SAN ANTONIO — UTSA Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Aaron Fox announced Monday that Natasha Purchas, the No. 3-ranked U20 pole vaulter in the United Kingdom, has signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Roadrunners beginning with the 2019-20 season.
Purchas won the pole vault with a clearance of 3.90 meters (12-9 1/2) at both the 2018 New Balance English Schools' Championships and the 2018 South of England Athletic Association U20 Championships. She also topped 3.80m (12-5 1/2) to win the United Kingdom Youth Development U20 League Division South 1A title and cleared 3.75m (12-3 1/2) to claim top honors at the Sussex County Championships. A member of the Crawley Athletic Club, she also has won the pole vault at six other meets in 2018.
"We're thrilled to be able to add Natasha Purchas to the Roadrunner Family," Fox said. "She's one of the top pole vaulters in the U.K. and she's already experienced a large amount of success in her career. We expect her to have an immediate impact on our program."
Purchas won a combined 25 pole vault events in 2016 and 2017, including the South of England Athletic Association U17 Championships each year. One of her country's top pole vaulters since she was 12, she also claimed that meet's U15 crown in 2015 to go along with a win at the Jim Day Memorial Open.
Purchas is the fourth announced member of UTSA's 2019 signing class, joining Zoie Reyna and men's signees Oquendo Bernard and Jack Turner.
