IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa track and field program announced Monday that 22 male student-athletes encompass the 2020 incoming recruiting class.
The incoming class for the men represent nine states, including seven athletes from the state of Iowa.
Elijah Barnes –
Fort Madison, Iowa
Iowa Central Community College
54’5 (Shot Put)
180’6 (Discus)
“Elijah comes to Iowa City from Iowa Central Community College. In his first year in the junior college ranks, Elijah emerged as one of the up and coming combo throwers in the country. During the recruiting process, I was impressed with how well Elijah was already investing himself and committed to being a student of the sport. With his mindset and physical attributes, Elijah will have an immediate impact for our team.” – Coach Eric Werskey
Dylan Dolezal –
Marion, Iowa
Linn-Mar High School
4:24.52 (1600M)
9:35.33 (3200M)
15:45.90 (5000M CC)
“Linn Mar senior and star distance runner, Dylan Dolezal, will join the University of Iowa track and field, cross country program’s class of 2020. Dylan’s runner-up performance at the 2019 IHSAA state finals in the 3,200 meters is his highest of four top-8 finishes in the state championship series. Dylan added an All-State honor to his trophy case with a 12th place finish in the 4A State Cross Country Championship last fall. He is one of Iowa’s best and we are lucky to have him.” – Coach Randy Hasenbank
Josh Duval –
Richmond, Virginia
Manchester High School
22.43 (200M)
47.73 (400M)
“Josh is a winner. I watched it live and in person when I saw him compete at the New Balance National meet. He was anchoring relays and winning races. He has a ton of ability as a long sprinter in our program and is a monster competitor. Josh wanted to compete at the highest level and challenge himself to train with the best by coming to Iowa. I see him becoming a future cornerstone of our long sprint group. Josh is a huge addition for our team” – Coach Jason Wakenight
Nathan Farrell –
Port Orange, Florida
Flagler Palm Coast High School
37.26 (300H)
1:22.83 (600M)
“I think being a Hawkeye is in Nathan’s DNA. Every time we spoke, I could tell how bad he wanted to come to Iowa and he could tell how much I wanted him in our program. Nathan is fearless and has all the qualities I look for in an athlete. He has a good heart and is a natural leader. He has a magnetic personality and helps bring people together. I love his future in the long sprints, but the 400 hurdles are going to be his bread and butter. This kid is going to be a special Hawkeye.” – Coach Jason Wakenight
Ian Geisler –
Huntley, Illinois
Huntley High School
4:18.54 (1600M)
9:08.25 (3200M)
14:24.92 (3-Miles CC)
Finished fourth at Illinois Class 3A State Cross Country Championship
“Ian Geisler joins the University of Iowa track and field and cross country program as one of the fastest recruits in recent years. In 2019, the Huntley prep put forth Illinois top-10 ranked performances in 3-mile cross country (6th, 14:24), outdoor 3,200 meters (7th, 9:08.25), and indoor 1,600 meters (8th, 4:21.71). Ian extended his prominent running into the 3A IHSA State Cross Country meet with a fourth-place finish. He is an outstanding, elite distance prospect and we are thrilled to have him.” – Coach Randy Hasenbank
Jason Hoffman –
Shorewood, Illinois
Minooka High School
1:54.33 (800M)
4:23.01 (1600M)
“I have no doubt Jason was on his way to becoming an Illinois State Champ. He was the best returning mid-distance runner in the state of Illinois, had a fantastic fall, and was on a mission this spring. I am so excited about his future at Iowa in both the 800 meters and mile. He has huge goals and a vision of what he can become here in our program. Jason is going to be an immediate impact guy and will be a big part of our future in the middle distances.” – Coach Jason Wakenight
Kaleba Jack –
Iowa City, Iowa
City High School
23’2 (Long Jump)
“The Hawkeye Family would like to welcome Kaleba Jack and his family. Kaleba will add tremendous depth to our jumps group. What a terrific addition to our program. I believe once given the opportunity to focus on the horizontal jumps, Kaleba will explode onto the conference and national scene. Kaleba’s primary focus will be on the long jump and triple jump.” –Coach Clive Roberts
Khullen Jefferson –
Lynwood, Illinois
Thornton Fractional South High School
21.96 (200M)
48.34 (400M)
