Men's Track & Field 7/28/2010 10:43:00 PM Southern Utah Athletics

Southern Utah Men's Track & Field/Cross Country Complete 2010-11 Class

CEDAR CITY, Utah - July 26 - Southern Utah cross country/track & field head coach Eric Houle has announced the additions of 20 student-athletes that will be joining the Thunderbird men for the 2010-11 season.

"We look forward to bringing in these athletes and unlocking that potential that each of them have," Houle said. "We think that SUU is a great place for student-athletes to come and develop into stronger athletes and people than when they first came. Each of these athletes will help us to stay competitive at the conference, regional and national levels."

Throwers may make the most noise next season as three signees, Tyler Anderson (Lovell, Wyo.), Chris Johnson (Box Elder) and Cody Olsen (Utah Valley Univ.) will each bring an impressive resume.

Anderson is the Wyoming 2A state champion in the shot put and discus with personal-best marks of 56-5.5 and 176-0, respectively. Each mark would already be among the best in school history at SUU, but Anderson will need to adjust to the added weights that are thrown at the collegiate level.

Johnson is along the same level, throwing personal bests of 58-4 in the shot (first at the Utah 4A state championship), 158-5 in the discus (second at the Utah 4A state championship) and 175-11 in the javelin. Johnson's mark of 58 feet four inches in the shot would be a school record, should the incoming freshman match it with added weight during his time in Cedar City.

Olsen will be bringing a pair of Great West conference titles in the javelin after having competed for Utah Valley University and recording a personal-best mark of 209 feet 4.5 inches in the event.

The final thrower slated to join the group is Bradley Williams (Cedar City, Utah) who finished sixth at the Utah 3A state championship in the javelin with a mark of 170 feet four inches.

Southern Utah jumpers will be receiving a boost with the addition of a pair of athletes from the state of Nevada in Alex Anderson (Pahrump, Nev.) and Alex Suponch (Wooster, Nev.). Both have already recorded what would be top-ten marks in school history in the triple jump with Anderson bounding to a personal-best mark of 45-9.25 and Suponch with a PR of 45-8.25. Suponch's personal best of 23 feet 8.25 inches in the long jump would also rank in the top ten in Southern Utah's record books.

The cross country team will have a bevy of talent joining the ranks as six of the 20 additions are slated for distance events. Robby Lee (Utah 5A), Eric Sandall (Nevada 4A) and Kyle Winward (Utah 3A) each recorded top-five finishes at their respective state cross country meet. Sandall will also be bringing a Nevada state title in the 800-meters with a championship time of 1:54.48.

Shinano Miyazawa (Mountain View), Andrew Cesal (Spokane CC) and Al Galan (Liberty (NV)) round out the group of distance additions.

The additions to the ranks of sprinters will bring several medals from state competition, including a Utah state title. Preston Myers (Tooele) blazed to the state title in the 200-meters in 2007 and will look to return to form after a two-year break from organized competition.

Christian Williams (Delta) and Jason Diamond (West Jordan) collected silver medals at the 2010 Utah state championships with Diamond finishing second in the 400-meters (48.84) and Williams finishing second in the 200 and 400-meters at the 3A level.

The final group that will be joining the Thunderbirds is a quartet of hurdlers, including Utah 2A state champion Sam Demars-Conoly (Grand) who ran to titles in the 100-meter hurdles and 300-meter hurdles. Ryan Conan (Skyline (ID)) and Anthony Norris (Liberty (NV)) each ran to second-place finishes in the 110-meter hurdles at their respective state championship meets, recording PR's of 14.58 and 14.76, respectively.

Colton Swan (Brighton) recorded fourth-place finishes in the 110-meter hurdles and 300-meter hurdles in 2007 at the Utah state 5A championship prior to serving an LDS church mission. Swan will bring personal-best times of 14.96 and 38.83, respectively.

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Players Mentioned

Alex Anderson: JUMPS; Freshman

Tyler Anderson: THROWS; Freshman

Ryan Conan: HURDLES; Freshman

Sam Demars-Conoly: HURDLES; 6' 1"; Freshman

Jason Diamond: SPRINTS; Freshman

Al Galan: DISTANCE; 5' 9"; Freshman

Chris Johnson: THROWS; Freshman

Shinano Miyazawa: DISTANCE; 5' 6"; Freshman

Preston Myers: SPRINTS; 5' 10"; Freshman

Cody Olsen: THROWS; 6' 1"; Junior

Alex Suponch: JUMPS; Freshman

Bradley Williams: THROWS; 6' 0"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Alex Anderson
: Freshman
: JUMPS

Tyler Anderson
: Freshman
: THROWS

Ryan Conan
: Freshman
: HURDLES

Sam Demars-Conoly
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: HURDLES

Jason Diamond
: Freshman
: SPRINTS

Al Galan
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: DISTANCE

Chris Johnson
: Freshman
: THROWS

Shinano Miyazawa
: 5' 6"; Freshman
: DISTANCE

Preston Myers
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: SPRINTS

Cody Olsen
: 6' 1"; Junior
: THROWS

Alex Suponch
: Freshman
: JUMPS

Bradley Williams
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: THROWS