March 9, 2011

LARAMIE, Wyo. - The University of Wyoming track and field program announced Tuesday the signing of seven student-athletes to National Letters of Intent for the fall of 2011.

The Cowgirls added six student-athletes, including: Jolie DuBois, a sprinter from Glenwood Springs, Colo.; Shreese Daniels, a thrower from Steilacoom, Wash.; Danielle Grossman, a distance runner from Colorado Springs, Colo.; Karen Koritnik, a jumper from Lovell, Wyo.; Courtney Madson, a distance runner from Novato, Calif.; and Maddie Vigil, a sprinter from Centennial, Colo.

The Cowboys added a distance runner in Aaron Derner from Waterford, Wis.

"I think for the first time in a long time, we were able to fill needs," Wyoming coach Don Yentes said. "We got a really good thrower, got good distance runners, we picked up some long sprints. I think that's exactly what we wanted to do. These people we've signed have added automatic depth and contribution to the program. That's what we were looking for and that's what we got."

Shreese Daniels, Steilacoom, Wash. (Steilacoom HS)
Daniels currently is ranked seventh in the nation in the women's 20-pound weight throw after setting a Washington state high school record Saturday with a throw of 55 feet, 5 inches. She also was the 2010 Washington Class 2A state runner-up in the shot put and third in the discus. Her personal bests are 43-6 and 131-9 in the shot put and discus, respectively. She is ranked second in shot put in all classifications in Washington. Daniels chose Wyoming over the University of Washington, Washington State, Cal State Northridge, and the University of Idaho.

"Shreese is very tall at 6-3 with long levers and explosive athletic abilities," UW throws coach Paul Barrett said. "She has only spent a couple months working on the very technical weight throw and hammer throw events recently. To be able to come out and rank seventh nationally with so little experience tells of her tremendous potential. Shreese is fortunate to have recently acquired the services of a new hammer/weight throw coach in Ben Keith, who obviously has done a great job developing her quickly. We are thrilled to have Shreese join our women's throwing crew and step in right away and compete at a high level."

"She's one of the top 200-meter girls in the Rocky Mountains," Yentes said. "She has a big range, and can run on 4-by-100s all the way through 4-by-400s. She's going to be somebody we count on."

Maddie Vigil, Centennial, Colo. (Grandview HS)
Vigil's best marks include 25.10 seconds in the 200-meter dash, and she was part of the Colorado state champion 4-by-400-meter relay team. She also showed her versatility in the 400-meter run with a career best of 57.80. Vigil did all this despite only running in these events for one full year.

"She's exactly what we're looking for," Yentes said. "We feel like she has a lot of upside. We've had kids in the past in our program, and for whatever reason, they are very young in track and field. She's one of those people. She could really develop."

Courtney Madson, Novato, Calif. (Novato HS)
Madson finished eighth at the Stanford Invitational in the 3,000-meter run, was a North Coast section champion in the 800-meter run and was a state qualifier in cross country in 2010.

"Courtney will be a great addition to our Cowgirl Cross Country program," UW distance coach Randy Cole said. "She already has proven herself to have the makings of a successful college student-athlete, both on and off the track. Her hard work and dedication in the classroom will carry over to her performances on the track."

Danielle Grossman, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Cheyenne Mountain HS)
Grossman will be a key cog in the Wyoming distance squad. She finished fifth at the Colorado 4A State Cross Country Championships last year.

"We are pleased to have Danielle join our program," Cole said. "She will be a big boost to our cross country team and will help strengthen our longer distance events in track. She's excited about taking advantage of the opportunities here at Wyoming."

Karen Koritnik, Lovell, Wyo. (Lovell HS)
Koritnik will be a long jumper for the Cowgirls. UW jumps coach Quincy Howe likes her overall athleticism, pointing to her background in multiple sports.

Aaron Derner, Waterford, Wis. (Waterford HS)
Derner will be an addition to the distance squad, and he has an eighth-place finish to his credit in the Division I Wisconsin State Cross Country Championships in 2009. He also finished 13th in the 2010 Wisconsin Track and Field Championships in the 3,200-meter run.

"Aaron will be a fine addition to our team," Cole said. "He has a lot of room for improvement and he will develop in a positive way when he joins the guys here at UW and the training environment. He is an excellent student and has a good outlook on what he wants to accomplish at Wyoming."