MIAMI (August 1, 2017) – FIU cross country/track and field Head Coach Ryan Heberling has announced an impressive signing class of 16 student-athletes, including four international newcomers, to National Letters of Intent (NLI). The signees are expected to make an immediate impact for the upcoming cross country and indoor and outdoor seasons. 
 
Click here to see a video of Heberling breaking down each aspect of the program.
 
Below is the list of signees along with quotes from Heberling and each student-athletes personal best in each event.
 
WOMEN
Lisa Lilja | So. | Sprints | Stockholm, Sweden
"Lisa brings a lot of raw talent to our sprint group.  She's still new to track and has some good times to her name.  She should develop well and contribute immediately to our relays."

100m – 12.10
200m – 24.76

Shelby Cutchineal | Fr. | Middle Distance | North Port, Florida
"Shelby will bring depth to our cross country program and should develop into a consistent contributor."

800m – 2:20

Serenity Grimes | Fr. | Hurdles | Homestead, Florida 
"Serenity is a local talent who should make an immediate contribution in the 400 hurdles at the conference meet."

300H – 44.53 
 
Sabrina Quijano | Fr. | Middle Distance | Miami, Florida
"Sabrina was one of the top distance runners in the state.  Anytime top local talent chooses to stay close to home, we know that our program is moving in the right direction."

800m – 2:17.56
1600m – 5:07
3200m – 11:09.88 
 
Harrison Mancke | Fr. | Throws | Lecanto, Florida
"Harrison was a very accomplished weightlifter and thrower at the high school level.  She's still very raw, and that has us excited for her potential to become a triple threat in the throws."

Shot put – 41' 8.5"
Discus – 123' 3"

J'nai Taylor | Fr. | Sprints/Jumps | Tampa, Florida
"J'nai brings talent in the sprints and the jumps.  Her range on the track will allow her to make an immediate impact in the relays and she should push for points in the long jump as well."

100m – 11.87
200m – 24.62
400m – 56.43
Long Jump – 18' 10"

Kiera Forde-Richards | Fr. | Sprints | Bridgetown, Barbados
"Coach (FIU sprinters coach Yanique) Booth used her Caribbean connections and found a very raw and talented sprinter who should explode under her guidance."

100m – 11.97
200m – 24.59

Astrid Same | Fr. | Throws | Wichita, Kansas
"Astrid is one of the most accomplished shot putters in Kansas state history, with two state titles to her name.  She is still very raw and we believe within our throws program she should develop into a successful post season contributor across all four throws."

Shot put – 45' 3"

Dina Cosic | Fr. | Javelin | Belgrade, Serbia
"Dina is the most accomplished javelin thrower we've signed to date.  She brings a 50m+ throw to FIU and should be pushing for NCAA's immediately.  She brings World Championship participation experience to our program as well."

Javelin – 164' 10"

MEN
Ladarius Flagg | Fr. | Sprints | Gainesville, Florida
"Ladarius brings great talent to our sprint group and should pair with our other freshmen sprinters to form a good 4x100 for next year."

100m – 10.68
200m – 21.80 
 
Thobias Nilsson-Montler | So. | Jumps | Stockholm, Sweden "Thobias has an 8m long jump to his name.  We expect him to be competing for top-five finishes at the NCAA meet every season.  He also helps our already strong jumps program get stronger at the national level."

Long Jump – 26' 4.5"

European Junior champion
Top 8 at World Junior Championships
National Indoor champion

Reed Service | Fr. | Jumps | Tampa, Florida
"Reed is a tremendous addition to our jumps group.  He is still very new to the sport and has some impressive jumps under him.  We should be a force to reckon with in the horizontal jumps for years to come."

Long Jump – 23' 11.5"
Triple Jump – 43' 7.75"

Patston Stewart | Fr. | Sprints | Lehigh Acres, Florida
"Patston brings some tremendous times and depth to our sprint group.  He will be a great addition to our relay and has impressive open potential as well."

100m – 10.53
200m – 21.44

Christian Vitagliano | Fr. | Distance | Hollywood, Florida
"Christian brings raw talent and potential to our distance program.  A local talent, he should fight to be a consistent top-five finisher for our cross country program."

1660m – 4:25.58
3200m – 9:51.79

Willie White | Fr. | Hurdles | Hallandale, Florida
"Willie only has one year of experience on the track, yet brings an impressive ability in the long hurdles.  The 400 hurdles are wide open for Willie to come in and make his mark from day one."

300H – 38.87

Husani Wilburgh | Fr. | Sprints | Coral Springs, Florida
"Husani rounds out additions to the sprints group.  Another local product, he should team up with Patston (Stewart) and Ladarius (Flagg) to create a formidable relay for years to come."

100m – 10.68
200m – 21.67

Fans are encouraged to follow the team on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUTrackXC) for all the latest FIU Track and Cross Country news.
 
Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).

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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in eight different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Riccardo Silva Stadium.

About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $9.8 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 56,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.