EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field coach Mike Hillyard announced the signings of seven student-athletes for the upcoming 2024-25 seasons.
Joining the Screaming Eagles is redshirt sophomore Ellie Hall (Ferdinand, Indiana) as well as freshmen Addison Applegate (Corydon, Indiana), Hadessah Austin (Attica, Indiana), Emma Deweese (Rockport, Indiana), Amber Fusner (Crestwood, Kentucky), Abrielle “Breezy” Richard (Newburgh, Indiana) and Maggie Smith (Monterey, Indiana).
Ellie Hall transfers to USI from Southern Illinois University, where she competed as a freshman and sophomore for the Salukis from 2022-24. Hall, who has personal-best times in the 3k (10:03), the 5k (16:37) and the 6k (21:38), finished 13th at the 2023 Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Championships before racing to a 64th-place finish at the NCAA Division I Midwest Regional.
On the track, Hall helped SIU’s distance medley relay team to a third-place finish at the 2023 MVC Indoor Championships. She was 15th in the 5,000 meters at the 2023 MVC Outdoor Championships and 10th in the 5,000 meters at the 2024 MVC Indoor Championships.
A graduate of Forest Park High School in Ferdinand, Indiana, Hall was a three-time state qualifier on the grass as well as a state-qualifier on the track. She was 19th as a senior at the 2021 IHSAA Cross Country Championships before racing to a 14th-place finish in the 3,200 meters at the 2022 IHSAA Track & Field Championships.
Addison Applegate recently graduated from Corydon Central High School in Corydon, Indiana, where she has posted personal bests in the 800 meters (2:23), 1,600 meters (5:18) and the 5k (19:05). She was a two-time state qualifier on the cross country course, including an 82nd-place finish at the 2022 IHSAA Cross Country Championships during her junior year.
On the track, Applegate posted top-five finishes in the 800 and 1,600 meters at the 2024 IHSAA Sectional 29 Championships as well as a fourth-place finish in the 1,600 meters at the 2024 IHSAA Regional 8 Championships.
Hadessah Austin comes to USI from Seeger High School in West Lebanon, Indiana, where she put together personal-best times in the 1,600 meters (5:08), 3,200 meters (10:55) and the 5k (17:54). She was a two-time state qualifier in the 3,200 meters during her prep career, including a 10th-place finish at the 2023 IHSAA Track & Field Championships and a 14th-place showing at the 2024 state meet.
On the grass, Austin was 22nd at the IHSAA Cross Country Championships as a senior in 2023. She went on to finish 34th at the NXR Midwest Region Championships, 22nd at the Mid-East Championships and 31st at the Foot Locker Midwest Region Championships.
Emma Deweese is a graduate of South Spencer High School in Rockport, Indiana, where she put together personal bests in the 400 meters (1:01.5), the 800 meters (2:24) and the 1,600 meters (5:28). She posted top-10 finishes in the 800 meters at both the 2022 and 2023 IHSAA Regional 8 Track & Field Championships as well as a first-place finish in the 800 meters at the 2023 IHSAA Section 30 Championships.
On the grass, Deweese earned top-20 finishes at both the Pocket Athletic Conference and IHSAA Sectional 2 Cross Country Championships during her senior year in 2023.
Amber Fusner comes to USI from Oldham County High School in LaGrange, Kentucky, where she tallied personal bests in the 1,600 meters (5:21), 3,200 meters (11:28) and 5k (19:06). She was a two-time state qualifier in both the 3,000 meters (indoor) and the 3,200 meters (outdoor) in 2023 and 2024.
Fusner raced to a 36th-place finish at the KHSAA Cross Country Championships as a senior in 2023 before finishing 69th at the NXR Southeast Regional and 97th at the RunningLane Championships.
Abrielle “Breezy” Richard graduated from Evansville Christian School in Newburgh, Indiana, where she posted personal-best times of 2:17 in the 800 meters, 5:17 in the 1,600 meters and 20:10 in the 5k. She was a state qualifier on the cross country course as a senior in 2023 and posted top-10 finishes at the IHSAA Regional 16 and Sectional 32 Cross Country Championships as a junior 2022.
On the track, Richard finished first in the 800 meters at both the IHSAA Sectional 32 and Regional 8 Championships as a senior in 2024. She also was second in the 1,600 meters at the sectional meet.
Maggie Smith comes to USI from Winamac High School in Winamac, Indiana, where she had personal-best times of 1:02.08 in the 400 meters, 2:23 in the 800 meters and 19:31 in the 5k. A state qualifier on the cross country course as a senior in 2023, Smith finished 159th at the IHSAA Championships to cap off her prep career on the grass.
On the track, Smith raced to top-five finishes in the 800 meters at both the 2023 and 2024 IHSAA Sectional 4 Championships. She finished 13th in the 800 meters at the 2024 IHSAA Regional 1 Championships.
USI begins the 2024 cross country season August 30 in Bloomington, Indiana.
