Rovelto Announces the Addition of Nine to the 2022 Signing Class
Nov 30, 2021 | Track & Field
MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Kansas State track and field program signed nine student-athletes to National Letters of Intent (NLI) for the 2022-23 season, Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Cliff Rovelto announced on Tuesday afternoon (November 30).
"It is always our intent to have as complete a team as possible and to have quality depth with athletes that are capable of contributing at the conference and national levels," stated Rovelto. "This group is very capable of competing at the Big 12 level and we believe that a few can develop into NCAA qualifiers and potential scorers at that level. We will have a very young and talented team for the next couple of years."
A total of three states (Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma) and three countries (Jamaica, The Netherlands, India) are represented in the class.
A native of Bloemendaal, Nethlerands, Babs Koeman will be joining the Wildcats in the fall of 2022. Recording a personal best of 4,918 points in the heptathlon, Koeman placed ninth overall at the Dutch Championships in Breda, Netherlands on June 27, 2021.
Claire Bybee, an alumnus of Sulphur Springs High School in Sulphur Springs, Texas, earned third place at the Texas High School State Championships in the 5A pole vault with a height of 3.81m/12'6" on May 7, 2021. Bybee competed in the 300m hurdles at the UIL 5A District 15 Championships and finished with a personal-best time of 49.42, placing fourth overall.
Joining the track and field team and the cross country team is Sophie Simmons from Bixby, Oklahoma. A member of the state-meet record breaking 4x800m relay team, Simmons earned a gold medal at the Class 6A state meet with a time of 9:18.32. This was the first time since 2015 that the Jenks High School had a team title.
Another signee, Delaney Wright, is from Louisburg, Kansas and was a three-time Kansas High School state champion. At the Class 4A state track and field meet, Wright won the 200m (25.45), the 400m (58.30) and the long jump (5.54m/18'2.25") titles. Following her performance at the state meet, the alumnus from Louisburg High School was named the Tri-County Spotlight Track and Field Girls Athlete of the Year.
A native of Prairie Village, Kansas, Grace Meyers will join K-State in the fall of 2022. At the Olathe Twilight Invitational on September 11, 2021, Meyers ran a personal-best time of 18:05.6 in the 5k, finishing in fifth place. Later in the season, the Shawnee Mission East High School alumnus won the 5k race with a time of 18:31.3 at the KSHSAA Class 6A Shawnee Mission Northwest Regional. Meyers followed up the win with a fifth-place finish at the Kansas KHSAA Class 6A State Cross Country Championships, clocking in at 18:24.0.
Lindsey DeWitt will arrive in Manhattan after clearing a height of 1.65m/5'5" at the KSHSAA 6A Regional #2 on May 21, 2021, placing first overall out of ten competitors. Just a few days later on May 27, 2021, DeWitt jumped to 1.62m/5'4" at the 5A-6A Kansas State High School Track and Field Championships.
At the Jamaican National High School Championships, Jhavor Bennett from St. Elizabeth, Jamaica placed second in the triple jump with a mark of 15.56m/51'0.75" and fourth in the long jump with a leap of 7.46m/24'5.75", a personal-best. Bennett also competed at the Class 1 triple jump competition, where he placed second with a jump of 15.31m/50'2.75".
Prithviraj Chougule is a native of Kolhapur, India and competes in the sprints. Chougule ran a personal-best time of 10.80 in the 100m dash.
The ninth and final addition to the 2022 signing class is Carson McEachern from Wichita, Kansas. McEachern comes from Bishop Carroll Catholic High School and earned a third-place finish at the KSHSAA 5A Regional #8 in the 800m run with a time of 1:59.83. At the 5A-6A Kansas State High School Track and Field Championships ran a personal-best time of 1:59.81, finishing in ninth-place.
Below are full profiles of each of the nine signees who will join K-State in Fall 2022:
Babs Koeman| Bloemendaal, Netherlands | Multis
"It is always our intent to have as complete a team as possible and to have quality depth with athletes that are capable of contributing at the conference and national levels," stated Rovelto. "This group is very capable of competing at the Big 12 level and we believe that a few can develop into NCAA qualifiers and potential scorers at that level. We will have a very young and talented team for the next couple of years."
