Beavers sign two, add transfers and assistant

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon State track & field program has signed sprinters/jumpers Danelle Woodcock and Alissa Melvin to national letters of intent for the 2017-18 season, coach Kelly Sullivan announced Tuesday.

Woodcock, from Barlow High School in Gresham, is a sophomore at Mt. Hood Community College. Melvin is a senior at St. David High School in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

"We are thrilled to add two outstanding student-athletes to our program," OSU coach Kelly Sullivan said. "Their athletic credentials are impressive and they both are high-character, quality individuals who are a perfect fit for our growing program.

"We eagerly await their arrival next fall and we are certain they will be of immediate help and bolster our sprinting, hurdling and jumping events."

Woodcock was named the Outstanding Athlete of the Meet at the Northwest Athletic Conference championships in 2016 after she won the 100 meters (12.23), the 200 meters (24.88) and the long jump (18-5.75) as a freshman at MHCC. Her PRs were 12.00 in the 100, 24.88 in the 200 and 19-1.25 in the long jump.

As a senior at Barlow, she took first place in the 100 (12.01), 200 (25.08) and 400 relay (46.72), and was third in the long jump (17-8.50) at the 2015 6A state championships. She was named the Oregonian/OregonLive's high school girls track and field athlete of the year after she scored 28.5 points to lead Barlow to its fitrst state title since 1982.

As a junior, she placed first in the long jump (19-0), second in the triple jump (37-8.5) and fourth in the 100 (12.14) at the 2014 6A state meet. Barlow also won the 400 relay (47.44). Her high school PRs were 11.98 in the 100; 25.08 in the 200; 19-0.25 in the long jump and 37-8.50 in tyhe triple jump.

Melvin has PRs of 14.13 in the 100 hurdles, 18-2 in the long jump and 39-2 in the triple jump, an event she just recently took up, set at various provincial meets this past spring.

Former Cottage Grove High School track standout Destiny Dawson will join the program for the 2017 season after transferring from University of Hawaii. A javelin specialist, she will have three seasons of indoor eligibility and two of outdoor eligibility. She is a civil engineering major.

Dawson placed fourth in the javelin at the 2016 Big West Conference championships with an all-time best throw of 146-8. That mark would be a school record at OSU; rising junior McKenzie Byrd set the existing standard of 144-3 while placing fifth at the 2016 Pacific-12 Conference meet.

Dawson improved her PR by more than 17 feet her sophomore season. She placed fifth at the 2015 Big West Conference championships as a freshman with a throw of 129-0, a PR at that time.

A 2014 graduate of Cottage Grove High School, Dawson lettered three times in track, basketball and soccer, and once in softball. She placed fifth at the 4A state meet in the javelin and earned CGHS's Scholar-Athlete Award as a senior in 2014. She also placed seventh in the javelin at the 2013 4A state meet as a junior, and helped the Lions win a Sky-Em Conference basketball championship as a senior.

Madelayne Varela has also joined the program as a fifth-year transfer from Oregon, where she competed in the long jump and triple jump. Her long jump PRs are 18-7.75 outdoors and 19-3.50 indoors. She also competed in the triple jump, with a PR of 38-8.25.

A graduate of Kentwood High School in Kent, Wash., Varela took second in the state in 2012 in the long jump (19-0.25) and fourth in the 100m (12.03). She was third in the 100m (12.07), fifth in the 200m and anchored first-place 400 and 800m relay teams at the state meet as a junior, leading Kentwood to the state championship. Her high school PRs were 100m (12.03); 200m (24.93); long jump (19-0.25).

Also, South Dakota native Adam Dunn joined the program in Nov., 2016, as the pole vault coach. He had worked at Wisconsin-Whitewater the past five seasons.

A graduate of the University of South Dakota, Dunn competed at St. Cloud State (Minn.) for two seasons before transferring to USD. He was coached by Lucky Huber, the coach of Olympic pole vaulter Derek Miles, while at USD.

Dunn assisted with coaching the pole vault at Rapid City (S.D.) Central High School before working at Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he coached with current OSU assistant Eric Schueffner.

Dunn graduated from USD in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in Alcohol & Drug Abuse Studies. He has provided counseling and prevention services to all age groups while in South Dakota. Dunn completed his Masters of Science in Education degree from University of Wisconsin La Crosse in 2015 prior to moving to Oregon.

He and his wife Emily have two young boys, and live in Eugene.

For more information on the Oregon State track and field program, follow the Beavers on Facebook at Facebook.com/OSUTrackCrossCountry, or on Twitter at twitter.com/@BeaverTFXC

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Players Mentioned

McKenzie Byrd

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