EKU Signs 3 (KY's Zach Stewart, CA's Luis Luna, and MD's Meggan Grams)

RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University cross country / track and field program inked three student-athletes during the early signing period, head coach Rick Erdmann announced on Monday. The three signees are Luis Luna, Zach Stewart and Meggan Grams.

“We’re very excited to welcome Luis, Zach and Meggan to EKU,” Erdmann said. “Hopefully they’ll have a positive experience here and contribute to the success of the Colonel cross country and track and field program.”

Luna is a transfer who spent the past two years in Rick Anderson’s very successful program at American River College in Sacramento, California. He was the 2013 California Community College Athletics Association cross country champion, but he did not compete in track or cross country in 2014.

As a senior at Piner High School in Santa Rosa, California, Luna was named the Empire League Athlete of the Year after he finished fifth in the California State Cross Country Championships and fifth in the two-mile run at the California State Track Championships.

He also placed seventh at the 2011 Foot Locker West Regional, 30th at the Foot Locker National Championships and sixth in the two-mile at the 2012 Brooks PR Invitational. Luna’s high school bests include: 4:12.17 for the mile, 8:55.43 for the two-mile and 9:07.83 for the indoor two-mile.

Stewart is another distance runner out of Cooper High School in Union, Kentucky. He finished fourth in the two-mile at the 2014 AAA Kentucky State Track Championships and 6th in the 2014 AAA Kentucky State Cross Country Championships.

Stewart also finished fifth at the 2014 Great American Cross Country Festival, defeating a number of the best runners from the southeast. His high school bests include: 4:31.67 for the mile, 9:29.90 for the two-mile and 15:30.24 for the 5,000 meters.

Luna and Stewart will be joining an EKU men’s cross country team that has won nine consecutive Ohio Valley Conference titles and qualified for the NCAA Championships each of the last four seasons.

Grams is a distance athlete from Boonsboro High School in Hagerstown, Maryland. She won the 2013 AA Maryland State Cross Country Championships and the mile and two-mile at the 2014 AA Maryland State Track Championships.

Grams also finished 10th at the 2013 Nike Cross Country Southeast Regional. Her current high school bests include: 2:16.91 for the 800 meters, 4:56.94 for the mile, 10:55.95 for the two-mile and 18:07.90 for the 5,000 meters.

 

Grams will be joining an EKU women’s cross country team that has won eight of the last nine OVC championships and finished seventh at the NCAA Southeast Regional this fall.