University of Tennessee Athletics
Track & Field/Cross Country Announces 9 Early Signees
November 16, 2017 | Track & Field
Nine exciting newcomers look to add to Tennessee's track and field/cross country program as first members of 2018 signing class
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee director of track and field/cross country Beth Alford-Sullivan has announced the addition of nine exciting newcomers in UT's 2018 signing class.
Tennessee welcomes five men and four women to its track and field/cross country family. Long jumper Ingar Kiplesund will join the Vols this January and he will be eligible to compete as a sophomore. Sprinter Eric Allen Jr. (Odenton, Md.), sprinter Cameron Council (Pittsboro, N.C.), sprinter/jumper Cameron Murray (Atlanta, Ga.), hurdler Akira Rhodes (Charlotte, N.C.), cross country/distance runner Sydney Seymour (Seven Hills, Ohio), jumper Alonie Sutton (Smiths Station, Ala.), cross country/distance runner Karl Thiessen (Abingdon, Va.) and cross country/distance runner Katie Thronson (Spokane, Wash.) will join the Big Orange in the 2018-19 academic year.
| Name | Events | Hometown | High School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Allen Jr. | Sprints | Odenton, Md. | Bullis H.S. |
| Cameron Council | Sprints | Pittsboro, N.C. | Northwood H.S. |
| Ingar Kiplesund | Jumps | Trondheim, Norway | |
| Cameron Murray | Hurdles/Jumps | Atlanta, Ga. | Westlake H.S. |
| Akira Rhodes | Hurdles | Charlotte, N.C. | Mallard Creek H.S. |
| Sydney Seymour | XC/Distance | Seven Hills, Ohio | St. Joseph Academy |
| Alonie Sutton | Jumps | Smiths Station, Ala. | Smiths Station H.S. |
| Karl Thiessen | XC/Distance | Abingdon, Va. | Abingdon H.S. |
| Katie Thronson | XC/Distance | Spokane, Wash. | Lewis and Clark H.S. |
"This is a great recruiting class coming into the University of Tennessee," Alford-Sullivan said. "It is a reflection of the hard work of our coaching staff and our student-athletes in the recruiting process. These young people will represent the University of Tennessee track and field/cross country at the highest levels. We are thrilled to have many of these young people in the top three or four in the country coming out of their high school ranks in their junior year. I think that their high school senior years will be outstanding and have an impact at the highest of levels across the country. We are excited to have Ingar Kiplesund joining us mid-year and coming in ready to compete with the indoor season. We have a lot of variety here too. We have some good distance runners, some good jumpers, some great sprinters and a little bit of everything coming into this group. We are a young team, so this is really going to fill us out nicely in all of the squads. Cross country, indoor and outdoor, they'll fill us out nicely as we roll through next year."
Eric Allen Jr.
Sprints
Eric Allen Jr. | Sprints | Odenton, Md. | Bullis HS
Personal Bests: 100m - 10.51 | 200m - 21.04 outdoor, 21.33 indoor | 300m - 33.49
Allen is the U.S.-ranked No. 2 returning runner in the indoor 300m.
He helped the Bullis High School boys team win the 2017 IAC Championships by winning the 100m (10.51), 200m (21.71) and 100mh (14.57).
As a sophomore in 2016, he ran a non-wind legal 10.51 in the 100m at the IAC Championships and followed that with a wind-legal 10.68 (+1.5) at the Caribbean Scholastic Invitational. He won the 100m, 200m, 110mh and 4x400 at the 2016 IAC Championships.
Cameron Council
Sprints
Cameron Council | Sprints | Pittsboro, N.C. | Northwood HS
Personal Bests: 100m - 10.53 | 200m - 20.98
Council is the U.S.-ranked No. 9 returning runner in the outdoor 200m
At the 2017 NCHSAA 3A State Championship, he won the 200m in 21.74 and the 400m in 48.39 and took third place in the 100m in 10.70.
Council was the runner-up in the 55m dash at the 2017 NCHSAA 3A Indoor State Championship Meet with a finals time of 6.44.
He decided to pursue a track career despite receiving nine football scholarship offers. He played cornerback and wide receiver for Northwood's football team.
Ingar Kiplesund
Jumps
Ingar Kiplesund | Jumps | Trondheim, Norway
Personal Bests: LJ - 25-4.5
Kiplesund is a two-time Norwegian national long jump champion.
He will enroll at the University of Tennessee as a sophomore in January of 2018 and compete this spring.
In July of 2017, Kiplesund represented Norway in the European Athletics U23 Championships, which were held in Bydgoszcz, Poland. He finished 10th in the long jump with a distance of 7.59 meters.
He competed for his club track team, Trondheim Friidrett.
Cameron Murray
Hurdles/Jumps
Cameron Murray | Hurdles/Jumps | Atlanta, Ga. | Westlake HS
Personal Bests: 110mh - 13.53 | LJ - 24-5.5
U.S.-ranked No. 3 returner in the 110mh
U.S.-ranked No. 4 returner in the long jump
Murray won the 2017 GHSA 7A State Championship in the 110mh with a 13.84 time in the final. He also won the state title in the long jump, clearing 24-5.00.
This past June, he took second place in the long jump at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals with a jump of 24-3.75.
Akira Rhodes
Hurdles
Akira Rhodes | Hurdles | Charlotte, N.C. | Mallard Creek HS
Personal Bests: 100mh - 13.67
U.S.-ranked No. 7 returner in the 100mh
Rhodes enjoyed a standout junior season in 2017, winning the NCHSAA indoor 55mh and defending her outdoor NCHSAA 4A 100mh.
She earned high school All-American status with a 100m time of 13.67 at the New Balance Outdoor Nationals.
Sydney Seymour
XC/Distance
Sydney Seymour | XC/Distance | Seven Hills, Ohio | St. Joseph Academy
Personal Bests: 5K XC - 18:04
Seymour was named All-Ohio for cross country during her sophomore, junior and senior years and was a two-time regional runner-up.
She was a state qualifier in the 3200m in 2015 and has been a regular at the regional meet.
Alonie Sutton
Jumps
Alonie Sutton | Jumps | Smiths Station, Ala. | Smiths Station HS
Personal Bests: LJ - 19-2.75 | TJ - 42-2
U.S.-ranked No. 3 returner in the triple jump
Sutton won long jump at the 2017 AHSAA 7A State Championships with a leap of 18-4.75
She won the long jump (18-7.75) and triple jump (39-11.50) at the 2017 AHSAA Indoor State Championships.
Karl Thiessen
XC/Distance
Karl Thiessen | XC/Distance | Abingdon, Va. | Abingdon HS
Personal Bests: 5K XC - 15:04
Two-time Virginia state cross country champion
Thiessen won the 2016 and 2017 VHSL 3A cross country state titles.
He also has two track state titles - the 2017 indoor 3200m (9:31.30) and the 2016 outdoor 3200m (9:26.17).
Katie Thronson
XC/Distance
Katie Thronson | XC/Distance | Spokane, Wash. | Lewis and Clark HS
Personal Bests: 5K XC - 17:35 | 3200m - 10:40
Washington state cross country champion
2016 Foot Locker Cross County National Finalist - finished 33rd in 18:22.2
Thronson won the 2017 Washington 4A cross country individual title and led her team to the state title.
