EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana men's and women's cross country/track and field Head Coach Mike Hillyard announced Wednesday that freshman Austin Viano has signed a national letter of intent to compete for the Screaming Eagles in 2010-11.

Viano graduated from Carlinville High School where he earned eight varsity letters in cross country and track.

A two-time runner of the year according to the Alton Telegraph, Viano was the Springfield Journal Register Runner of the Year in 2009 after finishing ninth at the IHSA Class 1A State Cross Country Championships. His performance helped lead CHS to a third-place finish at the state meet.

In 2008, Viano helped lead CHS to a second-place finish at the IHSA Class 1A State Track & Field Championships.

A member of four conference championship teams and two sectional championship squads in cross country, Viano was a member of the National Honor Society and the Honor Roll at CHS. He earned the Citizenship Award in 2008 and participated in Model U.N. during his prep career.

“Austin is a great fit for our program,” Hillyard said. “He comes from a strong, supportive family and an excellent high school program. His individual goals parallel the goals that we have set forth for our program during the next four years and I believe that Austin will be a big part of our progress toward achieving those goals.

Viano is the fourth student-athlete to sign a national letter of intent to compete on USI's men's cross country/track and field teams in 2010-11. He joins fellow freshmen Jacob McIntyre, Seth O'Laughlin, and Clayton Willis on USI's list of newcomers.