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Gopher Men Announce Incoming Class
7/24/2020 2:45:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Men's Track & Field, Women's Cross Country, Women's Track & Field
Director of track & field Matt Bingle has announced the newest class of Gophers set to join the program on the men's side for 2020-21.
MINNEAPOLIS -- University of Minnesota director of track & field and cross country Matt Bingle is pleased to announce the addition of 13 student-athletes who have signed with the Golden Gophers for the 2020-21 season.
The newest class of Gophers includes Jaydon Antoine, Phillipe Barnett, Dillon Blake, Carlon Hosten, Shuayb Hussein, Jake Krause, Yahya Madar, Connor Raines, Benjamin Sather, Finn Schirmer, Ben Schnoor, and Aarron Westmoreland. Alexander Jung is set to join the Gophers in January 2021 as well.
The newest group of Gophers joins January 2020 team additions Ekhardt Van der Watt, a pole vaulter from Vrendenburg, South Africa who competed in five meets for Minnesota during the 2020 indoor season, and Kostas Zaltos, a thrower from Kilikis, Greece who competed unattached at five meets during the 2020 indoor season.
Jaydon Antoine, Preysal, Trinidad & Tobago (Jumps)
A long jump specialist from Preysal, Trinidad & Tobago, Jaydon Antoine joins the Gophers with experience competing at the national and international levels. He finished seventh in long jump at the 2019 Pan-American Under-20 Championships and placed 11th in long jump at the 2019 CARIFTA Games after securing a runner-up finish at the 2019 CARIFTA Trials. Antoine has a long jump personal best of 7.35 meters (24-01.50 ft.).
Coach Ibrahim Kabia on Antoine: Jaydon's addition gives us a jumper who can contribute immediately in the long jump and has the potential to be an NCAA-level jumper. He has great size and athleticism. Though he's young, he has international experience competing for Trinidad & Tobago at the CARIFTA Games and Pan American Under-20 Championships. He is extremely outgoing, and he has a great personality. He will fit in well with our program.
Phillipe Barnett, Greenacres, Fla. (Throws)
Junior Phillipe Barnett joins the Maroon & Gold after beginning his college career at Barton County Community College where he was a two-time NJCAA national runner-up for the Cougars, most recently finishing second in the nation in weight throw with a career-best mark of 20.89 meters (68-6.50 ft.) in 2020 after also finishing as national runner-up in the discus as a freshman in 2019. Barnett owns personal bests of 13.59 meters (44-07 ft.) for shot put, 20.89 meters (68-6.50 ft.) for weight throw, 55.47 meters (182-00 ft.) for discus, and 58.78 meters (192-10 ft.) for hammer throw. He is a 2018 graduate of Excelsior High School in Kingston, Jamaica.
Coach Peter Miller on Barnett: Phillipe joins the Gophers from Barton County Community College and Excelsior High School in Kingston, Jamaica. Phillipe is a special athlete, having shown that in the discus already. He also has been able to pick up the hammer faster than anyone I have ever seen. He is extremely powerful, with weight room numbers that would blow most people's minds, but on top of that he is a student of the sport. Phillipe also takes care of business in the classroom and will be studying something in the sports medicine realm. Phillipe comes from an awesome family, with a great spirit and has been guided by two of the best coaches at their respective levels, Coach David Schenek of Barton and Coach Michael Vassell of Excelsior. We cannot wait to welcome Phillipe into the Gopher Throws family this fall.
Dillon Blake, Mundelein, Ill. (Distance)
A distance runner from Mundelein High School, Dillon Blake joins the Gophers as a three-time Illinois Country Class 3A State Championships qualifier, including a 12th-place finish as a junior. On the track, Blake was a two-time state qualifier in the 3,200 meters. He owns high school personal bests of 4:08.16 for 1,500 meters, 4:23.55 for 1,600 meters, 9:16.14 for 3,200 meters, and 14:28.7 for three miles in cross country.
Coach Steve Plasencia on Blake: Dillon Blake was a top-15 finisher in the extremely competitive state of Illinois in cross country. Blake, Vance, and Schnoor have all run pretty reasonable 3,200 meters. They're all in the 9:15 range for 3,200 meters, so we look forward to the distance running potential they're bringing to the team.
