ST. LOUIS – Saint Louis head cross country/track & field coach Jon Bell today announced that six athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to attend the University and compete for the Billikens.
Joining the men's squad next year are Sean Conlin (St. Charles, Mo./Fort Zumwalt East), Kevin Ganahl (Chesterfield, Mo./Marquette) and Connor Stelljes (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier Prep).
On the women's side, the Billikens signed Elise Marker (St. Louis, Mo./Villa Duchesne), Courtney Pfansteil (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) and Anna Schmitz (Carmel, Ind./Carmel).
Conlin runs distance events and cross country for Fort Zumwalt East High School. He has top times of 1:55 (800 meters), 4:23 (mile), 9:36 (3,200 meters) and 16:04 (cross country 5K). Conlin captured All-State honors in cross country as a junior and senior.
“Sean has great range on the track and is a solid cross country runner,” Bell said. “As an All-State honoree the last two seasons, I am excited to add him to our cross country roster. He has a bright future as a Billiken.”
Ganahl runs distance events and cross country at Marquette High School. His top times are 1:56 (800 meters), 4:23 (mile), 9:50 (3,200 meters) and 16:11 (cross country 5K). He was an All-State honoree in cross country in 2013.
“Kevin is a good addition to our program,” Bell said. “We have had a long string of Marquette student-athletes in our program who have experienced a great deal of success at the collegiate level. I expect Kevin to do multiple things for us and be another success story from Marquette.”
Stelljes is a thrower on the track and field squad at St. Xavier Prep. He has top marks of 51 feet in the shot put and 147 feet, two inches in the discus.
“Kevin is a great addition to our men's program,” Bell said. “We have consistently had good point production from our throwers at the indoor and outdoor Atlantic 10 Conference Championships over the past seven years, and we want that to continue. At 6-6 and 275 pounds, Connor comes to SLU with the framework of a good thrower, so I am eager to begin developing him into a great collegiate thrower.”
Marker is a two-time All-State selection from Villa Duchesne in St. Louis. She has top times of 11:25 in the 3,200 meters and 19:20 in the cross country 5K.
“Elise has had a great career at Villa and we are excited to watch her develop at the collegiate level,” Bell said. “She will bring depth to our cross country roster. Very rarely do you find someone out of high school who looks forward to racing the 10K on the track, but we have found one in Elise. We have been one of the most successful programs in the A-10 in that event over the last two years, and I expect Elise to continue that tradition.”
Pfansteil, who ran at Hamilton Southeastern High School in a suburb of Indianapolis, posted top times of 11:16 in the 3,200 meters and 18:29 in the cross country 5K.
“Courtney comes from a very strong cross country state,” Bell said. “Indiana produces some of the best high school talent year in and year out. Courtney was one of the top runners this year at the state meet, so she knows how to compete. She has the potential to be one of our top runners in the next few years.”
Schmitz also competed in the Indiana state meet for cross country. She has top times of 5:08 (1,600 meters), 11:08 (3,200 meters) and 18:20 (cross country 5K).
“Anna comes to SLU from one of the best high school programs in the nation,” Bell said. “Carmel High School has competed at the Nike National Championships the last two years, and this year they are ranked as the No. 2 team in the country. Anna has played a major role for those teams, and I expect her to do the same for the Billikens.”