“Khullen is a fantastic person and I wanted to add him to the program from the first time we talked. He fell in love with Iowa and knew he wanted to be a part of our championship culture. I knew he was the best long sprinter in Illinois, which made signing him a priority. Khullen is the best kept sprint secret in the Midwest and was on his way to running 47 or faster in the 400 this spring. He wants to be great and has a huge heart. Khullen is going to be one of the best freshman in the country.” – Coach Jason Wakenight
Aidan King –
St. Charles, Illinois
St. Charles East High School
4:21.73 (1600M)
14:40.70 (3 Miles)
Finished 14th at Illinois Class 3A State Cross Country Championship
“Aidan helped his team to its first state cross country team title in school history. His 14th place finish also earned him his first all-state honor in cross country. King also helped lead his team to the NXN (NIKE Cross Country Nationals) Championship. He has had a meteoric rise to the top of the state in Illinois during his running career and is a proven winner and leader. We are excited about the championship DNA he brings to our distance program.” – Coach Randy Hasenbank
Daniel Klysh –
Elmhurst, Illinois
York High School
1:23.86 (600M)
4:19.64 (1600M)
14:34.74 (3-Miles CC)
Finished 10th at Illinois Class 3A State Cross Country Championship
“Hailing from one of the most prolific high school distance running programs in the country, Daniel Klysh from York High School, brings a broad skill set to the Hawkeyes; boasting personal bests of 1:56.48 in the 800 meters and 4:19.64 in the 1,600 meters on the track, and 14:34 for three miles in cross country. He has displayed great range. Before Daniel finished in the top 10 of the fiercely competitive 3A IHSA State Cross Country meet this fall, he was Illinois’ top ranked prep in the 600 meters (1:23.62). He is a fantastic addition to our elite signing class.” – Coach Randy Hasenbank
Austin Kresley –
Bradenton, Florida
IMG Academy
10.60 (100M)
21.34 (200M)
“Austin comes to Iowa from California, via IMG Academy in Florida. I believe Austin is one of the most under-the-radar sprint prospects in the United States. He set huge PR’s in the 60 and 200 meters at the start of his season before everything was cancelled. I believe Austin was on pace to break 10.5 and 21.0 in the 100 and 200 this season. Austin has huge potential in both sprint events, and he has the athletic ability and work ethic to make many Big Ten finals and qualify to the NCAA Championships. I’m excited to start working with Austin this fall.” – Coach Joey Woody
Kal Lewis –
Shelter Island, New York
Shelter Island High School
1:24.10 (600M)
4:15.22 (1600M)
2019 New York Class D Cross Country State Champion
“Three-time New York Class D Cross Country State Champion, Kal Lewis, joins the Hawkeyes for his collegiate running career. Outside of Kal’s cross country dominance in the empire state, he has proven ability on the track; running personal bests of 4:15.22 in the 1,600 and 9:34.22 in the 3,200. Kal has proven he knows how to compete and win against elite competition. His range will make him a terrific addition in a variety of distance events.” – Coach Randy Hasenbank
Quintin Lyons –
Van Nuys, California
Notre Dame High School
61’1 ½ (Shot Put)
172’6 (Discus)
“Quintin was quickly emerging as one of California’s elite shot putters and would have been highly ranked in the U.S. 2020 Class. Quintin has been throwing since he was a young age and shows great enthusiasm for his craft. Quintin will come to Iowa City from one of the best throws coaches on the West Coast and will bring great enthusiasm and discipline to our program.” – Coach Eric Werskey
Jenoah Mckiver –
High Point, North Carolina
T.W. Andrews High School
21.43 (200M)
47.24 (400M)
“Jenoah is one of the rawest talents I’ve ever recruited. He is an athlete with so much untapped potential – he’s going to be scary good. I love how determined he is to be the best. He has a laser focus I haven’t seen in many young athletes and I’m excited to see him challenge the older guys on our team. Jenoah won’t back down from anyone, he is an absolute warrior. Jenoah is going to be a someone to keep your eye on here at Iowa, his presence will be felt from day one.” – Coach Jason Wakenight
Max Murphy –
Bettendorf, Iowa
Pleasant Valley High School
15:19.50 (5000M CC)
2019 Class 4A Cross Country State Champion
“Recently named Des Moines Register “Male Runner of the Year”, NXN National qualifier and state champ, Max Murphy will bring his talents to Iowa following a succession of great Pleasant Valley runners turned Hawkeyes. Max will look to bring the experience of his successful prep career to Iowa City. Max finished the year ranked as the top cross country runner in the state running 15:26 for 5,000 meters at Bettendorf. Max backed up that top ranking by winning a hotly contested State Cross Country Championship. His personal best performances on the track have made him one of the best Iowan’s in his class.” – Coach Randy Hasenbank
