FERRIS STATE TRACK & FIELD/CROSS COUNTRY ANNOUNCES PREP RECRUITING CLASS

List Includes Both Male & Female Student-Athletes

The Ferris State University men's and women's track and field/cross country programs have added several prep recruits for the 2007-08 campaign.

The Bulldogs' list of 10 additions includes six male and four female student-athletes. All will begin their Bulldog careers starting with the 2007-08 athletics campaign.

The male recruits feature three distance runners who will compete in both track and field along with cross country in Alex Best (St. Louis), Derek Childs (Breckenridge) and Mike Wheat (Novi). The other male individuals, who will participate in track only, are sprinter Matt Heinicke (Comstock Park), sprinter Albert Catarino (Gladwin) and hurdler Dan Anderson (Ionia).

Incoming recruits Paige Onweller (Lapeer/East), Nichole Wiers (Allendale), Jade Kaufman (Ubly) and Marva Goodson (Saginaw/Bridgeport) will join the Bulldog women's program. Both Onweller and Wjers will be members of the school's cross country and track teams in the distance area while Kaufman and Goodson are track and field only student-athletes. Kaufman is expected to compete in the sprints with Goodson participating as both a sprinter and jumper.

"Overall, I've extremely pleased with our recruiting classes in comparison to what some of the other schools in our league have done," Kavalunas said. "The addition of these individuals will provide us with added depth, which hopefully will give us an increased opportunity to possibly compete for some of the top spots in the conference race."

Kavalunas expects Best to step in and compete immediately in the distance area. Best placed among the top performers at the 2007 Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) State Championships in the 1,600 meters and was an all-state honoree. Meanwhile, Childs figures to also supply added depth both on the track and in cross country based on his past success, according to Kavalunas.

Wheat helped Novi High School to a runner-up finish at the 2006 MHSAA Division I State Cross Country Championships held in Brooklyn (Nov. 4) as he placed 14th overall (16:01.8) in the field.

"All three distance runners are solid competitors who will help us both in track and cross country," Kavalunas said. "They all had good high school careers and will be tremendous assets for our team."

An all-state recipient, Heinicke placed among the top eight finishers at the state track and field meet this season. In addition, he was chosen to represent Michigan in the annual Midwest Meet of Champions. Kavalunas said he expects Heinicke to contend for recognition in both the 200 and 400 meters.

Catarino qualified for this year's state finals in the 100, 200 and 400 meters. Additionally, he helped Gladwin High School to a conference championship in 2007.

"We also added a good group of men's sprinters, which was an area we wanted to fill," said Kavalunas. "They will not only help us out as individuals in this area, but they could also compete on our various relay teams throughout the year."

A four-year letterwinner, Onweller served as team captain and was a two-time all-conference selection at Lapeer East High School. She helped the program to county track championships and finished as the school's record holder in both the 1,600 and 3,200 meter events.

Wiers placed at the state finals this past spring in the 800 meters and earned all-league laurels four times during her prep career at Allendale High School. Her performance also helped the squad to a third-place finish at the 2006 state cross country finals following the program's regional championship effort.

A sprinter, Kaufman claimed all-region track and field honors four consecutive years for Ubly High School, which won conference, regional and state championships during her career. She set a state record in the 200 meters and competed in the Midwest Meet of Champions for Michigan this season.

Finally, Goodson will provide the Bulldogs with the ability to compete in both the short sprints and the horizontal jumps following a standout prep career at Bridgeport High School. Goodson picked up team MVP Award kudos four-straight years and served as the squad's team captain. She was also an all-state recipient.

"I'm excited about this class as a whole and am confident they'll help us in a number of areas," Kavalunas said. "It is a solid group of recruits who are talented enough to provide us both with depth and an increased ability to score points in key meets."

In addition to the above mentioned recruits, Kavalunas also noted four other student-athletes have also announced their intentions to join the FSU program. They include distance runners Kelly Jezierski (Essexville/Garber) and Becca Hutchinson (Honor/Benzie Central) along with middle distance runner Kiara Johnson (Caledonia/East Kentwood) and sprinter Kelsey Cryderman (St. Ignace/Lasalle).

The Ferris State women's outdoor track and field team placed fifth while the men's squad was ninth in the 2007 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Outdoor Championships (May 3-4), which were held at Northwood University in Midland, Mich. The women's squad finished fifth and the men's team was eighth overall in the GLIAC Indoor Championships (Feb. 23-24) in University Center, Mich.

In cross country, the FSU women's and men's teams finished sixth and eighth, respectively, at the 2006 GLIAC Championships (Oct. 21), which were hosted by the University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio.