Track and Field Inks a Pair for 2008-09
6/23/2008 12:00:00 AM | TRACK AND FIELD
CHICAGO DePaul track and field head coach Pat Savage announced today that Alanna Kovacs and Tristan Stagger signed National Letters of Intent to compete for the Blue Demons next season. Kovacs hails from Minesing, Ontario and Stagger comes from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to join the Blue Demons during the 2008-09 campaign.
“DePaul is very excited to welcome these two outstanding student-athletes to our track and field program,” Savage said. “Alanna can strengthen our Blue Demon throwing squad that has already proven itself in BIG EAST competition, while Tristan can help our sprinters take DePaul track and field to the next level.”
Kovacs, a thrower from St. Joseph’s High School, won Ontario titles in the discus, javelin and hammer events. She holds personal-best marks of 46.38m in the discus, 12.49m in the shot put, 41.32m in the javelin and 37.00m in the hammer. Kovacs holds St. Joseph’s school records in shot put, javelin and discus and was named the most outstanding performer of her track club. In addition, she competed for Canada at the 2007 World Youth Games.
Stagger, a sprinter from Pittsburgh Central Catholic, was a Pennsylvania State AAA Championship qualifier in the 100m and 200m races. He recorded a personal-best 200m time of 22.12 in the 2008 PIAA State Championship preliminaries before taking sixth place in the finals. Stagger won a District 7 title in the 100m dash and placed ninth at the PTFCA State Championships in the 60m dash with a time of 7.00. He notched a personal-best 100m performance of 10.81 at the Boathouse Sports Baldwin Invitational.
The 2008-09 track and field seasons will mark DePaul’s fourth year in the BIG EAST Conference. The 2008 outdoor campaign saw the Blue Demons earn a pair of BIG EAST individual titles as Melissa Fraser won the javelin throw and Brad Millar won the hammer throw. Fraser also placed third in the javelin throw at the NCAA Mideast Regional and competed at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Des Moines, Iowa.