Colorado University Athletics
WETMORE PENS FIVE PREP ALL-AMERICANS
BOULDER--Prep All-Americans Ryan Deak (Aurora, Colo.), Bradley Harkrader (Westminster, Colo.), Racheal Marchard (Valparaiso, Ind.), Liza Pasciuto (Murrieta, Calif.) and Amber Smith (Ishpeming, Mich.) have all signed National Letters of Intent to compete on Colorado’s heralded cross country and track teams beginning this fall head coach Mark Wetmore announced Thursday.
“This is definitely one of our best long distance recruiting seasons ever,” said Wetmore. “Each of them has the potential to make significant contributions immediately. Added to our present stable of middle and distance athletes, they make the future very exciting.”
RYAN DEAK, 5-8, Aurora, Colo. (Smoky Hill H.S.)
The former Maclay High School (Tallahassee, Fla.) standout made a running-motivated move with his family to Aurora, Colo. and Smoky Hill H.S. following his junior year in high school. At Maclay he led the Marauders to five straight cross country regional, district and state titles and regional, district and state crowns in eighth grade as well as his junior year on the track. He was an All-Big Bend cross country team member his freshman through junior seasons. He left Tallahassee with school records in the mile and two-mile distances. He set the Smoky Hill 5k cross country course standard (14:58.4) with a win at the Liberty Bell Invitational by edging future CU teammate Bradley Harkraker and setting a course record previously owned by former CU NCAA Champion Adam Goucher (15:06). Deak’s sub-15 minute effort in the race was a Colorado boy’s first. He went on to win the regional title before settling for runner-up distinction (behind Harkraker) in the 5A state meet. On the track he’s the national indoor freshman two-mile record holder (9:29.10) and became the indoor mile national champion in ’03 (4:09.51). He also ran a 3:49 1,500-m and 8:20 3k during the 2003 track season. He finished third at the 2002 FootLocker South Regionals before turning in a 12th place All-American finish at Nationals as a junior. His 15:14 Midwest Regional time is 18th all-time and he finished sixth at the 2003 FootLocker National Championship in 15:13. Deak was lured by Georgetown and Arkansas before committing to Colorado.
BRADLEY HARKRADER, 5-8, Westminster, Colo. (Thornton H.S.)
As a freshman, Harkrader was a second-team All-Front Range League performer in cross country before turning in first-team finishes as a sophomore and before winning the league and regional crowns as a junior and senior. He was also named all-region and all-state as a junior and senior. He was the Rocky Mountain News runner of the year following his senior campaign. The Trojans were the 2002 and ’03 Front Range League Cross Country Champions. After future Buffs teammate Ryan Deak edged Harkraker at the Liberty Bell Invitational, Harkrader answered back by winning the 5-A State Cross Country title in state best 14 minutes, 49.4 seconds, a meet record previously held by 1998 NCAA Champion and 2000 Olympian Adam Goucher (14:54.7) and was named USA Track and Field’s Athlete of the Week as a result. He concluded his prep career with a fourth place finish at the 2003 FootLocker Midwest Regionals in a time of 15:19 before an All-American 12th place finish at nationals in San Diego in 15:24. On the track, he was second team all-conference in the 3,200-m as a sophomore, was the 2-mile regional champion before finishing third in the 2-mile and seventh in the mile at states and Harkrader’s prs in the 5k cross country (14:49), 1,600-m (4:25) and 3,200-m (9:40) double as Thornton H.S. record and all were ran in state championship races in 2003. In the classroom, he is a four-year Front Range League All-Academic team member and a member of the National Honor Society. Harkraker was also recruited by Colorado State, Stanford, Washington State and Iowa State.