Carlon Hosten, Bronx, N.Y. (Sprints)
A sprinter from the Bronx, N.Y., Carlon Hosten join the Gophers after earning USTFCCCA Division II All-Region honors in the 60 meters and 200 meters as a freshman during the 2020 indoor season at Lincoln (Mo.) University. He also won New York state titles in the 100 meters and 200 meters in 2018. He is a 2018 graduate of Dreamyard Prep of the Taft Educational Campus.
Coach Kabia on Hosten: Carlon's addition automatically elevates our talent level and depth to our sprints group. He's thrilled to be joining our program, and he's looking forward to getting started. We are just as excited, if not more, to have him here. His recent success at the MIAA Indoor Championships will make for a much easier transition to the level of competition in the Big Ten. He will make an immediate impact on our program. He has the potential to develop into an NCAA level sprinter.
Shuayb Hussein, Plymouth, Minn. (Distance)
Shuayb Hussein joins the Maroon & Gold as a distance runner from Wayzata High School. As a senior, he was the Region 6AA champion in cross country and went on to finish seventh at the 2019 Minnesota Class AA State Cross Country Championships. On the track, he was a state meet qualifier in the 1,600 meters as a junior. Hussein owns a cross country 5,000-meter personal best time of 15:19.70.
Coach Plasencia on Hussein: Shuayb qualified for the national NXN last year. He started to blossom really strongly late in his high school career. He's an under-developed talent, and he is the brother of current Gopher Khalid Hussein, who is extremely talented. We think Shuayb has it in his genes, too.
Alexander Jung, Saarlouis, Germany (Multi-Events)
Alexander Jung is set to join the Maroon & Gold in January 2021. He is a decathlete from Saarlouis, Germany who has significant experience competing at the national level. Jung won the decathlon U23 national title at the German Athletics Championships in 2019. He owns a decathlon personal best of 7,452 points.
Coach Zach Siegmeier on Jung: Alex is set to join us in January. He's a German decathlete. We're expecting big things from him. He's a tremendous athlete. He's a pretty good pole vaulter; that's one of his specialty events, so I definitely want to see what he can do there. I think with our resources and pole vault coaches and facilities here, we can get him to where he's an NCAA qualifier pretty quickly. He's big, tall, and athletic. I'm excited to get to start working with him.
Jake Krause, Hortonville, Wis. (Distance)
A distance runner from Hortonville High School, Jake Krause joins the University of Minnesota after winning the 2019 WIAA Division 1 Cross Country State Championships as a senior with a career-best time of 15:34.2 for 5,000 meters. He placed fourth in the 1,600 meters and 10th in the 3,200 meters at the WIAA Division 1 Track & Field State Championships in 2019 as well.
Coach Plasencia on Krause: Jake has improved very rapidly over the last year. As a junior in June 2019, he was fourth in Wisconsin Division 1 in the 1,600 meters. Last fall he placed his rivals on notice as he won the Wisconsin State Cross Country individual championship (D1) with an 8" victory. Jake has been under good guidance from his high school coaches at Hortonville High School and has lots of room to continue improving.
Yahya Madar, Minneapolis, Minn. (High Jump)
Yahya Madar joins the Gophers as a 2019 graduate of Mounds Park Academy. He won the high jump at the 2019 Minnesota Class A Track & Field State Championships as a senior after placing fourth as a junior and 11th as a sophomore. He also won back-to-back IMAC Conference titles in high jump as a junior and senior for the Panthers.
Coach Siegmeier on Madar: Yahya is a high jumper from Mounds Park Academy. He was the Class A high jump state champion in Minnesota his senior year. I recruited him out of high school. He was thinking about coming to the U, but he chose to do a year at St. Paul College last year and now he's ready to join our team. His ceiling is really high. He has tremendous athletic ability. We have to make sure he continues getting stronger and learns more technical pieces of the high jump, but he's super talented.
Connor Raines, Shakopee, Minn. (Sprints/Jumps)
Connor Raines joins the Gophers as a three-sport student-athlete from Shakopee High School. Raines earned three top-10 finishes at the 2019 Minnesota Class AA Track & Field State Championships, placing fifth in the 200 meters, fifth in the 4x100-meter relay, and ninth in long jump. He also earned a state tournament berth in football as a senior in 2019 and helped Shakopee's wrestling team win back-to-back state titles, including a perfect 41-0 dual record as a senior.
