Track and Field Signs First Four
2/9/2013 2:19:00 PM | Cross Country, Track & Field
Three distance runners, one thrower highlight first group of signees
Montana State Track & Field announced their first wave of signees to National Letters of Intent to continue their academic and athletic career as Bobcats.
Elizabeth Oosterhout will come to Bozeman from Maple Valley, Wash. where she is a 2013 graduate of Tahoma Senior High School. Specializing in distance, she earned four letters in cross country and will seek her fourth in track and field this spring for the Bears.
Most recently, she placed ninth at the 4A WIAA State Championship, helping her team to a second place finish. She was named the Bears' cross country MVP for her efforts in both 2011 and 2012. Her participation in the state meet earned her four All-State nods for cross country. In track and field, she was a two-time WIAA Distinguished Scholastic Award recipient.
She received the Paul Robison Scholar Athlete Award for her efforts in the classroom and also spent considerable time volunteering.
“Elizabeth brings a great academic record, as well as strong talents as an athlete,” said head coach Dale Kennedy. “She's a true distance runner and I look forward to how she'll progress in the collegiate field.”
Louisa Serpe hails from Boise, Idaho, where she is a 2013 graduate of Timberline High School. For the Wolves, she earned four letters in cross country and will earn four in track and field.
In her senior season of cross country, she served as team captain and was named the MVP for the Wolves. As a junior, she placed third at the state cross country meet, as well as third in the 1,600 for track and held team captain honors. During her junior year, she set new school records in the 3,200 and the 4x800 relay.
Most notably, she placed 22nd at the Nike Regional meet in the 1,600 where she competed against the best prep athletes in Washington, Idaho, Montana and Oregon.
Academically, she sits among the top five percent of her class and is an AP Scholar Award recipient.
“Louisa has a wide range of talent,” said Kennedy. “She's well versed in a variety of events which add to her versatility as a middle distance or distance runner for us. I'm impressed with many of her performances and she'll be a great asset for us.”
The third distance runner picked up by the Bobcats is Rachel Nelson, of Walla Walla, Wash. Nelson amassed four letters each in cross country and track for the Blue Devils. A four-time all-conference and all region selection, she served as team captain her junior and senior seasons.
Her team was the state academic champion for three straight years with their 3.92 cumulative team grade point average.
“Rachel, like Louisa, has an impressive running resume,” Kennedy said. “Her talents really give her a ton of potential to compete at the Division I level.”
Cailyn Schroeder, a thrower from Great Falls, Mont. also brings tremendous potential to Bozeman. Schroeder enters her senior year with two letters for the Rustlers of C.M. Russell High School. Her junior year saw huge success including a fifth place finish in the shot put at the Class AA State Championships, and a fourth place finish in the discus. She had the privilege of competing in the Junior Olympic Regionals where she earned gold in the shot put and bronze in the discus. She also competed in the Big Sky State Games, placing second in the shot and third in the discus. Schroeder was named her team's Most Outstanding Thrower for both her junior and sophomore season.
Outside of the throwing ring, she is a four-year member of the honor roll, a member of the National Honor Society and a two-time MHSA All-State honoree.
“Cailyn loves throwing and has the right attitude for our program,” said assistant Coach Mike Carignan. “She's an excellent student and we'll look for significant improvement throughout her tenure as a Bobcat.”
