Three Student-Athletes Sign National Letters of Intent
8/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | TRACK AND FIELD
CHICAGO Three student-athletes were added to the track and field and cross country rosters it was announced today by head coach Pat Savage. Katie Finck, Matthew Graham, and Edin Pasalic all signed a National Letter of Intent and will enroll at the University in the fall of 2008.
Finck, a thrower from Valparaiso, Ind., comes to DePaul with an array of experience and adds depth to an already strong throwing squad. The three-time varsity letter winner at Morgan Township High School holds the school record in the discuss throw with a distance of 40.54m. The mark also earned her the title of Porter County Conference Champion and conference record holder.
As a member of Let it Fly Throwing (L.I.F.T.), a throwing team out of north-west Indiana, she qualified for the Junior Olympic National Meet in 2007 and 2008. During the 2008 meet in Omaha, Neb. she finished 27th in the discuss with a throw of 30.28m and hit a distance of 38.26m in the hammer throw to earn her fourth place honors.
Graham hails all the way from Glasgow, Scotland to join the Blue Demon cross country and track and field teams. His extensive 2,000m steeple chase resume includes 2008 Scottish Schools champion, 2008 twenty-and-under Scottish Champion, Celtic Nations 2008 winner, and a number three ranking in his age division in all of Scotland.
In addition to his steeple chase achievements, Graham also experienced success in the 3,000m run, 5,000m run, and cross country races. He won back to back silver medals in the 3,000m run during the United Kingdom school games in 2007 and 2008. With a personal best time of 15:07.00, he was also crowned Scottish Schools champion in the 5,000m during his 2008 campaign. Cross country accolades include 2008 silver medalist during the Scottish Cross Country Championships.
Pasalic, a transfer from the University of Mississippi, rounds out the 2008 NLI class. Originally from Zagreb, Croatia, the junior is slated to run middle distance for DePaul. During his freshman season he posted an indoor personal best time of 50.34 in the 400m. He placed thirteenth in the 800m during the 2007 SEC Indoor Championships with a mark of 1:53.37. His sophomore season also saw a thirteenth place finish during the conference championships in the same event with a 1:53.95
The 2008 cross country season kicks off at home on August 29 at the DePaul Cross Country Opener. The indoor track and field season begins in December.