Kennedy Adds Three Montana Standouts, Six Total to 2015-16 Roster

Montana State Track and Field head coach Dale Kennedy announced the addition of six student-athletes to the 2015-16 cross country and track and field rosters.

Justice Lamer, a 5'11" distance runner, finished second at Oregon's 5A state championships in 2014, in addition to being part of the 5A-2 Mid-Willamette Conference championships team. The Corvallis, Oregon native lettered in cross-country, track and field and wrestling, while being a member of National Honor Society.

"We are very fortunate that Justice has both developed into a very good high school distance runner and has wanted to attend Montana State University and study Paleontology since he was in the fourth grade," assistant coach Lyle Weese said. "Justice's mother was a distance runner and his father a wrestler at South Dakota State University, so he comes from a family familiar with the student-athlete experience. Justice has stopped in and visited MSU the past few summers and attended our distance running camp this last summer, which has led to familiarity with each other. Justice has a great attitude and it is apparent will always have a lot of pride in being a student-athlete at MSU."

Tyler Mogan earned three Montana All-State honors as a cross-country runner at Laurel High School. Mogan finished second at the Montana Class A State Championships, running a 15:29 at the state meet. The Laurell, Montana native was a member of honor roll all four years of high school.

"Ty had a great cross country season this fall and has won state championships in the 1600 & 3200 in previous track seasons," Weese said. "Ty really broke onto our radar his sophomore year and has been near the top of the Montana high school running scene since. We had exchanged a lot of emails over the past year, but it was a little difficult to get a read on Ty and how he might fit in at MSU. However, when Ty came for his official visit, we could all tell he would fit right in with MSU's distance runners. Ty is quiet, a very hard worker, and goal-oriented. Ty plans to major in History with the intent of being a history teacher."

Diego Leon, a transfer from Hartnell Community College, earned All-California Community College Athletics Association honors as a freshman and sophomore cross country runner. The Hollister, California native led Hartnell to a second place finish at the CCCAA Championships, while finishing as the individual champion his sophomore season.

"Diego Leon will come to MSU from Hartnell Community College in Salinas, CA," Weese said. "He will join distance runner Cristian Soratos and pole vaulter Austin Decker who are current members of the MSU team and former Hartnell College athletes. In his two years at Hartnell College, Diego has worked with his coach Chris Zepeda and transformed himself from very modest high school marks to someone that will have an immediate impact at the NCAA Division I - Big Sky Conference level. The amount and quality of training Diego has put in while at Hartnell is staggering and has led to his dramatic improvement. Diego is extremely goal-oriented, self-motivated, and has big goals for his time at MSU. Academically, Diego is a good student and is excited to begin working toward an Engineering Degree at MSU."

Alyssa Snyder joins the Bobcats distance crew from Coalville, Utah after leading Park High School as a captain her senior season, finishing second at the Utah 3A State Championships. Snyder recorded three top-10 finishes as senior, highlighted by a first place victory at the Highland Invite. As a junior, Snyder set school records in the 1600 and the 3200 and sea level and elevation.

"Lyssa Snyder's best mark in the 3200 of 10:30 and her individual qualification for the Nike Cross County National meet last fall, are just two indicators of her elite level of high school athletic performance," Weese said. "Lyssa is one of the better high school distance recruits in the nation and could have picked just about any college she wanted. So, the fact that she choose MSU and seems to have so much pride in being a Bobcat is very exciting. Lyssa is quiet, but has a fun personality that should fit in well with the great team chemistry of MSU's current distance runners. In addition to being a high level athletic performer, Lyssa is a spectacular student and plans to study Exercise Science."

Hailey Phillips, a Plains, Montana native, earned Montana Class B All-State and All-Conference honors as a sophomore and junior in track, while receiving the same honors her junior year in basketball. Phillips helped Plains High School win the Class A State Championships two years in a row, as they look to win a third this spring. The Montana Class B stand-out was placed on honor roll all four years of high school, earning a 4.0 GPA.

"Hailey is a well-rounded student-athlete who will look to make an immediate impact on our team," Kennedy said. "Just as the rest of our athletes, Hailey has the mindset of student first, athlete second. She had a successful high school career, not only as an athlete, but as a student and will be a great fit to our program."
Tru Roginske was crowned the Montana Class B State Champion in the 100, while finishing second in the 200 and the triple jump her junior season. The Joliet, Montana native also She holds the Joliet High School record in the 100, 200, long jump and triple jump. Roginske is a well-rounded student, earning Academic All-State in track and basketball.
"We are very excited to have Tru join our track team," Assistant Coach Tom Eitel said. "Tru has very good speed, which is a great asset in the triple jump. We expect her to make an impact right away at the conference level."

These six will join Montana State's student-athlete class of 2019.

Schedule

Kennedy Adds Three Montana Standouts, Six Total to 2015-16 Roster

Players Mentioned

Cristian Soratos

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