Nine high school standouts -- from Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Kansas --  have signed a National Letter of Intent or a Letter of Acceptance to compete in cross country and/or track and field and attend the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2018-19.

The group includes Sierra Arradondo (Hill-Murray High School), Mason Kalander (Holmen High School in Holmen, Wis.), Madelyn LaBorde (Mount Horeb High School in Mount Horeb, WI), Elayna Meyer (Red Wing High School), Rachel Miller (Lakeside High School in Glen Elder, KS), Morgan Radel (Marshall High School), Haleigh Reindl (Waterford High School in Waterford, WI), Alex Robran (Ankeny High School in Ankeny, IA), and Annika Voss (Proctor High School).

"I am very excited about the 2018-19 freshmen class," said UMD cross country and track and field head coach Joanna Warmington (pictured above). "I feel like I have finally come to a place where I can add strong pieces to my program to create the whole package. To have a successful track and field program it takes numbers and many different types of athletes. I worked hard on replacing some very talented athletes in the middle-distance event area.  I am excited to watch how this depth will accelerate both our cross country and track and field teams. I am also honored by character of these student athletes.  They all bring with a passion and leadership quality to our program. A coach looks for athletes that will have great work ethic, growth and maturity both on and off the field with classroom, community, and competition. These young ladies shine when it comes to leadership.  I have made a connection with each athlete and I feel honored to have the chance to work with them as future Bulldogs."

?Arradondo is a four-time track and field letterwinner for Hill-Murray High School who has earned All-State and All-Conference recognition and is the school recordholder in the 400-meter dash and 4 x 400-meter relay. Her personal bests include a 58.96 in the 400-meter run, a 26.86 in the 200-meter dash, and a 2:22.43 in the 800-meter run. This year, she is serving as the Pioneers' team captain. Arradondo's hobbies include track, photography, and volunteering with rescued animals. She plans on majoring in exercise science while at UMD.

                        

 
Kalander is an eight-time cross country and track and field letterwinner at Holmen High School.  She carries with her an impressive history of representing the Vikings at the Wisconsin State cross country and track & field meets. Kalander's personal bests include a 2:16.98 in the 800-meter run, a 5:00.78 in the 1,600-meter run, a 11:08.93 in the 3200-meter run, and an 18:24.90 in the 5,000 meter run.




LaBorde is a four-time track and field letterwinner, who has also twice lettered in dance at Mount Horeb High School. As the Vikings' team captain in 2017, she was a state finalist in the 300-meter hurdles as well as conference winner in that same event. LaBorde's personal records include a 46.63 in the 300-meter hurdles, a 16.42 in the 100-meter hurdles, and a 26.76 in the 200-meter dash. LaBorde's hobbies include running, theatre, riding horses and spending time with her family and friends. She plans on majoring in biology at UMD.



Meyer is a two-time letterwinner in track and field at Red Wing High School. In 2016, she qualified for the Minnesota State High School Class AA Meet in the 4 x 800-meter relay. Some of her personal bests include a 2:21.54 in the 800-meter run and a 1:02.61 in the 400-meter dash.  Meyer plans on majoring in chemical engineering at UMD.



Miller is a four-time letterwinner in track and field at Lakeside High School in Glen Elder, Kansas. She is a three-time state participant and has earned a record-breaking seven state track and field medals. Her personal bests include a 14.62 in the 100-meter hurdles, a 12.32 in the 100-meter dash, and a 26.33 in the 200-meter dash. She holds Lakeside's school records for all three of those event as well as the high jump mark.. She was the Kansas state a100-meter high hurdles champion in both 2016 and 2017. Miller, who will captain the Lakeside Knights' track team this spring, plans to major in psychology and psychiatry at UMD.




Radel is a four-time cross country letterwinner at Marshall High School as well as a four-time All-Conference and state participant in cross country. In 2015, the Tigers were the Minnesota State High School Cross Country Meet Class A runner up, and this past fall Radel collared All-State status for her 25th-place finish at the Minnesota State High School Class AA Meet. Her personal bests include a 14:53 in the 4,000-meter run, and an 18:37 in the 5,000-meter run. Radel also is an All-Conference performer in softball for the Tigers.  She's a member of the National Honor Society, Knowledge Bowl, band, and orchestra and enjoys reading, pheasant hunting, and watching professional Minnesota sport teams.


Reindl, who is a member of both the Waterford High School cross country and track and field teams, has attained eight letters between the two sports. Her athletic highlights include placing fourth in both the 800-meter run and the 4 x 800-meter relay at the 2015 conference meet. In 2016, Reindl placed sixth in the 800-meter run and third in the 4 x 800-meter relay at the Wisconsin State High School Division 1 Track Meet. This past season, she took first in the 400- and 800-meter runs, and helped lead the Wolverines to a third-place finish in the 4 x 800-meter relay to qualify for the state meet. Reindl went on to place second in the 800-meter run at the Wisconsin State High School Division 1 Track Meet. Reindl's personal bests as a Wolverine include a 57.92 in the 400-meter run, a 2:13.06 800-meter run, a 15:19 4k race, and a 19:48 5,000 meter run. She also loves to stay active by snowboarding, cross country skiing and cooking, and plans to major in Exercise Science while attending UMD. 


Robran is a combined eight-time cross country and track and field letterwinner at Ankeny High School. She is a three-time individual Iowa State meet qualifier for cross country and a two-time state qualifier for track in the 3,3000-meter run. In addition, Robran is a two-time All-Conference, All-Regional, and All-State honoree. She completed her final cross country season as a Hawk this past fall with an impressive 20^th place showing at the Iowa High School State Cross Country Meet. Along with being named the team's Most Valuable Runner four years in a row, she was also inducted into the Ankeny High School Hall of Fame. Robran received the Team Leadership Award in 2017 and an All-State Academic citation. Robran's personal bests include an 18:55 in the 5,000 meters, a 10:59 3,000-meter run, and a 5:10  in the 1,500-meter run. She also keeps busy with the color guard, concert band, student council and church youth group. A member of the National Honor Society, Robran plans on majoring in biology while at UMD.

Voss is a combined 12-time cross country and track and field letterwinner at Proctor High School. During her cross country career as a Rail, she has received All-Conference recognition for five years has qualified for the Minnesota State Class A Meet on four occasions. Voss held lead the Rails to three section team titles, with her personal best for the 5,000 meters, being 19:34. Voss has attained All-Conference honors twice and has made three state track appearances in the 800-meter run and the 1,600-meter run. A National Honor Society member, Voss is active in the PHS student council and Special Olympics is serving as class president. She plans to major in marketing  at UMD.