Jan. 24, 2011
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State track and field team has added four student-athletes for the 2011 season, head coach Shelia Burrell announced on Monday. The four athletes - Taylor Johnson, Nikki Novak, Shanae Roach and Century Williams - have already enrolled at SDSU and are expected to contribute immediately.
Taylor Johnson, a Ben Lomond, Calif., native, comes to the Aztecs after spending two seasons with national power Arkansas. While with the Razorbacks, Johnson earned SEC All-Freshman Team and All-South Central Region honors in cross country (2009) and SEC All-Freshman Team accolades in indoor track and field (2010). Johnson posted impressive times at Arkansas, most that would rank in San Diego State's top 10, including 4:29.67 in the 1,500 (outdoor), 4:50.57 in the mile (indoor), 10:50.60 in the steeplechase (outdoor) and 21:38.1 in the 6,000 (cross country).
"Taylor was a top high school middle distance runner here in California before going to Arkansas," Burrell said. "She is a great middle distance talent who has the potential to be competitive, not only at the MWC level, but at the national level as well. We are glad to have her."
A transfer from nearby San Diego Mesa College, Nikki Novak is back on the track after spending her first year out of high school playing basketball. Novak has run 2:15.01 for the 800 in high school.
"Nikki is a local San Diego talent that has run 2:15 in the 800," Burrell said. "She is still relatively young in the sport and has a lot of room for improvement, which is very encouraging. Nikki will add depth to our growing middle distance squad."
Shanae Roach, from Laney Community College in Oakland, Calif., comes to San Diego State as an accomplished sprinter. Roach was the California Community College state champion in the 200 and was the runner up in the 100. The JC transfer has personal-best times of 11.61 in the 100 and 23.62 in the 200.
"Shanae will help bring our sprint program to another level," Burrell Said. "She hasn't even scratched the surface yet with her talent and I look forward to seeing her make her mark here at SDSU. Her addition to the team brings us one step closer to our goals."
As a high school athlete at St. John the Baptist in New York, Century Williams was one of the top 800-meter runners in the entire nation in 2010. Williams' personal-record time of 2:11.42 was the eight-fastest in New York and the 65th-best in the United States. Prior to her graduation, Williams placed seventh overall at the New York State Championships.
The Aztecs kick off their indoor season Jan. 29 at the New Mexico Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M.