ANCHORAGE - Alaska Anchorage head coach Michael Friess announced the signing of two Alaska standouts, Ivy O'Guinn and Susan Bick, to the cross country and track & field teams for the 2010-11 season.
O'Guinn, a versatile runner from Skyview High School, will compete in the middle distance events for UAA. During the 2009 cross country season, O'Quinn placed second overall at the state championships with an impressive time of 19:00.1.
At the conclusion of the track & field season, she was the Alaska 4A state champion in the 800 as a junior in 2009, while earning runner-up honors in the 3200, and placing third in the1600.
In addition to her exploits at the state meets, O'Guinn was the Alaska Region III champion in 800, 1600, and 3200 in track & field in 2009, while winning the Region III individual championship in cross country.
"We are very impressed with her performances in cross country and in track. She came highly recommended by her high school coach and former Seawolf star, Aaron Dickson," said Friess, "we are very excited about the opportunity to work with her."
Bick, a senior at Bartlett High School, competes in cross country running and track and field for the Golden Bears. This past fall, Bick completed the cross country season with a third-place finish at the 2009 Alaska 4A State Championships. She finished the 5K race with a personal best time of 19:08 - second out of all senior runners.
During the 2009 track & field season, Bick raced to an eighth-place finish in the 800m at the Alaska 4A State Championships. Bick was also the first leg of the sixth-place 4x400m relay team at the state meet, helping BHS women's team to a fourth-place team finish.
"Susan is a talented athlete," said Friess, "What is exciting about her is that she has not been training very long, and I believe that with the proper environment, she can be very successful."
Bick will look to continue her success this spring while competing for Bartlett in the middle and long distance races. She is currently coached by Eric Lowman at BHS.
