CEDAR FALLS - The University of Northern Iowa track and field program has signed six athletes to National Letters of Intent, UNI Director of Running Programs Chris Bucknam announced Thursday.

"We signed a national-caliber recruiting class today, and we're thrilled to bring so many athletes with top-level talent to campus," Bucknam said. "We have landed several of the nation's top-rated athletes in their individual events, athletes who will make an immediate impact on our team, as well as on the landscape of the Missouri Valley Conference and collegiate track and field."

The Panthers inked Andrew Perkins (Juneau, Wis./Watertown), Daniel Gooris (Albuquerque, N.M./Cibola), Jarred Herring (Burlington, Iowa/Burlington), Carly Olsen (Missouri Valley, Iowa/Missouri Valley), Jenna Wexter (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln Way Central) and Shawn Shaddox (Waterloo, Iowa/Cedar Falls) on the first day of the signing period.

Andrew Perkins (Juneau, Wis./Watertown) - Middle Distance

Perkins has left his mark on the Wisconsin and national record books during his prep career, a trend he will look to continue at UNI. Perkins owns the national freshman record in the indoor mile (4:21.20), outdoor mile (4:15.07) and indoor 800 meters (1:55.45) and, in 2007, set the Wisconsin high school record in the 800 with a winning run at the Midwest Distance Gala. A four-time all-state honoree in cross country, Perkins won four consecutive Little Ten Conference cross country championships and took home the Wisconsin state title as a freshman in 2005. He also won the freshman mile at the Nike Indoor Championships that season. As a junior last year, Perkins claimed state track championships in the 800 and 1,600 meters, a season after earning top-three finishes in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 meters. A versatile runner, Perkins owns personal bests of 49.10 in the 400, 4:11 in the outdoor mile and 9:18 in the outdoor 3,200 meters. His 800-meter best of 1:50.17 ranked him second nationally among American prep athletes.

"Andrew is one of the best middle distance runners in the country," Bucknam said. "It's scary to think what we can accomplish over the next few years when you add Andrew to the mix of Dorian Ulrey in the mile and Tyler Mulder in the 800 meters. He fits in very well with those guys and his attitude and approach to training is already in synch with what we strive to accomplish here.

"We couldn't be more thrilled to have Andrew involved in our program. He is a great kid with a terrific attitude and a terrific work ethic. It will be a lot of fun to help him achieve his goals over the next four years."

Daniel Gooris (Albuquerque, N.M./Cibola) - Multi-Events

Regarded as one of the nation's top multi-event prospects, Gooris won the young men's decathlon at the 2007 Junior Olympics and finished third in the decathlon at the Great Southwest Track & Field Classic in both his sophomore and junior seasons. Gooris owns a personal-best decathlon score of 6,886 in high school competition and also posted a score of 6,710 on his way to an eighth-place finish at the U.S. Junior Nationals in 2007. A two-time New Mexico state champion and one of the top-10 prep pole vaulters in the nation, Gooris has cleared 16 feet, 3 inches in the vault and also owns a personal-best of 6-5 in the high jump, an event in which he has finished in the top six at the state meet each season since his eighth-grade year. Gooris also finished as state runner-up in the 300 hurdles in 2007 and owns a personal-best of 15.06 in the 110 hurdles.

"Daniel is probably the best decathlon prospect to come out of the United States this year," associate head coach Travis Geopfert said. "We couldn't be more excited to have him as part of the program, and when you look at what our vaulters and decathletes have done over the past few years, it couldn't be a better fit for Daniel or for UNI.

"With his personal best of 16-3 in the vault and 6,886 in the decathlon, we think Daniel has the ability to make an immediate impact both at the conference and national level," Bucknam said. "He is a great kid and I know Coach Geopfert is excited to work with him for the next four years."

