May 1, 2007

Villanova, Pa. - With the end of the 2007 outdoor season rapidly approaching, the Villanova women's track and field team looks to add depth to their already talented team for next year. Recently, women's head coach Gina Procaccio has received signed National Letters of Intent from eight elite high school student-athletes.

"This is by far the deepest and most talented recruiting class for our program in recent years," claims Procaccio. "We are excited with these young ladies joining our team and they will allow us to continue our great tradition of excellence on and off the track."

Callie Hogan (Bayshore, N.Y.), Alison Smith (Columbia, Md.), Sheila Reid (Newmarket, Ontario), Amanda Marino (Jackson, N.J.), and Sarah Morrison (Chambersburg, Pa.) will add tremendous talent and strength to the middle distances, as well as cross country. Jessona McDonald (Forest Hills, N.Y.), Audrey Gariepy-Bogui (Potomac, Md.), and Kristen Mahon (Robbinsville, N.J.) will add impact to sprints and jumps.

Callie Hogan, of Bay Shore High School, is currently one of the top high school middle distance runners in the country. She joins the Wildcats with PR's of 2:53.81 in the 1000m, 4:50.35 in the mile, and 9:50.09 in the 3000m. At the 2007 National Scholastic Indoor Championships in March, Hogan won her first individual national title taking the mile championship in 4:50.35. This came just two days after she anchored her team to victory in the Distance Medley Relay. Hogan also ranked as one of the top cross country runners in New York last fall, running 17:52 over a 5K cross country course.

Alison Smith, of Atholton High School, also sits among the nations finest high school middle distance runners. She moves to the Main Line with PR's of 2:11.12 in the 800m, 2:54.52 in the 1000m, and 4:31.45 in the 1500m. In addition to her tremendous speed on the track, Smith established herself as a top high school cross country runner in the nation last fall. After defending her Maryland state title in cross country, Smith went on to run 17:55 on the difficult Van Cortlandt Park 5K course to finish fifth at the Northeast Footlocker Championships. This feat secured her a trip to the prestigious Footlocker National Championship in San Diego, Calif.

Sheila Reid, Sacred Heart Catholic High School, has positioned herself as one of Canada's top high school middle distance runners. She boasts PR's of 2:14.72 in the 800m, 2:55.90 in the 1000m, 4:38.11 in the 1500m, and 10:07.25 3000m. In addition to her middle-distance talent, Reid is also a top Canadian junior in cross country, running an outstanding 17:48 over a 5K cross country course. Reid recently returned from Mombassa, Kenya, where she represented Canada for the second consecutive year in the World Cross Country Championships.

Amanda Marino, of Jackson High School, currently ranks as one of the top high school middle distance/distance runners from the state of New Jersey. She brings PR's of 2:15.88 in the 800m, 4:54.21 in the 1600m, and 10:46.72 in the 3200m. In 2006, Marino was the Indoor Meet of Champions winner in the 1600m. She also possesses great strength on the cross country course, clocking a 17:35 over a 5K distance. In addition, Marino is one of only a handful of athletes who have registered a time under 18:00 on the prestigious Holmdel Park cross country course.

Sarah Morrison, hailing from in-state Chambersburg High School, will don the Wildcat name as an elite middle-distance runner from Pennsylvania. She owns PR's of 2:14.10 in the 800m and 4:54.05 in the mile. Morrison was the Pennsylvania State Champion in the outdoor 1600m as a young sophomore. She also garnered the indoor state championship in the mile her junior year, where she posted her breakthrough time of 4:54.05. Furthermore, Morrison finished in the top 20 at the Footlocker Northeast Regionals, marking her as one of the state's elite cross country runners.

Jessona McDonald, a native of Forest Hills High School, will enter her freshman year with personal best times of 56.0 in the 400m and 24.8 in the 200m. Sprint coach Anthony Williams describes MacDonald as a tremendous talent who is just coming into her own as a top-flight sprinter. The coaching staff anticipates her to provide great coverage in both events, as well as the sprint relays.

Audrey Gariepy-Bogui, of Winston Churchill High School, is the Maryland State Champion in the 55m hurdles and high jump. She is coming off a stellar indoor season where she won state titles in both events. Her personal bests of 8.01 in the 55m hurdles and 5'8 ½" in the high jump, places Gariepy-Bogui among the nations elite competitors. Coach Williams believes her to be a versatile athlete with great promise. Gariepy-Bogui will shoulder some responsibility in continuing the strong Villanova tradition in the sprint hurdle, as well as possesses the potential to develop into a high caliber all-around athlete.

Kristen Mahon, from Notre Dame High School, ranks as a top sprinter in the state of New Jersey. Her outstanding range has allowed her success in the 100m, 200m and 400m. This year, Mahon will add the 400m hurdles to her arsenal of events. She will arrive in the fall bringing personal best times of 11.9 in the 100m, 24.3 in the 200m, and 55.4 in the 400m. In 2006, Mahon garnered the Indoor Meet of Champions title in the 400m. Mahon will be looked upon to become a top collegiate sprinter, as well as add force to Villanova's relay teams.