University of Southern Indiana Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field Head Coach Mike Hillyard announced that incoming freshmen Leslie Drone (McLeansboro, Illinois) and Ashley Lawhorn (Frankfort, Kentucky) have signed national letters of intent to compete for the Screaming Eagles in 2016-17.
Drone is a graduate of Hamilton County High School (McLeansboro, Illinois) where she was a four-time state qualifier on the cross country course, a four-time state qualifier in the 1,600 meters and 3,200 meters on the track, and a member of three conference championship teams on the cross country course.
An All-State honoree as a junior, Drone finished 14th at the 2014 IHSA 1A Cross Country Championships. Additionally, Drone was the All-South Runner of the Year in 2014 as well as a four-time All-Conference and three-time All-South award winner in both cross country and track & field.
“Leslie comes from the same area in Southern Illinois where I grew up and she is a stand-alone athlete,†Hillyard explained. “What I mean by that is she hasn’t had any footsteps to follow. Everything that she has done has been out of her own pure love of competition.
“I believe that she will improve by leaps and bounds once she is exposed to a higher level of training and is surrounded by a large group of talented young women,†Hillyard concluded.
Lawhorn is a graduate of Franklin County High School in Frankfort, Kentucky, where she was a member of three state qualifying teams and four county championships.
A three-time All-State honoree on the cross country course, Lawhorn finished 19th at both the 2014 and 2015 KHSAA 2A State Cross Country Championships. She was a four-time All-County champion on the cross country course and a six-time All-County champion on the track, earning a combined six All-Region awards.
On the track, Lawhorn earned a pair of All-State accolades as a sophomore in 2014 after finishing seventh in the 800 meters and eighth in the 1,600 meters at the KHSAA 2A Outdoor Championships. She finished her career as a combined 10-time state qualifier in on the track.
“Ashley comes from a running family as both of her parents were collegiate distance runners,†Hillyard said. “With that being said, she comes from a pretty obscure high school program without a great deal of tradition.
“Much like Leslie, I believe that she will flourish in an environment where the level of training—and training partners—is much higher,†Hillyard predicted. “She is a tough racer and wants to be good. She will be a big part of our future success.â€
Drone and Lawhorn are the first two incoming freshmen to sign NLIs to compete for USI Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field in 2016-17.
