Moon Township, Pa. - Robert Morris University head men's and women's cross country and track & field coach Michael Smith announced today that 13 student-athletes, including four men and nine women, have signed National Letters of Intent as part of the program's 2011-12 recruiting class. Walk-on's are not allowed to be publicized due to NCAA rules.

"I'm excited about our 2011-12 recruiting class," Smith said. "We finished strong on both sides last year, and with the quality of student-athletes that we're bringing in, whether it's student-athletes we've signed to NLI's or otherwise, we can continue to take steps toward our ultimate goal, which is winning a Northeast Conference championship."

Smith enters his 12th season at the helm of the Robert Morris men's and women's cross country and indoor and outdoor programs in 2011-12. He was named the 2011 Northeast Conference Men's Outdoor Coach of the Year after leading the Colonials to a second-place finish at the 2011 NEC Outdoor Championships with a point total of 133 points. RMU also finished fourth at the 2010 NEC Women's Cross Country championships, its second highest finish in school history.

Robert Morris 2011-12 Cross Country / Track & Field Recruiting Class (Men)

Robert Morris 2011-12 Cross Country / Track & Field Recruiting Class (Women)

MEN

Darryl Jones (Distance) - Attended Blairsville High School but competed for Saltsburg High School ... A Pennsylvania AA state qualifier in 2011 in the 800-meter ... Owns personal records of 1:58 in the 800-meter and 4:38 in the 1,600-meter run ... Also competes in cross country, with a personal best of 16:56 in a five-kilometer course.

Grant Kuiawa (Hurdles) - Will compete in the hurdles at Robert Morris ... Qualified for the Pennsylvania AAA state championships in the 110-meter hurdles in 2011 ... Posted a personal best of 14.86 high hurdles and owns a personal record of 39.97 in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles.

Daniel Lee (Distance) - Owns personal records of 1:57 in the 800-meter and 17:01 in cross country in a five-kilometer course for cross country.

Thomas Worob (Distance) - Goes by the nickname "Tip" ... Qualified for the Maryland state championships in both the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter runs ... Owns personal records of 4:25 in the 1,600-meter and 10:01 in the 3,200-meter ... In cross country owns a personal record of 16:23 in a five-kilometer course.

WOMEN

Trisha Brandt (Distance) - Will compete in both track & field and cross country ... Owns personal records of 2:19 in the 800-meter run and 20:14 for cross country in a five-kilometer course.

Alexis Ebersole (Distance) - Will compete in both track & field and cross country ... Posted prep personal records of 2:22 in the 800-meter run and 20:06 for cross country in a five-kilometer course.

Brianna Iannarelli (Distance) - Will compete in both track & field and cross country ... A versatile distance athlete ... In cross country owns a personal record of 19:51 in a five-kilometer course ... Owns personal bests of 2:25 in the 800-meter, 5:24 in the indoor mile and 12:20 in the 3,200-meter run.

Bethany Ledford (Jumps) - A two-time Pennsylvania AA state qualifier in the pole vault ... Owns a personal record of 11'0" in the pole vault and 5'4" in the high jump.

Marissa Polk (Distance) - Qualified for the Pennsylvania AAA state championships in cross country in 2010 and in track & field in 2011 ... Personal record in cross country of 18:55 in a five-kilometer course ... In track & field owns personal bests of 2:23 in the 800-meter, 5:10 in the 1,600-meter and 11:40 in the 3,200-meter runs.

Aubree Ray (Throws) - Sister of current RMU men's thrower Collin Ray, who will be a sophomore in 2011-12 ... Finished as the runner-up in both the shot put and discus at the 2011 Pennsylvania AA State Championships ... Also the runner-up at the 2010 Pennsylvania AA State Championships in the discus ... Owns personal records of 40'3" in the shot put and 142'9" in the discus.

Michelle Schiewe (Distance) - Earned the bronze medal at the 2011 Polish Junior Cross Country Championships ... In a five-kilometer course for cross country owns a personal best of 18:26 ... Also owns personal records of 2:23 in the 800-meter and 4:48 in the 1,500-meter.

Tara Van Schie (Hurdles/Jumps) - Will compete in the combined events for Robert Morris, both the heptathlon and pentathlon ... In track & field events owns personal records of 12.34 in the 100-meter dash and 25.29 in the 200-meter dash ... In the hurdles owns a personal best of 15.26 in the 100-meter high hurdles ... In the 800-meter has posted a personal record of 2:36 ... In the jumps owns personal marks of 5'2" in the high jump, 18'11" in the long jump and 36'0" in the triple jump ... Also competes in the throws, with personal bests of 39'1" in the shot put and 102'8" in the javelin.

Alexandra Zielinski (Distance) - A 2010 qualifier for the New York cross country state championships ... Owns a personal best of 20:35 in a five-kilometer course in cross country ... Also owns personal records of 7:37 in the 2,000-meter steeplechase and 10:55 in the 3,000-meter.