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Owls Add Eight Men's Track and Field Signees
6/28/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
June 28, 2006
Houston -
Eight men's track and field athletes, including a state champion pole vaulter, have signed national letters-of-intent with Rice and will join the Owls in the fall, head coach Jon Warren announced Wednesday.
The group includes six Texas schoolboys, five from the Houston area, as well as a Californian and a New Zealander.
"This signing class gives us a lot more depth," Warren said. "We added athletes in several event areas and we think they will be able to score at the conference level immediately."
Here's a look at the signees:
Philip Adam, Santa Maria, Calif./St. Joseph High School
Adam was seventh at the California state meet in the shot put this year, and has a best of 57-8. He was a multi-talented athlete for St. Joseph's, also running the 110-meter hurdles and 300-meter hurdles, and is projected as a decathlete for the Owls. Adam also starred in football and was an academic award-winner.
John Buck, Katy/Cinco Ranch High School
Buck was a member of the Cinco Ranch regional cross country championship team last fall, and helped his school to a fifth-place finish at the Texas 5A state meet. He was the district 19-5A champion in the 1600-meters and was third at the regional meet. Buck has a personal best of 4:01.15 in the 1500-meters and 4:19.75 in the 1600-meters. He anchored Cinco Ranch to victory in the 4x800 at this year's Texas Relays and was 10th in the mile at the Nike Indoor Nationals.
Simon Bucknell, Auckland, New Zealand/Waitakere College
One of New Zealand's top-ranked junior distance runners, Bucknell was the 2001 national schoolboy champion in the 800-meters and 1500-meters. He has clocked 1:53.81 for the 800-meters and 3:54.40 for the 1500-meters, and has also run 8:39 for 3000-meters. Bucknell won the Auckland senior men's 1500-meters last year and was the junior men's winner at this year's Wanganui Mayoral Mile.
Jason Colwick, San Marcos/San Marcos High School
The 5A state champion in the pole vault, Colwick brings a personal best of 16-6 and will be the latest in a long line of excellent vaulters at Rice. He was also third in the state meet as a junior, and has an extensive background in gymnastics.
Ryan Gard, Houston/Memorial High School
Gard won district 18-5A titles in the 400-meters and 800-meters and has bests of 48.97 and 1:58.93. He will likely be a 400-meter hurdler for the Owls.
Chris Kato, Deer Park/Deer Park High School
A converted distance runner, Kato is a relative newcomer to the pole vault and has a best of 14-6. He was seventh at the region 3-5A meet.
Daryl Zavesky, Deer Park/Deer Park High School
One of the top hurdlers in the Houston area, Zavesky brings bests of 14.13 in the 110-meter hurdles and 38.99 in the 300-meter hurdles. He was the district 23-5A champion in both events, and was also the school's starting quarterback. Zavesky was a second-team Texas High School Coaches Association academic honoree in football.
Scott Zivick, Humble/Humble High School
Zivick was sixth in the Texas 5A state cross country meet last fall in his third straight trip to the championships. He also placed eighth in the 1600-meters at the state meet in May after winning the region 3-5A title. He has bests of 4:18.86 for 1600-meters and 9:42.84 for 3200-meters.
