Cross Country/T&F Signs Seven for 2015-16 Seasons

PULLMAN, Wash. -- Seven standout performers have signed National Letters of Intent to attend and compete in cross country and track and field for Washington State University in the 2015-16 seasons, WSU Director of Cross Country/Track & Field Wayne Phipps announced Thursday.

Six of the signees are middle distance or distance specialists: Anisa Allaet from Spokane, Wash., Cole Christman from Wenatchee, Wash., Paul Ryan from Moscow, Idaho, Nathan Tadesse from Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, Chandler Teigen from Anatone, Wash., and Nathan Wadhwani from Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada. Tierney Silliman is a sprinter from Yakima, Wash.

Phipps, who also serves as the cross country and distance coach for the Cougars, said, “I’m very excited about the signees. We identified a specific goal for the early signing period and I am very pleased with how successfully we met that goal. This group is very excited about WSU and the direction of our program. They all will make an immediate impact, especially on the men’s side.”

Anisa Allaet is a senior at Ferris High School in Spokane, Wash., where she competed in cross country and track and field. Allaet advanced three times to the state 4A cross country championships with her best finish at 16th earlier this month. She is a three-time All-Greater Spokane League cross country first-team selection. On the track, Allaet was the 1600m district champion as a junior, earning her All-GSL honors. Her sophomore season she was the regional runner-up in the 1600m with a PR time of 5:08.23. Alleat is a member of the National Honor Society.

“Anisa has made huge improvements this year,” Phipps said. “Every race she seemed to get better and she ended with a great run at the state meet. With this level of continued improvement, she will be a great asset to our team even in her first year at WSU.”

Cole Christman is a senior at Wenatchee High School in Wenatchee, Wash. At the 2014 state 4A prep cross country championships, Christman took fifth place after winning the Columbia Basin Big Nine conference meet. Earlier this fall he finished seventh at the Nike Pre-Nationals Cross Country 5k Danner Championships in Portland, Ore. On the track as a sophomore, Christman won the district titles in the 1600m and 3200m and as a junior was the district runner-up in both the 800m and the 1600m. His PR times are 1:55.49 for 800m, 4:12.36 for 1600m, and 9:36.11 for 3200m.

“Cole is one of the top returners in the state in the mile and after a great cross country season I can see Cole having an even better track season this year and becoming one of the top milers in the nation,” Phipps said.

Paul Ryan is a senior at Logos High School in Moscow, Idaho, where he lettered in cross country, basketball and track and field. Ryan won state 1A/2A cross country championship after finishing as the runner-up as a sophomore. At the 2014 race, Ryan defeated the runner-up by 15 seconds and led his team to a second place finish. He took 17th at the Nike Cross Northwest race regional meet in Boise. During the spring track competition, he is a two-time state 1A champion in the 3200m, and as a junior also won the state titles in the 800m, 1600m and the sprint relay. He finished fifth in the 800m at the Border Duel in Portland with a PR time of 1:54.10. His mile PR time is 4:14.69 and 3200m PR is 9:09.93. As a basketball player, Ryan was an All-White Pine League first-team selection and second-team all-state last spring.

“Paul Ryan has developed into one of the top distance runners in the history of the state of Idaho,” Phipps said. “He has incredible range as he has had great success from the 800 meters to cross country.”

Nathan Tadesse is a senior at North Surrey Senior High in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. At the University of Washington Sundodger Invitational this fall he finished fifth on the 5k course. He also was the runner-up in the seeded high school race at the Stanford Invitational. Tadesse won the 2014 British Columbia High School Cross Country Championships 6400m Senior race. Last spring on the track oval, he placed fourth in the 800m and ninth in the 1500m at the British Columbia High School Championships. His PR times include 1:56.54 in the 800m, and 4:56.11 in the 1500m with a fourth place finish at the Canadian Youth Track Championships.

“Nathan has had an amazing senior cross country season, having great success at big meets in the US and in Canada. I have followed his career for a while and I am very impressed by the incredible improvements he has made,” Phipps said.

Chandler Teigen is a senior at Asotin High School in Asotin, Wash., where he was a two-time state 1B/2B cross country champion after a runner-up finish as a sophomore and 12th place as a freshman. On the track, Teigen won the state titles in the 800m and 1600m and was runner up in the 3200m as a junior. During his sophomore season, he was the runner-up in the state 400m, 1600m and 3200m but on the winning 1600m relay squad, leading Asotin to the state team title. Teigen is very active in school government, and was a member of the state champion Parliamentary Procedures team that finished second nationally. He carries a 4.0 grade point average.

“Chandler has dominated the school divisions in track and cross country,” Phipps said. “He is a great competitor and his improvement curve is going to be very steep when he starts to train and compete at the DI level.”

Nathan Wadhwani graduated from Terry Fox Secondary School in June 2014, where he was honored with the Terry Fox Athletics Award of Distinction. As a junior, he finished fifth at the Nike Pre-Nationals Cross Country 5k Danner Championship Varsity race. Competing for Team Canada at the IAAF World Youth Track & Field Championships in Donetsk, Russia, he finished 16th in the 3000m. During his senior season, Wadhwani placed eighth in the 5k high school seeded section at the Stanford Invitational Cross Country meet. He won the British Columbia High School Cross Country Championships 6300m Senior race. On the track, he won the B.C. High School titles in the 1500m (3:56.14) and the 3000m (8:38.75). His PR times are 3:56.14 for 1500m, 8:35.91 for 3000m, and 14:52.95 for the 5000m.

“Nathan has already proven he can compete at the DI level at the DI distance as evidenced by his strong showing at the Stanford invitational,” Phipps said. “He also brings with him big meet international experience. Both of these will help make his transition to collegiate running as seamless as you can imagine for a freshman.”

Sprinter Tierney Silliman is a senior at West Valley High School in Yakima, Wash. Last spring, Silliman ran a then-PR time of 12.33 for 12th at the Texas Relays. She won the district 100m and 200m titles and went on to place second in the 100m and fifth in the 200m at the state 2A championships meet. She ran PR times in the prelims of both dashes at state, running the 100m in time of 11.98w and the 200m in time of 24.91w. Additionally, Silliman ran on the 1600m relay squad that finished third in 1:44.53. At the 2013 state 2A meet, she took third place in the 100m and 200m races, and the 1600m relay team was runner-up. Silliman also competes on the Seattle Speed Track Club with USATF competition that includes third in 100m at the 2012 Junior Olympics Pacific Northwest Region and competing at the AAU National Junior Olympics prelims. In 2013 Silliman was the named to the all-league first team and was selected the region’s Track Athlete of the Year. Her PR times are 11.98w in the 100m and 24.91w in the 200m.

“Tierney is one of the top returning sprinters in the state,” Phipps said. “She is going to be a valuable member of this team in the 100 meters, the 200 meters and the relays in her very first year at WSU.”