Wednesday night Miami University shared its future athletic stars with the media and the Oxford community, as an event at the Walter L. Gross Jr. Family Student-Athlete Development Center unveiled the recruits for football, field hockey, soccer and women's track and field.

Miami football Head Coach Shane Montgomery headlined the event with the announcement of a recruiting class containing 18 future RedHawks. Montgomery talked about the importance of having solid recruits this year.

"We are very pleased with the group of offensive players our staff was able to attract," Montgomery said. "We've definitely bolstered our passing game and our running attack."

The majority of Miami's football recruits, 11 of the 18, play on the offensive side of the ball. Among them is quarterback Zac Dysert from Ada, Ohio. Dysert ranks second all-time in Ohio prep football's passing yardage list with 11,174 yards. He was named Ohio's prep football player of the year in 2007.

"Zac Dysert will be a perfect fit for our offense," Montgomery said. "We feel like the last two years we have signed the top quarterback in the state of Ohio. It was Clay Belton last year, Zac Dysert this year."

Other schools competing for Dysert included the University of Cincinnati, Florida State University, Purdue University and Kansas University.

Miami's other major offensive recruit is center Nick Kemper from Winter Park, Fla. Kemper was a four-year letter winner in high school and was selected to play in the state's North-South All-Star Game. ESPN.com ranks Kemper among the top 20 high school centers in the nation.

"The thing that excites me about Nick is that he is a true center," Montgomery said. "That's a position that we have been filling in with one-year guys. I think he's a guy that can come in and solidify the position for the next few years."

The RedHawks will also add six defensive players to next year's team. Mike Johns, a defensive tackle from Oak Forest, Ill., is expected to add depth to a Miami defense that will return nine starters from last season. Johns, who helped lead his high school to a 21-5 record over the last two seasons, was named first-team all-state by both The Chicago Tribune and The Chicago Sun-Times. In 2007, he recorded 15 quarterback sacks.

"(Johns) is a young man from Chicago that got overlooked this year," Montgomery said. "He's going to be a great defensive tackle for us."

Also announcing a recruiting class was women's soccer Head Coach Bobby Kramig. The class is made up of five signees. Kramig stressed the importance of improving the team's offensive with this year's recruits.

"We needed to get better offensively," Kramig said. "We needed a central goal scorer. Beyond that it was just strengthening ourselves up down the middle of the field."

Three of the five soccer recruits are from outside of the United States. A key recruit is midfielder Alexandra Karlsson from Malmo, Sweden. She won a Swedish National Championship in 2001 while playing with an indoor soccer club.

"(Karlsson) is an absolutely, tremendously talented player," Kramig said. "She has a great engine and is very skillful. She is a fine, fine soccer player."

The other international recruits, forwards Courtney Clarke and Krysti Clarke, both hail from Scarborough, Canada. Despite being from the same city and having the same last name, the two are not related and have never met.

Possibly the team's top recruit is goalkeeper Jamie Forbes from St. Charles, Ill. She was a member of the top ranked girl's club soccer team in the nation, earning two championships. She was being recruited by several big name programs, but Miami was able to win the battle for her services.

"Jamie Forbes is a big time player," Kramig said. "She was recruited by Florida State and UCLA among others and we are thrilled that she has chosen Miami. She combines great technique with strong leadership qualities."

Head coach of women's cross country and track and field Richard Ceronie was also on hand to announce his recruiting class. He accumulated six total recruits, and he was most excited about the two throwers he will have available next year.

"I think the two that will have the best adaptation are the throwers," Ceronie said. "One's ninth in the country, one's 17th in the country. Those two are going to fill an area that right now is not strong for our team."

The throwers are Alexandra Roberts from Hilliard, Ohio, and Samantha Gable, from Greenfield, Ind.

Roberts is ranked ninth nationally on the national outdoor high school performance list for shot put. She won the state championship in shot put as a junior and was runnerup as a sophomore.

"(Roberts) is a fantastic thrower," Ceronie said. "She came up with the best throw of her life in the state championship. She is a great competitor in the biggest meets, which is what we love about her."

Gable is the 17th ranked high school athlete in the outdoor shot put. She was a second-team All-Indiana selection. She earned the Celebrate Excellence Award four times and the Academic Achievement Award three times.

"(Gable) competes best in the state championship," Ceronie said. "We always look for kids who turn it up in the state championship."

The announcement of the recruits for field hockey was done by head coach Jill Reeve. She seemed very satisfied with the quality of the signees.

"I think the class that's coming in is probably one of our most talented classes," Reeve said. "They're exactly what I was looking for."

Among Miami's future field hockey players is forward Jackie Nguyen from San Diego, Cal. She led her high school in scoring in 2007 with 33 goals. She was named the Sierra Tournament MVP in 2007.

"(Nguyen) is probably our fastest player coming in," Reeve said. "She's a real threat around the goal. We're looking for her to contribute around the front field."

All the recruits will be looked on to lead the RedHawks beginning in 2008-09 and beyond.