Coach Kabia on Raines: We are excited about Connor joining our program here at the University of Minnesota. He is a talented sprinter and jumper from Shakopee High School. He has a very young training age, so I look forward to working with him as he continues to develop as a student-athlete.
Ben Sather, Eden Prairie, Minn. (Pole Vault)
A pole vaulter from Eden Prairie, Minn., Ben Sather joins the Maroon & Gold as a two-sport athlete for the Eagles. While attending Eden Prairie High School, Sather earned a state runner-up finish in pole vault at the 2019 Minnesota Class AA Track & Field State Championships and helped the Eagles win the 2017 Minnesota Class 6A Football State Championship.
Coach Siegmeier on Sather: Ben was a Minnesota state champion as a junior. I know his high school coach really well, and I've gotten to know Ben over the last couple years. Ben is a great kid. His parents are awesome, and he has an older brother at the University of Minnesota. Ben is a really good student, and I think he's a really good fit for our team personally, academically, and athletically. I'm excited to see what he can do.
Finn Schirmer, Marengo, Ill. (Sprints/Hurdles)
Finn Schirmer joins the Gophers as a 2020 graduate of Marengo High School where he won three state titles as a junior in 2019, capturing top honors in the 110-meter high hurdles, 100-meter dash, and 300-meter intermediate hurdles. Schirmer was a three-sport athlete at Marengo High School, competing for four years as a standout football and basketball player in addition to his achievements on the track.
Coach Kabia on Schirmer: Finnigan is an exceptional and versatile athlete. With his combination of strength and speed, he can do so many things for us on the track. He has proven himself to be not only a great student-athlete but also an outstanding young man with great energy. He is one of the greatest high school athletes to come out of Illinois, having had great success in the 110-meter hurdles, 300-meter hurdles, 100-meter dash, and 200-meter dash. We couldn't be more excited that he's a Gopher.
Ben Schnoor, Germantown, Wis. (Distance)
A distance runner from Germantown, Wis., Ben Schnoor joins the Gophers from Germantown High School. He owns high school personal bests of 4:26 for 1,600 meters, 9:18 for 3,200 meters, and 15:21 for cross country 5,000 meters. Schnoor was a four-time Wisconsin Division 1 Cross Country State Championships qualifier and earned two top-10 state finishes in the 3,200 meters on the track.
Coach Plasencia on Schnoor: Ben had a great sophomore year in track & field and was one of the top guys in the state of Wisconsin as a sophomore. He ran into the injury bug a bit, but it looks like he's healed up and we're working with him to get back to full strength.
Aarron Westmoreland, Crete, Ill. (Sprints)
A sprinter from Crete, Ill., Aarron Westmoreland joins the Gophers as a junior after beginning his college career at Iowa Western Community College. Westmoreland qualified for the 2020 NJCAA indoor championships in the 60 meters and advanced to the 2019 NJCAA outdoor championships in the 4x100-meter relay.
Coach Kabia on Westmoreland: Aarron is a talented sprinter from Iowa Western Community College. He went to Crete-Monee high school in Illinois. Aarron had a breakout season this past season and he will continue to develop into a Big Ten sprinter. He has great passion for sprinting, and he has a huge desire and willingness to work, which I absolutely enjoy.
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The newest class of Gophers includes Jaydon Antoine, Phillipe Barnett, Dillon Blake, Carlon Hosten, Shuayb Hussein, Jake Krause, Yahya Madar, Connor Raines, Benjamin Sather, Finn Schirmer, Ben Schnoor, and Aarron Westmoreland. Alexander Jung is set to join the Gophers in January 2021 as well.
The newest group of Gophers joins January 2020 team additions Ekhardt Van der Watt, a pole vaulter from Vrendenburg, South Africa who competed in five meets for Minnesota during the 2020 indoor season, and Kostas Zaltos, a thrower from Kilikis, Greece who competed unattached at five meets during the 2020 indoor season.
Jaydon Antoine, Preysal, Trinidad & Tobago (Jumps)
A long jump specialist from Preysal, Trinidad & Tobago, Jaydon Antoine joins the Gophers with experience competing at the national and international levels. He finished seventh in long jump at the 2019 Pan-American Under-20 Championships and placed 11th in long jump at the 2019 CARIFTA Games after securing a runner-up finish at the 2019 CARIFTA Trials. Antoine has a long jump personal best of 7.35 meters (24-01.50 ft.).
