State champs, transfers join growing 2012-13 IU track and field class

Four more signees have been added to IU track and field’s 2012-13 signing class, Head Coach Ron Helmer announced Tuesday.

The group includes two high school state champions and two transfers. Zack Bray won the 2012 Indiana State Championship in the 110-meter hurdles, while Nathan-Pierre Louis captured the Massachusetts state title in the 400-meter.

The Hoosiers have now announced 21 signees for 2012-13, including six women and 15 men. Below are bios of the four most recent signees.

Zach Bray
School/hometown: Hamilton Southeastern High School; Indianapolis

Events: Hurdles

Career highlights: In addition to the aforementioned state title, Bray placed second in the 2012 Outdoor State Meet 300-meter hurdles. His personal records include 14.01 seconds in the 110 hurdles and 37.81 seconds in the 300 hurdles.

Quote from Coach Helmer  “Zack had a very good senior track season and an outstanding state meet. We were very impressed with the way he rose to the occasion and ran his best times of the year while winning the sprint hurdles and getting second out of one of the slower heats in the intermediate hurdles. He has a great chance to develop into a Big Ten-level competitor in both events.”

Scott Houston
School/hometown University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (2012); Oak Ridge, North Carolina

Events: Pole vault

Career: highlights Houston has scored numerous times in both indoor and outdoor ACC meets. His personal best pole vault is 17 feet, 6 1/4 inches.

Quote from Coach Helmer “Scott is another transfer who brings both maturity and talent. A graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, he comes to IU excited about grad school and excited about the opportunity to be a part of our outstanding pole-vaulting tradition. While his collegiate career has been very good but a bit inconsistent, we are confident a new environment and new challenge will prove to be the catalyst for a great fifth year as a Hoosier.”  

Derrick Morgan
School/Hometown: Florida A&M University; Indianapolis

Events: Sprints

Career highlights: Set personal records in three different sprints during his undergraduate career, including in the 200-meter (21.99 seconds), the 300 (34.87 seconds) and the 400 (47.12 seconds).

Quote from Coach Helmer “After walking on at Florida A&M and a couple of years of very good development, Derrick decided he wanted to come back home and compete for the Hoosiers. We look forward to Derrick joining our rapidly improving group of 400-meter runners and the continued improvement that will allow him to make his mark at the Big Ten level and beyond.”   

Nathan Pierre-Louis
School/Hometown: Waltham High School; Waltham, Mass.

Events: Sprints

Career highlights: Pierre-Louis has won a track championship during each of the last three Massachussets high school track seasons. In 2011, he won a state title in the 400-meter and followed that with a 300 title at the 2012 New England Indoor Championships and a 400 title at the 2012 New England Outdoor Championship.

Quote from Coach Helmer: “Nathan is relatively new to the sport of track and field having preferred soccer in his native country of Haiti but has both the talent and desire to develop into a very special athlete. After moving to the U.S. to start high school he found himself as a long sprinter who enjoyed much success but still has lots of room to grow. Our coaching staff found him to be a quality person who will add as much to our locker room as he does the track.”
 
— Joe Popely