A total of three states (Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma) and three countries (Jamaica, The Netherlands, India) are represented in the class.
A native of Bloemendaal, Nethlerands, Babs Koeman will be joining the Wildcats in the fall of 2022. Recording a personal best of 4,918 points in the heptathlon, Koeman placed ninth overall at the Dutch Championships in Breda, Netherlands on June 27, 2021.
Claire Bybee, an alumnus of Sulphur Springs High School in Sulphur Springs, Texas, earned third place at the Texas High School State Championships in the 5A pole vault with a height of 3.81m/12'6" on May 7, 2021. Bybee competed in the 300m hurdles at the UIL 5A District 15 Championships and finished with a personal-best time of 49.42, placing fourth overall.
Joining the track and field team and the cross country team is Sophie Simmons from Bixby, Oklahoma. A member of the state-meet record breaking 4x800m relay team, Simmons earned a gold medal at the Class 6A state meet with a time of 9:18.32. This was the first time since 2015 that the Jenks High School had a team title.
Another signee, Delaney Wright, is from Louisburg, Kansas and was a three-time Kansas High School state champion. At the Class 4A state track and field meet, Wright won the 200m (25.45), the 400m (58.30) and the long jump (5.54m/18'2.25") titles. Following her performance at the state meet, the alumnus from Louisburg High School was named the Tri-County Spotlight Track and Field Girls Athlete of the Year.
A native of Prairie Village, Kansas, Grace Meyers will join K-State in the fall of 2022. At the Olathe Twilight Invitational on September 11, 2021, Meyers ran a personal-best time of 18:05.6 in the 5k, finishing in fifth place. Later in the season, the Shawnee Mission East High School alumnus won the 5k race with a time of 18:31.3 at the KSHSAA Class 6A Shawnee Mission Northwest Regional. Meyers followed up the win with a fifth-place finish at the Kansas KHSAA Class 6A State Cross Country Championships, clocking in at 18:24.0.
Lindsey DeWitt will arrive in Manhattan after clearing a height of 1.65m/5'5" at the KSHSAA 6A Regional #2 on May 21, 2021, placing first overall out of ten competitors. Just a few days later on May 27, 2021, DeWitt jumped to 1.62m/5'4" at the 5A-6A Kansas State High School Track and Field Championships.
At the Jamaican National High School Championships, Jhavor Bennett from St. Elizabeth, Jamaica placed second in the triple jump with a mark of 15.56m/51'0.75" and fourth in the long jump with a leap of 7.46m/24'5.75", a personal-best. Bennett also competed at the Class 1 triple jump competition, where he placed second with a jump of 15.31m/50'2.75".
Prithviraj Chougule is a native of Kolhapur, India and competes in the sprints. Chougule ran a personal-best time of 10.80 in the 100m dash.
The ninth and final addition to the 2022 signing class is Carson McEachern from Wichita, Kansas. McEachern comes from Bishop Carroll Catholic High School and earned a third-place finish at the KSHSAA 5A Regional #8 in the 800m run with a time of 1:59.83. At the 5A-6A Kansas State High School Track and Field Championships ran a personal-best time of 1:59.81, finishing in ninth-place.
Below are full profiles of each of the nine signees who will join K-State in Fall 2022:
Babs Koeman| Bloemendaal, Netherlands | Multis
- Personal Bests: Heptathlon (4,918)
- Personal Bests: Pole Vault (3.89/12'9.0")
- 2021 third place recipient at Texas High School State Championships
- Personal Bests: 5k (19:27.7)
- Personal Bests: 200m (25.54), Long Jump (5.69/18'8.0")
- Three-time Kansas High School State Champion
- Personal Bests: 5k (18:05.6)
- Personal Bests: High Jump (1.65/5'5")
- Personal Bests: Long Jump (7.46/24'5.75") and Triple Jump (15.51/50'10.75")
- Second place at Jamaican National High School Championships in triple jump
- Fourth place at Jamaican National High School Championships in long jump
- Personal Bests: 100m (10.80)
- Personal Bests: 5k (15:41)
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