Men's Track and Field Announces Incoming Recruiting Class

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - With summer coming to a close and the fall fast approaching, the Eastern Michigan University men's cross country and track and field teams are preparing to resume action in the coming months. Before that happens, the incoming class of freshmen are set to be announced by the coaching staff, today, July 26.

"I am very pleased to welcome and announce our incoming class," stated head coach John Goodridge. "It is a balanced class with exciting credentials and potential."

Leighton Antonio (Hudson, Ohio - Hudson) joins the Eagles following two seasons at Youngstown State, where he primarily ran sprints. Antonio was a regional qualifier in the 100m, in addition to a member of the Horizon League Championship team in 2016. While at the conference championships, he finished second in both the 100m and 200m, while also anchoring the 4x100 and 4x400m relay teams. Before heading to Youngstown State, he was a four-year letterwinner and two-time team captain at Hudson High School. There, he set school records in the 200m (21.57), 400m (48.75), and 4x400m (3:20.17). Antonio was named All-Ohio in 2012 after taking home the 400m state title.

"At his previous institution, Leighton had a tremendous year last year, qualifying for the NCAA First Round," exclaimed assistant coach Sterling Roberts. "We're looking forward to working his talent in with the rest of our sprinters."

Sean Beckom (Saginaw, Mich. - Heritage) comes to Ypsilanti following a successful Michigan high school career at Heritage High School, where he was a three-time team captain. There, he posted senior-year marks of 10.80 seconds in the 100m and 22.33 seconds in the 200m dash. Beckom, who holds the Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy record in the 100m dash, also took second at the Indoor State Championships as a junior. He also managed to win the USA Track & Field Region Five title in the 100m, after which he placed 28th in the nation at USATF Nationals. Additionally, Beckom was named Saginaw Valley League MVP after finishing first in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m. In total, he ended his high school career with a total of five all-state honors.

"Sean had a great senior year, finishing third at the Michigan State Meet and at the Midwest Meet of Champions," stated Roberts. "He is a great addition to our sprints group."

Nik Curtiss (Lancaster, Ohio - Lancaster) will look to build upon his successful high school career at Lancaster High School in Ohio after setting the Ohio indoor shot put record with a mark of 64 feet 9-inches. Curtiss also holds the school record in both the weight throw and the hammer throw with launches of 75 feet 4-inches and 202 feet 7-inches, respectively. The incoming freshman amassed an impressive award total, including being named to the Ohio All-Star team. A seven-time All-Ohio honoree, Curtiss was a four-time District Champion, which also led to four All-District nominations. Finally, he earned two conference championships, and was the Ohio Division I State Champion.

"Nik is a highly talented athlete that put together quite an amazing senior year," remarked assistant coach Steve Manz. "He finished his high school career as a two-time state champion in the shot put with a best of 66 feet 7.25-inches, ranking him sixth among graduating seniors. He is also an accomplished weight and hammer thrower with bests of 75 feet 4.75-inches and 201 feet 10-inches, which rank fourth and eighth among 2016 seniors. He will be able to contribute very quickly at the conference level with great potential to become a national-level athlete in the near future."

Colin Etchen (Edgerton, Ohio - Edgerton) comes to Ypsilanti following his Indiana high school career at Edgerton High School, where he holds the school pole vault record with a mark of 15 feet 6-inches. As a Bulldog, Etchen was named the conference, district, regional, and state champion in pole vault. Not only was he successful athletically, but he was also a solid student in the classroom, earning All-Ohio Athletic Honor Roll honors.

"Colin comes in to Eastern Michigan ready to make a splash in the pole vault right away," stated Manz. "He is a very motivated individual with big goals. He has the potential to hit 16 feet as a freshman, which would go a long way towards contributing to the team point total."

Devonte Findlay (Lauderhill, Fla. - Blanche Ely) will don the Green and White after earning three letters at Blanche Ely High School in Florida, primarily participating in the hurdles. As a senior, Findlay notched times of 14.32 seconds in the 110m hurdles and 38.63 seconds in the 300m hurdles, in addition to helping his team to a school record in the 4x400m relay after clocking in at 3:15.00. He earned First Team All-Broward honors in the 300m hurdles after being named honorable mention in 2014. Findlay was also the district champion in the 300m hurdles and the regional 300m hurdles champion in 2014, while also taking third in 2016.

"Devonte had great success in both the high and the intermediate hurdles, so we expect him to be a double threat this year," explained Roberts.

