NEWARK, Del. - - Entering into his 15th season at the helm of the Wilmington University cross country program, head coach Keith Jones has announced the signings of five student-athletes that will join the Wildcats in this coming fall.
Jones and the Wildcats will add four male student-athletes, three of which are high school graduates to the men’s team while the women’s team picks up one student-athlete who red-shirted in 2014, retaining her freshman eligibility.
Competing for a spot in the men’s top-five this fall will be Gloucester County College transfer Korey Jeffries, and high school graduates Johnathan Avila, Ryan Wilson, and Demetrius Patterson. Battling for a spot in the women’s field this coming fall will be Tori Vickers.
As far as awards and experience goes on the cross country course, Jeffries leads the group of incoming Wildcats. Graduating from Gloucester City High School in 2013, Jeffries went on to run at Gloucester County College for two seasons. He was named First Team All-American in both seasons, finishing as the NJCAA DIII National Runner-Up during his junior college campaign. He was also a two-time First Team All-Region XIX performer, also finishing as the Runner-Up is each season at the NJCAA DIII Region XIX championship race.
Prior to Gloucester County College, Jeffries was an All-Tri County performer as a long-distance runner on the Gloucester City High School track team, earning First Team in the 1600-meter event. He was also a Second Team performer in the 3200-meter event and a Third Teamer as a part of the 4x1600-meter relay.
Avila was also a dual sport athlete in high school, competing in cross country and track at High Point High School in Beltsville, Md. As a senior on the course this past fall, Avila claimed top honors at the 2014 Regional Championship and went on to place inside the Top 30 at the MIAA Class 4A State Championship Meet.
During the winter and spring track seasons, Avila took first place in the 1600-meter event in the county (indoor and outdoor), and the 3200-meter event (indoor and outdoor). Avila went on to claim the regional championship in both events during the 2015 indoor season as well. During the spring season, he also claimed the 3200-meter event in the Region before placing in the Top-10 in the MIAA Class 4A State Championship Meet.
Wilson is the lone First State representative in the 2015 recruiting class for the men’s team, as he graduated from Cape Henlopen High School this past spring. He was named a Second Team All-Conference performer while placing 27th overall at the 2014 DIAA Boys’ Division I Cross Country State Championships at White Clay Creek State Park.
Rounding out the men’s class, Patterson is another high school graduate coming from Catoctin High School in Thurmont, Md. As a senior in 2014, he was named First Team All-Area for his work on the cross country course while also placing eighth overall at the MIAA Class 2A State Championship meet.
On the women’s side, Vickers got a chance to see the competition at the NCAA Division II level this past fall, redshirting for Jones and the Wildcats. She was a 2014 graduate from Smyrna High School, competing in both cross country and winter and spring track. As a senior on the course, she was named Second Team All-State after placing eighth overall at the 2013 DIAA Girls’ Division I Cross Country State Championships.
On the track, Vickers placed fourth overall at the State Championship meet in the 3200-meter event during the winter season and placed third overall in the Conference Meet in the same event during the outdoor season.
The Wildcats are looking to improve at both the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Championships and the NCAA Division II East Regional Championship this coming fall, as the men placed second in the CACC and the women fifth. The 2014 season ended as the men placed 12th and the women 17th at the Regional Championship.