June 4, 2008

LAS VEGAS - UNLV cross country has signed four student-athletes to national letters of intent and they will enroll this fall and be ready to compete for the Rebels this upcoming season, cross country head coach Tony Houchin announced on Wednesday.

The group includes three high school athletes and one transfer. The trio of prep athletes is Erin Murphy, Amber Throop and Brett Zorich. The transfer is Isabelle Stoate, who previously ran at Butler University.

"We are thrilled to have this signing class join the UNLV Rebel family," Houchin said. "These student-athletes embody the attributes and work ethic we were looking for and they are going to be key components in the future of UNLV cross country and track and field."

Murphy is from Escondido, Calif., and is currently a senior at Valley Center High School, where she has run a personal-best time of 11:21 in the 3,200 meters. One of her teammates at Valley Center is Throop, where she has recorded a personal-best time of 5:10 in the 1,600 meters. Zorich is another Golden State product, hailing from Alamo, Calif., and is a senior at Monte Vista High School. Her fastest time in the 400 meters is 56.74, while she has run the 800 meters in a time of 2:13.

Stoate spent the previous three years at Butler, as was part of a Bulldogs' squad that won the 2007 Horizon League cross country championship, the sixth straight league title for the school. She has run times of 2:10.66 in the 800 meters and 4:31.03 in the 1,500 meters. Stoate is originally from Horwood, England, and will have one year of eligibility remaining at UNLV.

"Each of the incoming freshmen is going to come in and have an immediate impact on our standing in the conference and the region," Houchin said. "Isabelle is going to be key component in our moving up in the conference standings. She is a proven athlete and is joining us with several conference championships and NCAA National Championship experience already under her belt."