Jack Pendergast –
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids Prairie High School
9:29.01 (3200M)
15:40.00 (5000M CC)
“Jack Pendergast will join the Hawkeye track and field, cross country class of 2020, adding another native-Iowan to a distance program that has been steadily rising. Pendergast cemented his place among the top distance runners in the state finishing seventh at the 2019 IHSAA 4A Cross Country Championships. Iowa’s elite prep in cross country ran times of 4:28.27 and 9:29.01 in the 1,600 and 3,200 as a junior, making him one of the most formidable competitors in the state on the track as well. As an elite Iowan, Jack significantly improves our team’s quality.” – Coach Randy Hasenbank
Evan Schuster –
Racine, Wisconsin
St. Catherine’s High School
21.85 (200M)
48.56 (400M)
“Evan is an unbelievable athlete with an insane upside. He might be one of the best athletes on our whole team. The guy has a 42-inch vertical after playing volleyball throughout his high school career. His school didn’t have a track so he was training on streets running from light pole to light pole. He is a person of such terrific character and I believe he will develop into a nationally elite long sprinter in our program. I’m so excited to see what he can do here at Iowa.” – Coach Jason Wakenight
Jorma Schwedler Jr.
Sergeant Bluff, Iowa
Sergeant Bluff Luton High School
21.72 (200M)
48.39 (400M)
“Jorma is one of the most complete sprinters ever in the state of Iowa. All the kid does is win. He’s been winning since his sophomore year and making him a Hawkeye was a dream come true for a lot of people. He is as hard-working as they come, with unbelievable guts and grit. Jorma was floating under the radar on the national level heading into his senior year, but I don’t see him being a secret much longer. I am so excited to have Jorma on our team.” – Coach Jason Wakenight
Everett Steward
Caron, California
Long Beach Poly High School
47.61 (400M)
1:54.00 (800M)
“Everett is one of the best long sprint and middle-distance prospects in the country. Coming from one of the most storied high school programs in the country, he knows how to compete on the big stage. Everett made a fantastic impression during his visit. I knew what a high character guy he was as he stuck with Iowa throughout the recruiting process and found a way to get himself into an Iowa uniform. He is such a good kid – the athletic ability is just the icing on the cake with Everett. He is going to be a showstopper here.” – Coach Jason Wakenight
Martin Strong –
Kirkwood, Missouri
Kirkwood High School
1:52.49 (800M)
“Martin has shown flashes of absolute greatness throughout his high school career. Standing six feet, six inches, Martin has some extremely unique natural abilities as a middle-distance runner that I am thrilled to develop. I love his confidence and how eager he is to take the next big step in his running career and chase truly elite performances. As he develops his skills, I see him becoming a major player in the Big Ten Conference for a long time.” – Coach Jason Wakenight
Elliott Ward –
Waterloo, Illinois
Waterloo High School
1:57.00 (800M)
4:27.80 (Mile)
15:12.00 (3-Miles CC)
“Eli has been a consistent force in Illinois in Class 2A. He has had multiple All-State finishes in cross country and showed himself to be a quality 800-meter runner and miler as well. Eli brings personal bests of 1:57.00 and 4:27.80 to the table, and I believe he was primed to take his abilities to an entirely different level this spring. I see Eli as one of the best small school talents in the state of Illinois and a valuable Midwest addition to our strong young distance team.” – Coach Randy Hasenbank
Drake Woody –
North Liberty, Iowa
Liberty High School
49.00 (400 split)
52.97 (400H)
“Drake has been emerging as one of the state’s best young sprinters and hurdlers since his sophomore season. He is a relentless competitor and took some huge steps towards becoming an elite force in the state of Iowa and nationally. Drake was on track to compete for a state title in both the 400 meters and 400 hurdles this spring after opening his season with a sub-53 effort. I know there is still a lot more left in the tank with this kid. Drake is a leader and incredibly humble. His terrific character and budding talent make him a great fit for our program.” – Coach Jason Wakenight
