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FOOTBALL: Two seniors have been named to this year's Sports Network pre-season all-America squad, it was announced today.
Poots earned a spot on the first team at wide receiver, while Sitake earned third-team honors as a return specialist.
Poots (Henderson, Nev.; Coronado HS) has already been named to TSN's Peyton Watch List, as one of the top offensive players in the country. He is the nation's (FCS) leading returning receiver in yards per game, receptions per game and scoring after finishing second in the FCS last year in all three categories. Poots, who enters the season as SUU's career leader in receptions and receiving yards, averaged 9.4 receptions, 120.1 yards and 10.0 points per game last season when the team ranked 10th in passing, 11th in scoring and 16th in total offense.
Sitake (Sandy; Hillcrest HS), led the Great West Conference in punt return yards last year and was seventh in the nation with a 14.79 yards per return average. His 14.79 ypr average is second among returning players this season. His 14.79 yards per return average is the sixth-best in SUU history, while his 215 yards (on 15 returns) ranks ninth on the SUU single-season return yardage list.
CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK AND FIELD: Head coach Eric Houle has announced the additions of 12 female student-athletes that will be joining the Thunderbirds for the 2010-11 season.
Several of the additions will bring medals from state competition, including Danielle West (American Fork), Lindsay Terry (Tooele), Sasha Russell (Syracuse), Janelle Beukers (Box Elder), Mary Christensen (Mountain View, Ariz.) and Lexy Bunch of Battle Mountain (Nev.) High School.
West collected a pair of silver medals at the Utah 5A championships, finishing second in the 1,600-meters (5:11.03) and 800-meters (2:15.15) after finishing 13th in the state at the Utah 5A cross country championships.
Terry just missed out on the medal stand in the 200-meters, finishing fourth (25.59), but did break through at the state meet in the 100-meters with a third-place time of 12.49. Russell was in a similar boat, finishing ninth in the 200-meters, but capturing the bronze medal at the Utah 5A meet in the 100-meter hurdles.
Another hurdler, Christensen finished third in the 300-meter hurdles at the Arizona 5A state championships and seventh in the 100-meter hurdles, running to personal best times of 45.63 and 15.25, respectively, during the season.
Beukers will be bringing a silver medal in the discus throw, finishing second at the state meet and marking a personal-best toss of 119 feet during the year. Bunch, a fellow thrower, is a two-time Nevada 2A state champion in the discus and shot put, throwing a Nevada 2A state championship-record distance of 127 feet eight inches in the discus.
Another thrower, Whitney Fairbanks of Logan High School just missed out on a state title at the Utah 4A championships, finishing fourth in the javelin with a mark of 119 feet two inches. The mark would have ranked third on the Thunderbird squad during the 2009-10 season.
Brittany Holland and Lesli Kinkade will bring much needed talent in the pole vault with Kinkade bringing an Arizona 4A Division II title in the event, logging a personal best of 11 feet one inch.
Other additions include Lindsay Bradley (North Sanpete), a Utah 3A state qualifier in the 100-meters, 200-meters, 400-meters and the 300-meter hurdles; Emily Hills (West Jordan) a 12th-place finish at the Utah 5A cross country championships; and Jaclyn Alm, a seventh-place finisher in the 100-meters (12.55) and fourth-place finisher in the 200-meters (26.01) at the Minnesota state championships.