Jacob Hausch (Bryan, Ohio - Bryan), formerly of Bryan High School in Ohio, will join the Eagles after posting a personal-record time of 49.40 seconds in the 400m as a senior. Hausch helped his team to school records in three relay events with times of 43.29 seconds in the 4x100, 1:34.15 in the 4x200, and 3:24.15 in the 4x400, while also being named the Bryan Times All-Area Track Runner. He also took eighth at the Division II State Championships and third at the Dayton Regional in the 4x100m. As a junior, he earned second team all-league honors while also placing sixth at the Dayton Regional.

"Jake is another long-sprinter that really came on strong to finish his senior year, and will be another one to watch as we work him in with this very talented group," stated Roberts.

Chaz Jeffress (Canton, Mich. - Salem), a Michigan native, will join the Eagles after his high school career at Salem High School. There, he was an eight-time letterwinner and two-time team captain. As a senior, he posted times of 1:55 in the 800m, 4:14 in the 1600m, and 9:08 in the 3200m. Additionally, Jeffress set school records in the 1600m, 3200m, and the 5000m.

"Chaz is a promising distance runner coached by EMU alumnus Steve Aspinall," explained Goodridge. "He had a breakout senior year, and has a bright future."

Hailing from Dayton, Ohio, Tyler Johnson (Dayton, Ohio - Stivers School for the Arts) comes to EMU as a top sprinter out of Stivers-Arts High School. His senior year featured times of 10.60 seconds in the 100m, 21.50 seconds in the 200m, and 46.10 seconds in the 400m. He was named a double champion at the 2015 USATF Youth National Championships in the 200 and 400 with times of 21.45 and 46.80, respectively. At the 2015 Ohio Division II State Championships, he took fifth in the 100m, was the runner-up in the 200m, and the state champion in the 400m. In 2015, he took home the state title in the 400m at both the indoor and outdoor championships. In total, Johnson is a three-time MVP and six-time conference and state champion.

Roberts explained that "Tyler was an early commit from back in the fall, and has only continued to improve as one of the nation's top sprinters. He will certainly make an immediate impact on the program."

Dan Kuhn (Erie, Pa. - Harbor Creek) will head west from Pennsylvania to Eastern after earning four letters at Harbor Creek High School, in addition to being named a three-time team captain. Kuhn was the District 10 Champion in the 800m as senior, while also earning first team all-region honors in the 400m, 800m, and 4x800m. At the state championships, he was named all-state in the 4x800m and 800m after placing fourth and sixth, respectively. In total, Kuhn holds school records in three events (400m-(50.13), 800m-(1:55.16), and 4x800m-(7:58.89)). At the District 10 Championships in 2014, he finished runner-up in the 4x800m, after which he also finished second in the 800m in 2015.

"Dan has been a very competitive three-sport athlete in high school competing in soccer, wrestling and track and field," stated Goodridge. "He is eager to become a full-time track athlete, and I am excited to help develop him."

The Eagles will also welcome Drew Lament (Lakeview, Ohio - Waynesfield-Goshen) to the squad next season, where he will participate in multiple-events. Lament, who competed at Waynesfield-Goshen High School in Ohio, won the OATCCC Indoor State High Jump title, while also being named NWCC First Team as a senior. Additionally, he capped off his final high school season as a state and regional qualifier. He currently holds personal-best marks of 6 feet 7-inches in the high jump, 13 feet 7-inches in the pole vault, 15.11 seconds in the 110m hurdles, 45 feet 2-inches in the shot put, and 145 feet 5-inches in the discus. Lament was named NWCC League MVP three times, while also nabbing First Team NWCC honors all four years of high school. The six-time All-Ohio honoree, who was also named Academic All-Ohio, won the conference championship in the pole vault, high jump, 110m hurdles, 300m hurdles, and discus.

"Drew is a decathlete with very strong field event PR's," explained Manz. "While he struggled through injury in his senior year, Drew has the ability to make an impact in the MAC immediately once his track event training is up to par with his field events."

Trevor Marcus (Dublin, Ohio - Dublin Jerome) comes to Ypsilanti after earning four letters at Dublin Jerome High School in Ohio, the former high school of current team member Alex Jacobs. There, he was named Sprints MVP, while also being named All-Ohio. Marcus holds career-best marks of 22.21 in the 200m and 49.38 seconds in the 400m. At Dublin Jerome, Marcus also played soccer.

"Trevor really developed during his senior year," explained Roberts. "He will be training with a tremendous sprints group, and we really expect to see that development continue throughout his freshman year here at Eastern."

