University of Southern Indiana Men’s/Women’s Cross Country and Track & Field Coach Mike Hillyard announced that the Screaming Eagles have signed incoming freshman Silas Winders (Mansfield, Tennessee) to a national letter of intent to compete for the men’s program in 2020-21.
Winders, the younger brother of USI All-Americans Javan Winders and Titus Winders, is a two-time Foot Locker Cross Country national finalist as well as a two-time Tennessee state champion at Henry County High School in Paris, Tennessee.
“Silas has been on our radar for quite some time, and we are extremely fortunate that he has been closely connected to our program for the last four years while watching his brothers compete,” Hillyard said. “His success over the last year brought most of the top NCAA Division I programs in the country to the table, but at the end of the day, Silas went with what he felt was the best decision for him to continue to thrive as a student-athlete.”
Winders, is one of the top competitors, nationally, in the 2020 class as he ranks fifth in the nation among 2020 graduates in the 5k (14:29.32), sixth in the 3,200 meters (8:57.17) and 11th in the mile (4:12.26).
The four-time cross country All-State and All-Region honoree also has garnered three indoor track & field All-State awards as well as three outdoor track & field All-State accolades.
Winders looks to continue the success that Javan and Titus have had during their USI careers. Javan, currently in his final year at USI, earned All-America honors as a freshman in the distance medley relay; while Titus, currently a sophomore at USI, is coming off his second straight All-America effort at the NCAA II Cross Country Championships after winning both the Great Lakes Valley Conference and NCAA II Midwest Region titles this fall.
“Silas is disciplined, exceptionally coachable, a great teammate and he has a clear vision for what he wants to achieve,” Hillyard said. “We’re thrilled to finally have all of the Winders brothers back in the same uniform.”
USI Track & Field resumes action Saturday when it travels to Birmingham, Alabama, to compete in the UAB Vulcan Invite.
