Six new Vandals signed letters of intent Wednesday, continuing the early signing period.
The Idaho track and field team received commitment from Britt Ipsen of Capital High School in Boise.
Ipsen took the Idaho State Championship title in the long and high jump in 2016. He earned his first state title in the 2015 long jump. Ipsen’s personal bests include a 23-foot, 8.25-inch long jump and a 6-foot 8-inch high jump.
He finished second in the triple jump at the 2016 Idaho State Championship meet, and fourth in 2015. His personal best is a 46-foot, 5.5-inch jump.
Ipsen plans on majoring in operations management. His coach at Capital is Idaho track and field alum Bryan Stith.
“Britt is not just the best jumper in the state, he is one of the best in the country,” Idaho director of track and field Tim Cawley said. “With his versatility he adds a lot to our jumps squad. He’s a great kid who is as talented in the classroom as he is on the track.”
Celie Mans, of Florence, Oregon, signed with the track and field team as well.
She placed first junior and senior year at the Oregon State Championship meet. Mans placed third as a freshman and fourth as a sophomore. Her 5k personal best is 18:27.
Mans placed third in the 3000m at the state championships as a junior. Her personal best in the 3000m is 10:25 and has a 4:50 PR in the 1500m.
The Siuslaw High School student will use her time at UI to prepare for a career in medicine.
“She is a tough competitor with smooth stride and I believe she is going to do some great things here at Idaho,” Cawley said. “Her talents also extend into the classroom making her a great fit with the team.”
Idaho women’s basketball head coach Jon Newlee signed Nina Carlson, Natalie Klinker and Allison Kirby for the 2017-18 season.
“I think we addressed all the needs we had,” Newlee said in a news release. “We got a couple of really versatile post players and a great point guard. These three are really going to fill some holes for us in the near future.”
Carlson, a post, was a 2016 Second Team All-Idaho pick by the Idaho Statesman. The 6-foot 3-inch post averaged 11.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game during her junior season.
She captained the Lake City High School team, played volleyball and ran track. Her mother and father, Chris and Carey Carlson, are the head and assistant women’s basketball coaches at North Idaho.
“Nina is unbelievably long,” Newlee said. “She is able to play inside and out. She can shoot the three and is a very aggressive rebounder. She can finish inside with either hand, which is what I really like.”
Klinker is a four-year Academic All-State honoree at Fairfield High School in Montana. The 6-foot, 1-inch post is a three-year varsity starter and a 2016 District 1B First Team All-Conference pick.
The post averaged 20 points and 13.3 rebounds as a junior. She plays volleyball and competes as a high-jumper.
“Natalie is a strong, physical post player,” Newlee said. “She can really run the floor, but also step out and shoot the basketball. Her best asset is her physicality.”
Kirby averaged 9.8 points, 3.7 steals, 3.6 rebounds and 3 assists per game as a junior for Timberlake High School.
The 5-foot 7-inch guard was the 2016 3A Player of the Year and helped Timberlake to a 3A state title in 2016. Kirby scored nine points in the 62-35 win.
In addition, she was a two-time league MVP for soccer and a champion pole vaulter.
“Allison was a huge get for us,” Newlee said. “We needed that spot. I just love the way she sees the floor. She is a great passer in the open court. She makes great decisions and attacks the rim in the paint. That is what separates great point guards from average point guards.”
Idaho head coach Don Verlin added Losini Kamara of Minneapolis to the 2017-18 roster.
Kamara comes from Park Center High School, the same school as preseason Big Sky Player of the Year Quinton Hooker of North Dakota.
The Liberia native averaged 17 points, four rebounds and five assists per game as a junior. Kamara and his family escaped civil war in Liberia when he was young and resettled in New York, where he began his high school career at Long Island Lutheran.
“We are really happy and excited that Losini has chosen to become a Vandal,” Verlin said in a new release. “He is a big, strong, old-school point guard who is battle tested against tough competition in both New York City and Minneapolis.”
Kamara’s coach, James Ware, played for Verlin at Colorado State. Ware then served as the director of basketball operations at Utah State under Verlin.
Tess Fox can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @tesstakesphotos