RACHEAL MARCHARD, 5-9, Valparaiso, Ind. (Valparaiso)
A fall in the first mile of the 2002 FootLocker Midwest Regional race in Kenosha, Wis. fueled a 17 minute, 43 second fourth-place finish a year later and an eventual All-American 10th place (17:53) title at the FootLocker National Championships. A three year letterwinner on the track (mile, two-mile, 4x800-m releay) for Jim McCall and four-year letterwinner in cross country for coach Karen DiVries at Valparaiso, her PRs include 4k cross country (14:14), 5k cross country (17:42), 800-m (2:18) and two-mile (11:05). When the Vikings went undefeated in 2003, they were ranked fourth in the nation and won a third state championship in four seasons. Marchard was an All-Duneland Athletic Conference and all-state performer on the track her freshman through senior seasons, and all-state in cross country from 2001-03. The Academic Honor Roll student-athlete was the Duneland Conference champion her junior and senior campaigns and semi-state as a senior in addition to her fourth place state championship finish and FootLocker All-American title. Marchard was lured by Michigan State and Baylor before signing with the Buffs.
LIZA PASCIUTO, 5-4, Murrieta, Calif. (Murrieta Valley)
A former 1986 National Pool Soccer Player, Pasciuto would run as part of her soccer training, then dropped soccer and started running competitively her freshman year of high school. A four-year letterwinner in cross country and track (800-3,200-m) for Murrieta Valley head coach Steve Chavez, Pasciuto was the All-Southwestern League MVP her freshman through senior seasons in cross country and in the 1,600 her freshman through junior season and 3,200-m as a freshman and sophomore. She was an all-state performer in the fall all four years at Murrieta Valley and all state on the track (1,600) as a junior. The Nighthawks were the 2002 CIS Southern Section and state champions before settling for runner-up distinction in ’03. She enters her final track season as the school record holder in the 800-m (2:14, 2002 Asuza Pacific Invitational), 1,600-m (4:53, 2002 Arcadia Invitational), 3,200-m (10:48, 2002 CIS), 3-mile (16:38, 2003 Woodbridge Invitational) and 5k cross country (17:35). As a freshman, she finished sixth at the FootLocker Regionals in Walnut, Calif. and matched that finish for All-American distinction at FootLocker Nationals. She didn’t finish the regional race as a sophomore due to injury, finished 22nd as a junior and returned to the national spotlight this fall when she finished sixth at regionals and 29th at FootLocker nationals in San Diego. She was also a first-team all-league forward in soccer as a freshman. Pasciuto was also recruited by UCLA, Washington, Arizona State and Columbia and took unofficial visits to Stanford and Cal.
AMBER SMITH, 5-7, Ishpeming, Mich. (Westwood H.S.)
Smith is Wetmore’s first land from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. She earned four varsity letters from Westwood in cross country under coach Steve Pohlman, but received most of her workouts from University of Michigan sophomore Emily Anderson who is from Marquette, Mich. She ran the 800-3,200-m relay during track season for coach Jim Marana, but again received workouts from Anderson. As a freshman, Smith was a member of the UP Dream Team, all-state, and was the UP Division II State Champion in cross country. She repeated her Dream Team status her sophomore through senior seasons and her all-state finish her sophomore and junior campaigns. As a sophomore she added UP Runner of the Year (a title she held through her senior season), first-team FootLocker Midwest, and was a member of the All-American Sophomore Team. She was a first-team FootLocker Midwest, first-team All-American and was named National Athlete of the Week by Scholastic Sports Magazine. Her senior cross country season she was the Michigan Runner magazine, Miss Michigan Cross Country and second team FootLocker Midwest. The highlight of her high school career was a 2002 All-American fifth-place FootLocker Nationals finish, a race she also ran as a sophomore. She is the three-time UP Division II State champion in the 800 through 3,200-m relay, setting three UP finals records, entering her final season on the track. The Patriots were the 2002-03 U.P. State Girls Division II Track Champions, 2001-03 Girls Mid-Peninsula Conference Champions and 2002 and ’03 Mid-Peninsula Conference Cross Country Championships. She holds Westwood school records in the 800 (2:18, 2003 UP track finals), 1,600 (4:53 converted), 3,200 (11:07) and as a member of the Patriots’ 3,200-m relay team as well as the Stephenson cross country course record (17:53) while her 5k cross country pr is 17:48. Academically she was an All “A” Honor Roll student and Excellence in Education all four years. She was the National Honor Society secretary as a junior and is a class Valedictorian candidate. She was also recruited by Notre Dame and Stanford.