliver again their total roster exceptandfrom those who accomplished the season this spring.MSU will open its cross nation season in August. Morehead State will host the 2023 Ohio Valley Convention Championship on the finish of October.