Coach Ibrahim Kabia on Antoine: Jaydon's addition gives us a jumper who can contribute immediately in the long jump and has the potential to be an NCAA-level jumper. He has great size and athleticism. Though he's young, he has international experience competing for Trinidad & Tobago at the CARIFTA Games and Pan American Under-20 Championships. He is extremely outgoing, and he has a great personality. He will fit in well with our program.
Phillipe Barnett, Greenacres, Fla. (Throws)
Junior Phillipe Barnett joins the Maroon & Gold after beginning his college career at Barton County Community College where he was a two-time NJCAA national runner-up for the Cougars, most recently finishing second in the nation in weight throw with a career-best mark of 20.89 meters (68-6.50 ft.) in 2020 after also finishing as national runner-up in the discus as a freshman in 2019. Barnett owns personal bests of 13.59 meters (44-07 ft.) for shot put, 20.89 meters (68-6.50 ft.) for weight throw, 55.47 meters (182-00 ft.) for discus, and 58.78 meters (192-10 ft.) for hammer throw. He is a 2018 graduate of Excelsior High School in Kingston, Jamaica.
Coach Peter Miller on Barnett: Phillipe joins the Gophers from Barton County Community College and Excelsior High School in Kingston, Jamaica. Phillipe is a special athlete, having shown that in the discus already. He also has been able to pick up the hammer faster than anyone I have ever seen. He is extremely powerful, with weight room numbers that would blow most people's minds, but on top of that he is a student of the sport. Phillipe also takes care of business in the classroom and will be studying something in the sports medicine realm. Phillipe comes from an awesome family, with a great spirit and has been guided by two of the best coaches at their respective levels, Coach David Schenek of Barton and Coach Michael Vassell of Excelsior. We cannot wait to welcome Phillipe into the Gopher Throws family this fall.
Dillon Blake, Mundelein, Ill. (Distance)
A distance runner from Mundelein High School, Dillon Blake joins the Gophers as a three-time Illinois Country Class 3A State Championships qualifier, including a 12th-place finish as a junior. On the track, Blake was a two-time state qualifier in the 3,200 meters. He owns high school personal bests of 4:08.16 for 1,500 meters, 4:23.55 for 1,600 meters, 9:16.14 for 3,200 meters, and 14:28.7 for three miles in cross country.
Coach Steve Plasencia on Blake: Dillon Blake was a top-15 finisher in the extremely competitive state of Illinois in cross country. Blake, Vance, and Schnoor have all run pretty reasonable 3,200 meters. They're all in the 9:15 range for 3,200 meters, so we look forward to the distance running potential they're bringing to the team.
Carlon Hosten, Bronx, N.Y. (Sprints)
A sprinter from the Bronx, N.Y., Carlon Hosten join the Gophers after earning USTFCCCA Division II All-Region honors in the 60 meters and 200 meters as a freshman during the 2020 indoor season at Lincoln (Mo.) University. He also won New York state titles in the 100 meters and 200 meters in 2018. He is a 2018 graduate of Dreamyard Prep of the Taft Educational Campus.
Coach Kabia on Hosten: Carlon's addition automatically elevates our talent level and depth to our sprints group. He's thrilled to be joining our program, and he's looking forward to getting started. We are just as excited, if not more, to have him here. His recent success at the MIAA Indoor Championships will make for a much easier transition to the level of competition in the Big Ten. He will make an immediate impact on our program. He has the potential to develop into an NCAA level sprinter.
Shuayb Hussein, Plymouth, Minn. (Distance)
Shuayb Hussein joins the Maroon & Gold as a distance runner from Wayzata High School. As a senior, he was the Region 6AA champion in cross country and went on to finish seventh at the 2019 Minnesota Class AA State Cross Country Championships. On the track, he was a state meet qualifier in the 1,600 meters as a junior. Hussein owns a cross country 5,000-meter personal best time of 15:19.70.
Coach Plasencia on Hussein: Shuayb qualified for the national NXN last year. He started to blossom really strongly late in his high school career. He's an under-developed talent, and he is the brother of current Gopher Khalid Hussein, who is extremely talented. We think Shuayb has it in his genes, too.