Jarred Herring (Burlington, Iowa/Burlington) - Sprints

Herring developed into one of the state of Iowa's top sprinters as a junior in 2007, winning state championships in the 100 and 200 meters in Iowa's Class 4A. He also anchored Burlington High School's 4x100 team to a runner-up finish at the state meet, helping the quartet to a time of 42.76 seconds. Herring also claimed the high school 100 meters title at the 2007 Drake Relays with a 10.9-second clocking. In 2006, he anchored Burlington's fifth-place effort in the 4x400 relay and ran the second leg of the team's distance medley relay team that finished fourth at the Iowa state track meet.

Herring also will compete for the UNI football team as a wide receiver.

"Jarred is probably the best short sprinter in the state of Iowa," Bucknam said. "He's versatile from 100 meters through 400 meters and has great relay experience. We're ecstatic to continue to work with our accomplished football program, and hopefully Jarred can follow in the tradition of Kenny Shedd, Eddie Berlin, Patrick Hunter and Jamie Goodwin, who all excelled on the track and the football field."

Carly Olsen (Missouri Valley, Iowa/Missouri Valley) - Distance

An Iowa state champion on the track and a three-time top-15 finisher at the state cross country meet, Olsen will bring added depth to the Panthers' distance program. Olsen claimed the Class 2A state championship in the 3,000 meters as a sophomore in 2006 and also was runner-up in the 1,500 meters and took sixth place in the 800 meters. She owns the Class 2A state record in the 3,000 meters. As a junior, Olsen took sixth at the state cross country championships in Class 1A, setting a personal-best time of 15:10. In all, Olsen has five top-10 finishes at the state track meet and was named first team all-state in track twice. She also is a two-time all-state honoree in cross country.

"We are very excited to have Carly as part of our program. She is a great distance runner with a terrific range from 800 meters to a cross country 5K," Bucknam said. "She will provide even more depth in our outstanding women's distance program and we're looking for her to make an immediate impact as a freshman."

Jenna Wexter (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln Way Central) - Pole Vault

Wexter will join the Panthers' nationally recognized pole vault program following an outstanding prep career that saw her claim the Illinois state indoor pole vault championship and finish as runner-up in the outdoor vault as a junior in 2007. In addition to qualifying for state meet competition three times in the sprint medley relay, Wexter also took sixth in the outdoor vault as a sophomore in 2006. She owns the Lincoln Way Central High School record in both the indoor (12 feet, 6 inches) and outdoor vault (11-6) and boasts a 4.552 grade-point average that has her ranked 18th in a class of 713.

"Jenna is one of the best women's vaulters in the Midwest, and we're thrilled to have her join our program," Bucknam said. "Jenna has family in the area, and it will be exciting for both her and our women's program to see what she and vault coach Doug Case can accomplish together over the next few years. She will make an immediate impact in helping our women's team contend for a conference title."

Shawn Shaddox (Waterloo, Iowa/Cedar Falls) - Middle Distance

After helping develop Cedar Falls High into one of the top relay programs in the state of Iowa, Shaddox will look to help uphold UNI's strong relay tradition when she joins the Panthers next fall. Shaddox has been part of nine place-winning relays at the Iowa state meet for Cedar Falls, including a pair of championships in Class 4A. She anchored the Tigers' sprint medley team to a state title as a freshman in 2005 and also carried the team to a 4x200 relay championship as a junior in 2007. In her freshman season, Shaddox was part of four place-winning relays, including the sprint medley championship and a second-place finish in the 4x800 relay. She anchored three of those efforts. A versatile runner, Shaddox has been part of place-winning quartets in the 4x200, 4x400, 4x800, sprint medley and distance medley relays at the state championships. She also has placed in the open 800 meters at the state meet and is a three-year Drake Relays qualifier.

"Shawn is a terrific local athlete with a lot of versatility," said Bucknam. "She can run anything from 200 to 800 meters and is even

beginning to dabble in the 400 hurdles. Her ability to compete in a variety of different events will give us additional depth in our relay

crews, and I think her ability in the 400 hurdles is an untapped resource both for Shawn and our team."