WICHITA, Kan. - Wichita State track and field head coach Steve Rainbolt has announced the signing of seven women to national letters-of-intent. This recruiting class will begin competing for the Shockers during the 2007-08 season.

Joining WSU next season will be Danielle Walker (Great Britain, England), Kiara Moore (Ann Arbor, Mich.), Lauren Eck (Beloit, Kan.), Jamie Conley (Topeka, Kan.), Hannah Marsh (Hillsboro, Kan.), Julia Scott (Gardner, Kan.) and Courtney French (Apple Valley, Minn.).

Danielle Walker, an incoming freshman from Great Britain, currently is a standout middle distance runner for her club team, Royal Sutton Coldfield. Walker has personal bests of 2:09.26 in the 800m and 4:25.37 in the 1,500m, which would already place her in the middle of the pack on the Wichita State indoor and outdoor all-time best-lists. Head cross country coach Marc Burns holds Walker in high regard.

"Danielle has been a very strong cross country runner over the past couple of years so she not only brings us some depth on the cross country side, but she also brings us some incredible depth in the 800m and 1,500m because to add on to Kellyn (Johnson) and Mica (Land) next year in the 1,500m and Linda and the rest of the crew in the 800m, we're going to be really deep in those events. I expect us to be able to dominate those events in the next couple of years with Danielle being an anchor for years down the road. So we're excited about her coming in."

Kiara Moore comes from a strong track and field tradition at Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Mich. Moore is the current state champion in the women's 4x100m relay and was a runner-up in the 400m. Moore will primarily be a long sprinter for the Shocks, as she holds a personal best of 24.9 in the 200m, 55.6 in the 400m and 2:18 in the 800m.

"Kiara is a big signee for us," assistant coach John Wise said. "She comes from a high school that, every year, is one of the top high schools in the state of Michigan and are always vying to win the state championship. She is probably the most significant part of that team this year and has already improved her times from last year this spring.

We will graduate Krista Harmon this spring and it appears that Kiara will be able to replace Krista," Wise continued. "She's a terrific talent and we're super excited that she's going to be joining our team."

Lauren Eck will join the Shocker squad, following in the footsteps of older sister, Lindsay Eck, a three-time Missouri Valley Conference champion and holder of two WSU records. Eck, a Beloit, Kan., native, was the class 3A state champion in the 400 meters and holds a personal best of 57.4. Her 800m personal best is 2:15.

"Lauren is someone we're really excited to get because she has obviously has some great genes," Wise said. "She's already proven herself to be one of the best middle distance/long sprinters in the state of Kansas.

"Lauren will join a group that is a terrific middle distance group. The group is young and are growing together as they progress through the program."

Jamie Conley also has past ties to the Wichita State track and field program as her older brother, Jason Conley, competed for WSU from 2004-2006. The Cloud County Community College transfer will join the pole vault squad after placing fifth at the 2007 NJCAA Indoor Championships. Conley's best vault is set at 11-3.

"Jamie Conley is a Cloud County pole vaulter. She is someone that seems to have alot of untapped potential that will be in a group that can push her to see how good she can be," assistant and pole vault coach Pat Wilson said. "We have a great pole vault tradition and a great group of pole vaulters here at Wichita State. She'll join that group and have an immediate impact on point scoring in the Missouri Valley Conference."

Hillsboro High School's Hannah Marsh is a class 3A standout that will add much needed depth to the Shocker women's squad. Marsh placed in to the top five in two events at the 2006 state track meet, finishing second in the pole vault, where she holds a PR of 10-0, while placing fourth in the 200m. Marsh also grabbed a sixth-place finish in the long jump.

"Hannah is a local girl that has multiple talents," assistant and sprints coach John Wise said. " She could be a scorer in any one of three of four different events for our team and possibly, if she wanted to be, could be a great hepathlete. Her interests are more in the pole vault and long jump, though. We'll encourage her to do whatever she wants to do and she'll be successful in whatever event she wants to be successful."

Julia Scott has been described as a diamond in the rough from assistant track and field coach John Wise. Scott, a senior at Gardner-Edgerton High School in Gardner, Kan., has only competed in track for one year. In that first year, Scott was a third-place finisher in the class 5A 400m at the 2006 state track meet. Wise sees Scott as a possible multi-event athlete.

"Julia has only competed in track and field for one year previous to this season and we think she is going to be something big here at Wichita State," Wise said. "She could be a multi-eventer and has shown potential to do a lot of different things and is eager to contribute in any way that she can. Julia comes from a high school that has tradition and we expect her to be a good, solid member of our team."

Courtney French will travel the farthest to be part of the WSU team. French hails from Apple Valley, Minn., where she was a part of a state championship team at Apple Valley High School. French was also an individual state qualifier.

"French is one of the few athletes that have actually run the 400m hurdles in high school," Wise said. "She comes from a team that is very strong and knows what it means to try and win championships. She is one of those 'diamond in the rough' type of girls that maybe not a lot of people were recruiting really hard, but we got lucky that she had some interest in our school and decided to venture far away from home to Wichita to see how good she can be.

We're losing a great 400m hurdler in Tasha Gallegos, so we're hoping that she'll be able to replace some of those points that we won't have next year, " Wise concluded.

Head coach Steve Rainbolt said that this recruiting class will bring a great deal of depth to the women's side of the track and field program after the departure of many all-conference athletes and Missouri Valley Conference point-scorers.

"We are confident that these young women can perform in such a way that we can keep the tradition of excellence going in the years to come," Rainbolt said.