Orangeburg, SC— Monique Gracia (pronounced Gra-c-a) and Quaneshia Cleckley have signed National Letters of Intent to run track for the SC State Lady Bulldogs for the upcoming season.
Gracia, who hails from Robert Morgan High School in Miami, Florida, ran track for Miami Southridge High School because Morgan High School does not have a track program. She was the 2007 and 2008 Florida 4A State Champion in the 100-meter hurdles. Gracia has a personal best of 13.71 in the event and is currently ranked seventh overall and fifth among seniors in the country.
Cleckley comes to SC State after running for Bevill State Community College in Fayette, AL during the 2006-07 season and running this season at Central Arizona Community College in Coolidge, AZ. She ran her high school track at Therrell High School in Atlanta, GA where she was the 2003, 2004 and 2006 Georgia State Champion in the 100-meter hurdles. As a high school senior in 2006, Cleckley ran her personal best of 13.86 in the 100-meter hurdles which ranked her ninth in the nation. In that same year she was a part of the State Champion 4x100-meter relay team which was ranked seventh in the nation and the State Champion 4x400-meter relay team which was ranked 14th in the nation. At Bevill State, Cleckley was a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Indoor All-American finishing second in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 8.77. In those same championships she finished ninth in the long jump. She is currently ranked fifth in the nation in the 100 meter hurdles.
“Cleckley and Gracia are both great additions to an already strong group of female hurdlers currently on the team,” said hurdler coach Donald Cooper. “Both of these young ladies have run times that would qualify them for the MEAC Outdoor Championships as well as the East Regional. The each have a lot of growth potential and it will be exciting to work with.” Cooper continued “Gracia and Cleckley paired alongside senior Renee McWilliams and junior Tempest Vance, the female hurdlers will truly be recognized in the conference and possibly the region.”
“I am extremely proud of our recruiting efforts thus far on the women’s side and we are looking to make even bigger strides in the weeks to come,” said head coach Tyree Price. “We are elated with the progress we have made and my staff is to be commended for all of their efforts.” Price continued, “Our program is getting stronger and we are continually bringing in the talent to help move us to the next level. We are keeping our eyes on the prize and are reaching for nothing but the best.”
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