Incoming Men's Recruit Class Announced by Sullivan
7/19/2022 2:45:00 PM | Men's Track & Field
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan director of track and field / cross country Kevin Sullivan announced Tuesday (July 19) the full contingent of 19 men who will be joining the Wolverines for the upcoming 2022-23 school year.
Joining the Michigan roster starting this August is graduate transfer Arjun Jha (Indiana) and incoming first-year collegians Peter Baracco, Nikolas Butler-Simpson, Benny Diaz, Riley Flemington, Zane Forist, Ian Hill, Caleb Jarema, Jack Kelke, Myles Liss-Riordan, Kyler McNatt, Cade Moran, Andrew Sesti, Cole Sheldon, Jake Steslicki, Luke Stowasser, Luke Venhuizen, Jake Wall and Adam Wright.
"I'm extremely excited about the class that will be joining us this fall," Sullivan said. "We have some outstanding men and women who are going to become valuable members of our program right away. We have some national champions and people who have posted outstanding marks who are joining the program, but I think even more exciting is the fact that it is across the board in all event areas. We have some great distance runners coming in, some great throwers coming, some great sprinters coming in, and some great jumpers coming in. It really goes to enhance this idea of Michigan track and field being a balanced and inclusive program."
The balanced and talented group hails from as near as neighboring Dexter and Pinckney -- among its 11 decorated Michigan high school graduates -- and as wide as Massachusetts on the East Coast and California on the West Coast.
More information about each of the newcomers can be found below. Personal best performances and additional information can be found by clicking through to each student-athlete's bio page.
Peter Baracco
Distance | Farmington, Mich. | Farmington HS
Two-time top-10 finisher (outdoor two mile, indoor 5,000 meters) at New Balance Nationals on the track ... Two-time medalist in the 3,200 meters at the MHSAA Division 1 State Finals outdoors ... Finished 14th overall at the Eastbay Cross Country Nationals ... Two-time fourth-place finisher at the MHSAA Division 1 State Finals in cross country
Nikolas Butler-Simpson
Sprints | District Heights, Md. | Bishop McNamara HS
Finished sixth place for 400 meters at the 2022 adidas Outdoor Nationals, to go along with 3rd-place finishes in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays and a 4th-place finish in the Swedish Relay ... Took seventh for 400 meters at the 2022 New Balance Nationals indoors
Benny Diaz
Sprints/Hurdles | Saugatuck, Mich. | Saugatuck HS
2022 "Mr. Track and Field" award winner for the state of Michigan ... Fourth at 2022 Brooks PR Invitational (110-meter hurdles) and third at 2022 New Balance Nationals Indoors (60-meter hurdles) ... Five-time MHSAA Division 3 state champion, with two titles each in the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles ... Fourth-fastest high school 60-meter hurdler in the country, and the ninth-fastest U20 athlete in the world ... No. 11 high school 110-meter hurdler in 2022
Riley Flemington
Distance | Oakville, Ontario, Canada | Appleby HS
2022 Canadian U20 runner-up at 800 meters and fourth at 1,500 meters to qualify for the World U20 Championships ... Swept OFSAA titles at 800 and 1,500 meters in 2022 ... 2021 Ontario U20 champion at 1,500 meters ... Ninth-fastest U20 800m runner and 12th-fastest U20 1,500m runner in Canadian history.
Zane Forist
Throws | Carson City, Mich. | Carson City-Crystal HS
2022 Gatorade Track & Field Player of the Year for Michigan ... Four-time national champion (2022 Nike Outdoor Nationals shot put, 2021 Nike Outdoor Nationals in shot put and discus, 2021 adidas Indoor Nationals in weight throw) ... Four-time MHSAA Division 4 state champion between shot put and discus, with an additional three MITS indoor titles ... Ranked top-10 nationally among high schoolers in outdoor shot put (No. 4), indoor weight throw (No. 4), indoor shot put (No. 5) and discus (No. 9) ... Michigan high school state record holder for indoor shot put and weight throw.
Ian Hill
Distance | Spring Lake, Mich. | Spring Lake HS
Ran legs of three top-10 relay teams at the 2022 Nike Outdoor Nationals, including third-place sprint medley and 4x400 teams ... Finished 21st in the mile at 2022 Nike Outdoor Nationals ... Won 2022 MHSAA Division 2 State Finals title at 1,600 meters after taking third in 2021 ... Finished eighth at 2020 MHSAA Division 2 State Finals in cross country
Caleb Jarema
Distance | Pinckney, Mich. | Pinckney Community HS
Finished ninth at 2022 New Balance Nationals Indoors in the two mile among four top-25 national finishes on the track ... Won 2022 MHSAA Division 2 State Finals title at 3,200 meters and finished runner-up at 1,600 meters ...Finished 32nd at Eastbay Cross Country Nationals in 2021 after winning the MHSAA Division 2 state title in 2021 and finishing runner-up in 2020
Arjun Jha
Distance | Worthington, Ohio | Thomas Worthington HS | Indiana
Joins Michigan from Indiana with one remaining cross country season, two indoor seasons and three outdoor seasons ... Distance medley relay All-American ... Five-time Big Ten Championships scorer on the track ... Two-time top-100 NCAA Cross Country Championships finisher ... Three-time All-Big Ten honoree in cross country
Jack Kelke
Distance | Washington, Mich. | Romeo HS
Finished ninth over 3,200 meters at the 2022 MHSAA Division 1 State Finals ... Two-time top-10 finisher at the MHSAA Division 1 State Finals, finishing 10th overall in both 2021 and 2020 ... Finished fourth at the 2021 Michigan Meet of Champions and 10th at the Mideast Meet of Champions.
