Feb. 3, 2010

Photo Gallery of 2010 Signees

OXFORD, Ohio – Miami University women’s track and field/cross country head coach Kelly Phillips has announced the signing of Kelsey Barnes and Tori Paterra to National Letters of Intent, Wednesday, Feb. 3. Barnes and Paterra, who will begin competing for the RedHawks in the 2010-11 school year, compose Phillips’ first recruiting class at Miami. Barnes hails from Ohio while Paterra comes to Oxford from Pennsylvania.

“Our recruiting efforts have been mostly regional. We typically get athletes from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan and Illinois. With a state as strong as Ohio is though, we don’t have to go far to get some exceptional talent,” Phillips said. “The next three to four weeks will be a good indicator of just how good our recruiting class is, but with the current pair that we are signing, we are certainly off to a great start.”

Kelsey Barnes

Barnes, a native of Bay Village, Ohio, attends Bay Village High School, where she mainly competes in the 400-meter dash. She earned All-Ohio honors as a sophomore and junior, both individually and as a member of her school’s relay team, earning a fifth-place finish at the state meet in the 400m as a junior. Barnes’ personal best in the 400m is 56.7, which is a school record. She carries a 3.7 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society.

“With the sprints we were certainly looking to add some 400m runners and hurdlers,” Phillips said. “Barnes is a very strong 400m runner and is so mechanically sound at top speed, she should continue to have big improvements in her collegiate career. With current sophomore Rachael Clay returning for two more years, they should be quite the duo.”

Tori Paterra

Paterra, who hails from Elizabeth, Pa., attends Elizabeth Forward High School, where she has earned three varsity letters so far as a thrower, mainly competing in the shot put and javelin. Her personal best in the javelin is 144-11, while her top marks in the shot put are 40-8.5 (outdoors) and 40-4 (indoors). As a junior, Paterra earned indoor state runner-up honors in the shot put, while placing third in the javelin at the PIAA State Outdoor Championships, after winning her district, to earn all-state accolades. She is a two-time Big Seven Conference champion in both the shot put and javelin. Paterra enters her senior campaign ranked as the seventh-best senior javelin thrower in the nation by Dyestat.com.

“Our goal for the program has been to put most of our recruiting efforts in the throws and sprints to build some depth,” Phillips concluded. “We currently have a very young throws group and to add the talents of Paterra in the javelin and shot will not only add depth to our program but elevate the current group.”

The 2009-10 Miami women’s track and field team is in the midst of its first indoor season under Phillips and competes this weekend at the Meyo Invitational, hosted by Notre Dame.

--MURedhawks.com--