April 26, 2005

Memphis, Tenn. - For the third time this year, the Memphis women's track and cross country team has looked to the Northeast portion of the U.S. to find a stellar distance runner to add to next year's squad, as the U of M recently inked Nashua, N.H., native Meghan Shinkwin to a National Letter of Intent.

Shinkwin, from Bishop Guertin High School in Nashua, is a standout in the middle distance events. Her time of 2:56.34 in the indoor 1000m ranks in the top 10 nationally among high school athletes, while she currently holds seven Bishop Guertin individual records in the indoor 300m, 400m, 600m, 800m and 1000m and the outdoor 400m and 800m.

"Meghan has great ability and really good speed," said women's distance coach Jonas Holdman. "She certainly helps strengthen our middle distance group and should have a major impact next year."

In addition to the individual accomplishments, Shinkwin has led her Bishop Guertin team to five Class L State Track Championships, including indoor titles in 2002, 2003 and 2004, and outdoor crowns in 2003 and 2004. For her roles on those teams, Shinkwin was voted MVP for the 2003 and 2004 indoor seasons and the 2004 outdoor season and chosen as team captain her junior and senior years. She was also recognized as the Nashua Telegraph Athlete of the Year for the 2004 outdoor season and the Lowell Sun Athlete of the Year for both the 2003 outdoor season and the 2004 indoor season.

Shinkwin, the daughter of William and Robbin Shinkwin, is the third member of the 2005 signing class for the cross country and distance squad, with all three residing in the Northeast. The two previous signees were, fellow New Hampshire native, Carolyn Corbett from Concord and Emily Malinowski from Slingerlands, N.Y.