Aug. 22, 2012

TUCSON - University of Arizona Director of Men's and Women's Cross Country and Track and Field Fred Harvey and his staff have announced the signing class for the 2012-13 season. Harvey and his assistants will welcome 22 student-athletes to the team this year.

Traci Hicks held the top 100-meter hurdle time in the country during the 2012 season. Her personal-best time of 13.22 also ranks as one of the top-10 performances in high school history. Hicks began hurdling just 13 months ago at Long Beach Poly, which is heralded as one of the best high school track and field programs in the country. In the long jump, her personal-best mark is 19-7. She plans on majoring in bachelors of general studies. Hicks was also recruited by the University of Oklahoma and California.

"Traci (Hicks) is a very nice young lady with a great personality and is very easy to talk with," Harvey said. "She is one of the most remarkable athletes that I have come across in many years. She is a great teammate, and has incredible insight on life. She comes from one of the top high school programs in the country; she knows what it takes to be successful at the national level. She is a program changer."

Aaron Castle, a graduate of Newport High School in Newport, Wash. boasted a 3.95 GPA in high school. He was ranked in the top 10 in the U.S. as a junior in the shot put and the discus. He won the Washington 1A State Championship in the discus and the shot put during the 2012 season.

"Aaron (Castle) is what I like to call the whole package," Harvey said. "He is a great young man, great student, and a great athlete. He is very dedicated to his academics and athletics and has big goals in both areas. He is a great addition to our program."

Jordan Young, of Windsor, Canada, held a 3.0 GPA during his school campaign. Young competed in all three events at the World Junior Championships this past summer. He represented Canada and was the only male athlete to compete in all three of the throwing events. Young did not qualify for the final of hammer throw or the shot put. He took sixth place in the final of the discus, posting a mark of 198-3 (60.44m).

"Jordan (Young) is a sleeper," Harvey said. "He is a sleeper because he has not had a lot of structured coaching. I am excited about when he gets into our program, with one coach every day, he is going to do really well."

Jared Roth, a graduate of Amphitheater High School in Tucson, will be a walk-on the 2012-13 track and field squad. He was the 2012 Arizona D3 High School State Champion in the high jump. He was also the 2012 Arizona Junior Olympic State Champion. Additionally, Roth earned a fourth-place finish at the 2012 Junior Olympic National Championships in the high jump. His personal-best clearance is 6-9.

Jonathan Giess is a graduate of Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park, Kan. He was named the 2012 Gatorade State Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year in Kansas. Giess won the Kansas 6A State Championship with a mark of 6-10 (2.09m) in the high jump. He also won a regional championship with a personal-best jump of 7-1. That clearance ranked as the nation's No. 1 performance among prep competitors in 2012 at the time of his selection. Giess maintained a 4.08 GPA during his high school career.

Alexandra Rodseth is a graduate of Auburn Riverside High School in Auburn, Wash. Rodseth had a season-best mark of 38-2.25 in the women's triple jump. Her season-best mark in the long jump was 18-7 in the long jump. In the 2012 Washington 4A State Championship, Rodseth took seventh place in the long jump and fourth place in the triple jump.

Arizona also added Wynton El (sprints), Bernard Quinn (sprints), Moriah Hayes (jumps), Jasmin Pratt (sprints), Elizabeth Smith (sprints), Nick Bosco (jumps), Brandon Helms (sprints), Dylan Hopper (distance), Jonas Legneres (distance), Dillon Manazares (jumps), Michael Parkes (distance), Brian Schwichtenberg (hurdles), Christopher Tansey (distance), Braden Timpe (distance), Daniel Witham (throws), Harry Zimmerman (jumps).