February 4, 2010

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Head cross country and track & field coach Bryan Jackson announced the signing of four athletes to national letters of intent on Wednesday. Alyssa Burkert (Ocoee, Fla.), Carly Egan (Lawrenceville, Ga.), Samantha Hughes (Irmo, S.C.) and Katie Kessler (Springboro, Ohio) will join the Terriers in the fall of 2010.

“I am extremely pleased to welcome Alyssa, Katie, Carly and Samantha to the program,” commented Jackson. “All four young ladies are dedicated student-athletes with the ability and work ethic to be successful both in the classroom and on the cross country course/track.”

Alyssa Burkert hails from Ocoee, Fla., where she was a four-year letter winner on the cross country and track teams at Ocoee High School. She finished fourth in the 2007 cross country State Championships and first in the 2006 District Two Championships and recorded a personal best time of 18:03 in the 5K event. During track season, Burkert placed fourth in the 1600m run at the 2007 State Championships with a personal best time of 5:04. She is a member of the National Honor Society. Burkert is the daughter of Timothy and Danielle Burkert.

Carly Egan will join the Terriers by way of Lawrenceville, Ga., where she was a four year letterwinner on the cross country, track and swim teams at Brookwood High School. Egan led her cross country team to four straight top-five finishes at the 5A State Championships, including a third place finish during her senior year. After helping the team to a second-place region finish as a freshman, Egan led the cross country team to three straight region championships. Individually, Egan earned a career-best 10th place finish at the state championships and ran a personal best time of 18:55 in the 5K. She was named team MVP for four consecutive years. As a junior, Egan helped the Brookwood track team to a fourth-place finish at the state championship. Individually, she qualified for the state meet for four consecutive years while also achieving personal best times of 11:27 in the 3200m and 5:18 in the 1600m events. She was named a scholar-athlete for four years in cross country, track and swimming and served as the captain of all three teams as a senior. Egan is the daughter of Kevin and Lisa Egan.

Samantha Hughes comes to Wofford from Irmo, S.C., where she was a member of the cross country and track teams at Dutch Fork High School. Hughes helped her 2009 track team to a state championship and her 2010 cross country team to a region championships. She was named All-Region in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Hughes recorded a personal best time of 18:54 in the cross country 5K event. She is a three-year honor roll member and was voted “Most Athletic” in high school. Hughes is the daughter of Danny and Cynthia Hughes.

Katie Kessler hails from Springboro, Ohio, where she competed for four years on the Springboro High School cross country and track teams. During cross country season, Kessler helped her team to three straight top-ten finishes at the state meet, including a second-place finish as a senior. The team also won three straight league championships while Kessler was a member. She was named first team all-conference in 2008 and 2009. During track season, Kessler helped set a school record in the 4x800m relay and was named first team all-conference in 2008. She achieved a personal best time of 2:19 in the 800m event. A member of the National Honor Society, Kessler was named to the Academic All-Ohio Cross Country team in 2007, 2008 and 2009 and the Academic All-Ohio Track team in 2008 and 2009. Kessler is the daughter of Curt and Shelly Kessler.

The four newcomers will join the Wofford cross country team during the fall of 2010.