Travis McCuaig (Big Rapids, Mich. - Morley Stanwood) comes to EMU from Wingate University, where he competed in multiple events. Specifically, McCuaig took part in the 60m hurdles, 110m hurdles, high jump, long jump, and triple jump. Before Wingate, he was a four-year letterwinner at Morley Stanwood High School in Michigan, notching an impressive senior season in the high jump. McCuaig capped his high school career with a senior season best jump of 6 feet 9-inches, while he also owns Morley Stanwood's school record with a mark of 6 feet 11-inches. The incoming freshman was an all-state honoree and seven-time all-conference honoree, in addition to a two-time state champion in the high jump.

"Travis is an amazing high jumper, and already has collegiate experience in the event, which will be a huge asset to our jumps group," exclaimed Roberts.

Coming from Novelty, Ohio, Dakota Medley (Novelty, Ohio - West Geauga) had a solid senior season at West Geauga High School, where he was a six-time letterwinner. As a senior, Medley posted a time of 1:59.24 in the 800m, and anchored the 4x400m relay, with his split coming in at 49.80 seconds. In 2016, he was named second team all-conference in the 800m, in addition to winning the district title in the 800m. While at West Geauga, he also participated in football and basketball.

"From day one, Dakota has been very excited about our history and consistency in developing athletes," said Goodridge. "I look forward to becoming his coach."

Drew Pickus (Solon, Ohio - Solon) comes to the Eagles following his high school career at Solon High School in Solon, Ohio. There, Pickus helped his team to an undefeated season in dual meets and wrapped up his senior year with a personal-best pole vault mark of 14 feet 2-inches. At Solon, he owns the second and fifth-best pole vault marks in school history. Pickus was named to the All-Ohio First Division Team, in addition to winning the Northern Ohio Conference in the pole vault.

"Drew will add depth to our pole vault group and could be a conference-level competitor with collegiate training and bigger poles," stated Manz.

Jannik Schmitt (Plymouth, Mich. - Salem) will stay in the state of Michigan and compete for the Eagles following his prep career at Salem High School. Schmitt finished his senior season with marks of 59 feet 7-inches in the shot put, which was a school record, and 154 feet 7-inches in the discus. As a senior, he was crowned the indoor weight throw state champion while also being named all-state for the shot put in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. He also capped off his high school career with a KLAA Conference Championship and regional championship in the shot put. During his high school career, Schmitt was coached by two EMU alumni, Jim Cabrill and Eric Shepard.

"Jannik showed in his senior year that he is capable of being successful at the college level," remarked Manz. "His shot put PR improved by over 10-feet as he came within inches of the 60-foot milestone. He is a raw talent that could blossom very quickly with collegiate training."

Ivan Suazo (Columbus, Ohio - Westland) comes to Eastern from Westland High School in Ohio, where he finished first at the indoor state championships and fifth at the outdoor state championships. He also set school-records in the long jump and the 110m hurdles with marks of 21 feet 9-inches and 14.43 seconds, respectively. Suazo was a three-time First Team All-OCC honoree throughout his high school career.

"Ivan has so much untapped potential!" remarked Roberts. "We're really excited to work him in with the rest of our hurdlers and to watch him more fully develop his talents."

Hailing from Pinckney High School, Austin Wicker (Pinckney, Mich. - Pinckney) joins the Eagles as an accomplished distance runner from Michigan. As a senior, Wicker posted a season-best time of 15:40, in addition to a career-best mark of 9:13 in the 3200m. During the cross country season, he earned all-state honors and was a Mid-East Championships cross country qualifier. Additionally, Wicker was named a Footlocker Regional Qualifier and nabbed all-conference honors in three consecutive seasons. As a track runner, he was named all-state in the 3200m while also earning the 3200m conference title. In total, Wicker was a three-year state championships qualifier.

"Austin Wicker becomes the fourth Wicker to join the EMU program, which certainly adds to our great tradition," explained Goodridge. "He too has a lot of potential."

Rounding out the Eagles' class is Roderic Wilson (Atlanta, Ga. - Blanche Ely), formerly of Blanche Ely High School down in Florida. Wilson comes to Ypsilanti as the 800m runner-up at the county, district, and regional championships. His current personal-best 800m time stands at 1:55. He also took fifth in the 800m at the state championships. Wilson set school records in the 600m, 800m, and 4x800m relay, while also earning Second Team All-Broward County honors.

"Roderic shows great promise in the middle distances, and we've been really impressed with his competitiveness," said Roberts.