NAMPA, Idaho – Northwest Nazarene University is pleased to announce that Natalie Evans and Marie Smith have each signed National Letters-of-Intent to attend NNU and compete for the Crusaders cross country and track & field teams.

Evans, who graduated from New Plymouth (ID) High School this spring, won the Idaho 2A Cross Country State Championship as a senior, capping an impressive senior campaign as she won seven races and finished in the top-three in all 11 races entered.  On the track she captured the Idaho 2A 800-meter state championship in both her junior and senior (2:18.87) seasons and also won the 1600-meter (5:19.40) state title this spring.

“We are very excited about Natalie joining our cross country and track and field teams here at NNU,” commented NNU assistant coach Ben Gall.  “She is an athlete we have been working with since the beginning of her senior year and to finally have her commitment to compete for us is very exciting. The coaches believe adding Natalie to our team this fall greatly strengthens our chance of improving on our sixth-place finish at the regional championships and possibly advancing to the national championships.  During the track season Natalie will add more depth and strength to our women's middle distance group at both the conference and national levels.”

Smith joins the Crusaders after graduating from Boise's Capital High School this spring where she finished in the top-three at the Idaho 5A State Championships in all three of her events.  A second-place finish highlighted her 4 x 400-meter relay team's efforts (49.65), while she finished second in the 300-meter hurdles (45.70), and third in the 100-hurdles (14.77).

“Marie made great improvements from her junior year in lowering her hurdle times,” commented NNU head coach John Spatz.  “She lowered her 100-hurdle time by over a second, and dropped her 300-hurdle time by over two seconds.  I look for Marie to compete in the hurdles, relays and the heptathlon for us at NNU.”

“Marie is a great combination of student and athlete. Her high academic marks, along with her overall athletic ability are just what we look for,” Spatz added.  “I fully expect to see Marie challenge the current school records in the hurdles, both indoors and outdoors. The GNAC has added the indoor pentathlon to the conference championships and I expect Marie to be right in the hunt for all-conference honors in this event as well as the hurdles.”

Both Evans and Smith are planning to major in Nursing at NNU.