Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG, Va. – The Virginia Tech men’s track and field squad announced the signing of four athletes, all from Virginia, on Wednesday. Darrell Wesh, Kevin Dowd, Grant Pollock and Yazid Zouaimia are set to join the Hokies starting in the 2010-11 campaign.
“This men’s class represents outstanding talent for our program,” Tech Director of Track and Field Dave Cianelli said. “In Darrell Wesh, we have landed one of the top sprinters in the nation, and he will have an immediate impact for our sprints crew. Kevin Dowd, Grant Pollock and Yazid Zouaimia are three of the best distance runners in the state of Virginia and will add quality to our distance program.”
Darrell Wesh, one of the top sprinters in not only the state but also the nation, comes to Tech from Virginia Beach, Va., where he ran at Landstown High School. He currently owns the top prep marks in the nation in the 55-meters (6.30) and the flat-track 300-meters (34.44). Wesh clocked both times en route to the 2010 Virginia State AAA Indoor Championships. Both performances pushed Landstown High to a runner-up finish at the state meet. In 2009, he also placed second in the 200-meters and third in the 100-meters at the outdoor Virginia State AAA meet. Wesh, a three-time AAU All-American in the 100-meters, owns outdoor bests of 10.62 and 21.32 in the 100- and 200-meters, respectively. He is the son of Hernould and Margareth Wesh and was a four-year honor student.
“I knew that we had a very good athlete, but I didn’t know he would rise to the top of the nation,” sprints, jumps and hurdles coach Charles Foster said. “I am thrilled about that, and I think he will come in and have an immediate impact on the team.”
Kevin Dowd followed his sister Frances, currently a freshman on the women’s cross country and track and field squads at Tech, to Blacksburg from Fairfax High School in Fairfax, Va. Dowd was the 2009 Gatorade Virginia Cross Country Runner of the Year and a 2009 National Foot Locker Finalist in cross country, where he finished 18th. He also received All-South Region honors at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships, and owns a personal-record time of 14:54 in a 5,000-meter cross-country race. In track, Dowd earned first-team all-region status in the 1,600- and 3,200-meters in 2009, and holds personal bests of 4:17.36 in the 1,600-meter run and 9:23.94 in the 3,200-meter run. Dowd is the son of Kenneth and Donna Dowd.
“I think Kevin Dowd will bring us a consistently competitive performer on the track and on the cross country course,” head cross country and distance coach Ben Thomas said. “He is a very consistent racer who puts himself at the front of races. He has the potential to be a very high-level distance runner in the ACC.”
Grant Pollock hails from Richmond, Va., where he attended Mills Godwin High School. Pollock was a 2009 Virginia AAA All-State selection in cross country and a 2010 Virginia AAA Central Region Champion in track in the 1,000-meters. He placed third at the state meet in the 1,000-meters. Pollock’s personal bests include times of 2:29.37 in the 1,000-meters, 4:20.75 in the 1,600-meters and 9:30.88 in the 3,200-meters. He is coached by Jon Lauder and Frank Wagner and is the son of Chris and Claire Pollock.
“Grant has burst on to the scene this year in cross country and track,” Thomas said. “He has a big upside and I think has the range to be competitive in cross country and in the middle distances as well. He is a tough and smart racer who will contribute early.”
Yazid Zouaimia went to Centreville High School and is from Clifton, Va. Zouaimia won the 2010 Virginia State AAA Indoor Championship in the 3,200-meter run and also captured the 2010 Virginia Northern Region title in the 1,000-meters. A 2009 Virginia AAA All-State selection in cross country, he holds prep bests of 4:16.66 in the 1,600-meters and 9:15.67 in the 3,200-meters. Zouaimia is also an excellent student, garnering the 2009 Scholar Athlete Award. He is the son of Robert and Annissa McFarland.
“Yazid has shown the ability to win races from the front and coming off the pace as well,” Thomas said. “He is a courageous racer who is not afraid to push the pace. He is a former soccer player who is still very new to running, and I am excited by the talent he brings to our team.”