Myles Liss-Riordan
Distance | Brookline, Mass. | Dexter Southfield HS
Ran an 8:20.92 for 3,000 meters indoors in 2022, which converts to an 8:57.84 -- a time that would rank him top-10 nationally among high schoolers outdoors in 2022 ... Finished 11th over 3,200 meters at the 2022 RunningLane Track Championships
Kyler McNatt
Distance | Needham Heights, Mass. | Needham HS
Finished fifth at the 2022 New Balance Nationals Indoor (5,000 meters), and finished 30th at the 2019 New Balance Nationals Outdoors (two miles) ... Finished sixth over two miles at the 2022 MIAA All-State Championships outdoors and runner-up indoors ... 2021 MIAA State Championships runner-up in cross country
Cade Moran
Throws | Murrieta, Calif. | Murrieta Mesa HS
Runner-up in the shot put at the 2022 USATF U20 Championships, earning a spot on Team USA for the World U20 Championships ... Five-time top-10 finisher in throws events at high school national championships, including a runner-up finish at Nike Outdoor Nationals 2021 in the shot put ... Two-time California champion in the shot put and two-time medalist in the discus ... Top-10 nationally in the discus (No. 3), outdoor shot put (No. 7) and indoor shot put (No. 9)
Andrew Sesti
Distance | Clarkston, Mich. | Clarkston HS
Finished ninth over 3,200 meters at the 2021 MHSAA Division 1 State Finals ... Finished 16th at the 2020 MHSAA Division 1 State Finals... Finished fifth at the 2019 MITCA Mideast Qualifier
Cole Sheldon
Sprints/Jumps | Dexter, Mich. | Dexter HS
Won the 2021 MHSAA Division 1 State Finals title in the pole vault, and went on to finish 11th place at the Nike Outdoor Nationals ... Finished runner-up at the 2022 Midwest Meet of Champions in the pole vault after finishing third at the MHSAA Division 1 State Finals ... Finished third at the 2022 MITS Indoor State Meet ... Finished runner-up in the freshman pole vault competition at the 2019 New Balance Nationals Outdoors ... No. 1 Michigan pole vaulter in 2022 and No. 39 nationally
Jake Steslicki
Throws | Farmington, Mich. | Farmington HS
Won the 2022 MHSAA Division 1 State Finals title in the discus ... Finished 11th in the weight throw at the 2022 New Balance Nationals Indoors after finishing third in the event at the MITS Indoor meet ... Ranked No. 2 in Michigan and 12th nationally in the weight throw, and No. 5 among Michigan high schoolers in the discus for the 2022 season ... No. 3 all-time in Michigan high school history in the weight throw
Luke Stowasser
Jumps | Edwardsburg, Mich. | Edwardsburg HS
Finished sixth in the high jump at the 2022 New Balance Nationals Outdoors after winning the event title at the MHSAA Division 2 State Finals, to go along with a runner-up finish in the long jump ... Finished eighth in the high jump and 25th in the long jump at The Outdoor Nationals 2021 ... Swept the 2021 MHSAA Division 2 State Finals titles in the high jump and the long jump ... Top Michigan high jumper in 2021 and 26th nationally
Luke Venhuizen
Distance | Traverse City, Mich. | Traverse City Central HS
Finished fourth for two miles at the 2022 Nike Outdoor Nationals ... Finished the 2022 season ranked No. 1 among Michigan high schoolers, No. 7 in Michigan high school history and No. 14 nationally at two miles ... Finished 25th at the 2021 Eastbay National Championships after taking seventh at the Eastbay Midwest Regional, fifth at the Mideast Meet of Champions, third at the Michigan Meet of Champions and fifth at the MHSAA Division 1 State Finals
Jake Wall
Sprints/Jumps | Mansfield, Mass. | Mansfield HS
Finished fourth in the long jump at the 2022 New Balance Nationals Indoors and finished 15th outdoors... Won the 2022 MIAA Meet of Champions and Division 3 Championships in the long jump ... Won the 2022 MIAA Indoor All-State Championships title in the long jump, and finished third in the 55-meter hurdles ... Finished sixth in the long jump at the 2021 USATF National Junior Olympic Championships ... Won the 2021 MIAA All-State Championships title in the long jump
Adam Wright
Sprints/Hurdles | Danville, Calif. | Monte Vista HS
Finished third in the 110-meter hurdles at the 2022 CIF State Championships ... Won the 110-meter hurdles title at the 2021 Iowa State Championships
Players Mentioned
