The Milligan College men\'s cross country/track and field teams announced five new signees Friday as both teams enter the fall 2006 semester.
Leading the way is Marcus Haynes, a one-lap specialist from Fairburn, Ga. Haynes was a mainstay on the Valley Central High School (Montgomery, N.Y.) sprint relays that earned success at the Penn Relays, and owns a personal best of 49.81 in the 400 meters.
Joining Haynes are Franklin High School (Franklin, N.C.) teammates Justin Westerman (shot put/discus throw) and Sam Crabtree (sprints) along with Kylor Thone (Hutto, Texas). Thone, who was coached by Keri Cox, was an AAU national finalist in the decathlon, but will concentrate on cross country and the mid-distance events during the track season.
Rounding out the list of newcomers is local standout and Science Hill graduate Matt McConnell. McConnell, the son of Ann and Charles McConnell, ran cross country for Buddy Thomas and owns a three mile best of 17:20. In track, McConnell earned All-Region 1-AAA honors and recorded a personal best 2:02 for 800 meters under the direction of Ernest Hill.
\"I\'m confident in Coach (Rohsaan) Griffin\'s ability to take these guys to another level in a year or two. It takes two to three good recruiting classes to get a program off the ground and I think he\'s off to a great start,\" said head coach Chris Layne.