PEORIA, Ill. - The Bradley women's cross country and track & field programs added depth and quality for the 2010-11 season Wednesday, receiving National Letters of Intent from four area runners. The 2010-11 recruiting class features all-conference performers, conference champions and state qualifiers in both cross country and track & field.

Kayla Austin has earned four varsity letters in cross country and three in track & field at Limestone (Ill.) Community High School. She was a four-time second-team all-conference cross country selection and helped the Rockets qualify for the IHSA State Cross Country Meet. On the track, Austin qualified for state competition as a member of the 4x800-meter relay team.

A three-year cross country and track & field team captain, Sarah Higgins has earned four varsity letters in cross country and three in track & field at Bradley-Bourbonnais (Ill.) Community High School. Higgins was a two-time all-conference performer in both cross country and track and holds the school record for the 1,600-meter run. She has qualified for IHSA state competition four times, including two times in cross country and two in track & field.

East Peoria (Ill.) Community High School standout Cassie Lohmeier will stay close to home to continue her running career. A three-sport star for the Raiders, Lohmeier has earned 10 total varsity letters (4 cross country, 4 track & field, 2 basketball). She helped the Raiders to four cross country conference championships, four regional titles, three sectional championships and three third-place finishes at IHSA state meets. Lohmeier received all-conference cross country honors three times and was a two-time all-conference track performer.

Emily Wolbers is a six-time varsity letterwinner at Moline (Ill.) High School, including three in cross country and three in track & field. On the cross country course, Wolbers received all-conference honors three times and qualified for the IHSA State Meet as a senior. A two-time all-conference track selection, Wolbers has qualified for state in both the 800-meter and 4x800-meter relay.

"This class fits every immediate need of our program," said head coach David Beauchem. "We are very confident in their ability to come into our program and succeed from day one and we look forward to the experiences they will share as part of our program."