NAMPA, Idaho – Northwest Nazarene University track & field coaches John Spatz and Ben Gall have announced that Barak Watson and Jordan Powell have each signed a National Letter of Intent to attend NNU and compete for the Crusaders next year.
Both are seniors at Nampa's Columbia High School, and following graduation in June, will compete this fall on the Crusader cross country teams.
Watson was named the 2008 Idaho Gatorade Cross Country Athlete of the Year and won seven of the nine high school cross country races he competed in this past fall.
“Signing Barak is very exciting for our program and I think says a lot for the direction we have been going and the types of athletes we are attracting,” Gall commented. “He is going to make an immediate impact for our team at the GNAC, regional, and I believe, national level.”
“Barak is the type of young man that every coach dreams of having,” added Columbia head coach Lincoln Hagood. “He works tremendously hard to be the best athlete and best person that he can be. Basically he has the type of character that you wish every young person would emulate.”
Powell has finished in the top-ten at the Idaho 4A state cross country championships for three-straight seasons and was the state runner-up on the track in the 3200-meters as a junior.
“Jordan is going to fit in really well with our existing team,” Gall added. “I think she will make an immediate impact on our team at both the conference level both in cross country and track.”
Athlete Highlights and Statistics
Barak Watson
Freshman, Nampa, Idaho
High School: Won seven cross country races as a senior, including the Idaho 4A District III (15:49) and Idaho 4A state titles…Posted the fastest time of the day in any division at the Idaho state cross country championships with 15:39…Posted 15:26 at the Nike regional championships on the same course two weeks later, placing second…Quailfied for the Nike national championships in Portland, Ore., finishing 27th nationally (15:48)…Won the state championships in the 3200-meters and was the runner-up in the 1600-meters as a junior…Holds the Idaho District III 4A state record in the 3200-meters.
Personal: Has only competed one year on the track (junior year) and one season in cross country (as a senior)…Was awarded the Bronze and Silver Congressional Awards and is on schedule to receive the Gold Congressional Award in March of 2009…An active member of the Columbia Bible Church…Has over six years of experience playing the violin.
Jordan Powell
Freshman, Nampa, Idaho
High School: Jordan finished fourth at Idaho 4A cross country state championships as a sophomore (19:45), ninth as a junior (19:41) and eighth (19:23) as a senior…On the track she finished eighth (5:31) in the 1600-meters as a junior and third in the 3200-meters (11:45)…As a sophomore she finished fifth (5:23) in the 1600-meters and second in the 3200-meters (11:43.55), just .3 seconds off of a state title…As a freshman she was ninth (5:41) in the 1600-meters and seventh (12:09.70) in the 3200-meters.
