MOSCOW, Idaho - The University of Idaho women's track team will welcome six new faces this fall after signing one transfer and five recent high school graduates.

Co-head track coaches Yogi Teevens and Wayne Phipps are excited about the group collectively and the promise they hold for not only the future, but also the present.

"Each member of this year's recruiting class is really going to help our program," Teevens said. "Some will see big differences in the training level and should improve their marks, but some should be able to step in and compete immediately."

Letiwe Marakurwa, a native of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, transfers from Life College. She has three years of cross country and indoor track eligibility remaining and two years left in her UI outdoor career.

She was a national title contender at Life College, where she finished second in the 3,000 meters and 10th in the 5,000 meters at the 2001 NAIA Championships. It is her national and international competition that cross country coach Phipps is most pleased with.

"Letiwe already has competed at a very high level," Phipps said. "That will make it much easier for her to step right in.

"She ran for Zimbabwe at the World Junior Cross Country Championships, so she should immediately be one of the favorites for the Big West individual cross country championship. She could also compete for a title or two outdoors, depending on what she runs." The remaining five members of the 2001 recruiting class will be freshmen in the fall.

Phipps' second long distance signee is Dusty Schvaneveldt of Jerome, Idaho. Schvaneveldt was one of the top distance runners in Idaho last season despite fighting illnesses for much of her senior season. Her Jerome High School team won A1 Division 2 State titles in both cross country and track.

Schvaneveldt finished in the top six in three events at the state meet even though she battled dehydration throughout the meet. She claimed fifth-place finishes in the 800m and 3,200m, and finished sixth in the 1,600m. Schvaneveldt was the 1999 state champ in the 3,200m and was the 2000 runner-up at the same distance.

Schvaneveldt also competed in basketball, though, and Phipps thinks she has potential to do very well. He believes limiting herself to track at Idaho will improve her times greatly.

"Dusty is someone who didn't overload herself with distance in high school since she played basketball," Phipps said. "She should really develop once she gets in our program and trains on more of a 'full-time' basis."

Teevens signed two pure sprinters and a long jumper who could compete in several events. Mary Ann Graves is one of the best high school athletes in the country coming out of White Salmon, Wash., while Joanna Goodheart (Colstrip, Mont.) and Tanya Pater (Lake Stevens, Wash.) were all-state sprinters in high school. Graves won the 2001 state title in the 100m hurdles, 100m, long jump and the shot put. While Teevens feels Graves' No. 14 ranking in the long jump portends great success, it is her potential in the heptathlon that warrants the most excitement.

In her first heptathlon, Graves scored 4,687 points. That total was good for the best mark in the nation according to Track and Field News. That score would have placed Graves second at the Big West Championships as well. She long jumped 19-9 last season in high school action.

"Mary Ann should really come in and make an impact in the Big West," Teevens said. "She has a really good chance to be a national-caliber heptathlete, in addition to making an impact in the long jump."

Goodheart and Pater will be sprint specialists for the Vandals next season. Pater finished second at the 2001 Washington High School State Championships in the 200m and finished third in the 100m. Goodheart won the Montana Class A title in the 400m.

"Tanya was one of the premier sprinters in Washington last year and is the most enthusiastic student-athlete I've ever recruited," Teevens said. "Joanna will really be able to improve her times with the great facilities we have here. She has a lot of potential that hasn't been fully developed yet."

The final signee is Cathy Schmidt of Kalama High School in Kalama, Wash. She set a new state record in the discus throw (155-2) at the Washington 1A Championships in June. In addition to the discus crown, Schmidt won the javelin title (150-2) and finished third in the shot put (42-0).

"Cathy is an intense competitor," assistant coach for throws Julie Taylor said. "Her high school marks in the discus and javelin mean she will make an immediate impact in the Big West. I also see her being a very competitive hammer and weight thrower in the future."

Track and Field News ranked Schmidt eighth in the country in the javelin and 14th in the discus for high school throwers.