Alexander Jung, Saarlouis, Germany (Multi-Events)
Alexander Jung is set to join the Maroon & Gold in January 2021. He is a decathlete from Saarlouis, Germany who has significant experience competing at the national level. Jung won the decathlon U23 national title at the German Athletics Championships in 2019. He owns a decathlon personal best of 7,452 points.
Coach Zach Siegmeier on Jung: Alex is set to join us in January. He's a German decathlete. We're expecting big things from him. He's a tremendous athlete. He's a pretty good pole vaulter; that's one of his specialty events, so I definitely want to see what he can do there. I think with our resources and pole vault coaches and facilities here, we can get him to where he's an NCAA qualifier pretty quickly. He's big, tall, and athletic. I'm excited to get to start working with him.
Jake Krause, Hortonville, Wis. (Distance)
A distance runner from Hortonville High School, Jake Krause joins the University of Minnesota after winning the 2019 WIAA Division 1 Cross Country State Championships as a senior with a career-best time of 15:34.2 for 5,000 meters. He placed fourth in the 1,600 meters and 10th in the 3,200 meters at the WIAA Division 1 Track & Field State Championships in 2019 as well.
Coach Plasencia on Krause: Jake has improved very rapidly over the last year. As a junior in June 2019, he was fourth in Wisconsin Division 1 in the 1,600 meters. Last fall he placed his rivals on notice as he won the Wisconsin State Cross Country individual championship (D1) with an 8" victory. Jake has been under good guidance from his high school coaches at Hortonville High School and has lots of room to continue improving.
Yahya Madar, Minneapolis, Minn. (High Jump)
Yahya Madar joins the Gophers as a 2019 graduate of Mounds Park Academy. He won the high jump at the 2019 Minnesota Class A Track & Field State Championships as a senior after placing fourth as a junior and 11th as a sophomore. He also won back-to-back IMAC Conference titles in high jump as a junior and senior for the Panthers.
Coach Siegmeier on Madar: Yahya is a high jumper from Mounds Park Academy. He was the Class A high jump state champion in Minnesota his senior year. I recruited him out of high school. He was thinking about coming to the U, but he chose to do a year at St. Paul College last year and now he's ready to join our team. His ceiling is really high. He has tremendous athletic ability. We have to make sure he continues getting stronger and learns more technical pieces of the high jump, but he's super talented.
Connor Raines, Shakopee, Minn. (Sprints/Jumps)
Connor Raines joins the Gophers as a three-sport student-athlete from Shakopee High School. Raines earned three top-10 finishes at the 2019 Minnesota Class AA Track & Field State Championships, placing fifth in the 200 meters, fifth in the 4x100-meter relay, and ninth in long jump. He also earned a state tournament berth in football as a senior in 2019 and helped Shakopee's wrestling team win back-to-back state titles, including a perfect 41-0 dual record as a senior.
Coach Kabia on Raines: We are excited about Connor joining our program here at the University of Minnesota. He is a talented sprinter and jumper from Shakopee High School. He has a very young training age, so I look forward to working with him as he continues to develop as a student-athlete.
Ben Sather, Eden Prairie, Minn. (Pole Vault)
A pole vaulter from Eden Prairie, Minn., Ben Sather joins the Maroon & Gold as a two-sport athlete for the Eagles. While attending Eden Prairie High School, Sather earned a state runner-up finish in pole vault at the 2019 Minnesota Class AA Track & Field State Championships and helped the Eagles win the 2017 Minnesota Class 6A Football State Championship.
Coach Siegmeier on Sather: Ben was a Minnesota state champion as a junior. I know his high school coach really well, and I've gotten to know Ben over the last couple years. Ben is a great kid. His parents are awesome, and he has an older brother at the University of Minnesota. Ben is a really good student, and I think he's a really good fit for our team personally, academically, and athletically. I'm excited to see what he can do.
Finn Schirmer, Marengo, Ill. (Sprints/Hurdles)
Finn Schirmer joins the Gophers as a 2020 graduate of Marengo High School where he won three state titles as a junior in 2019, capturing top honors in the 110-meter high hurdles, 100-meter dash, and 300-meter intermediate hurdles. Schirmer was a three-sport athlete at Marengo High School, competing for four years as a standout football and basketball player in addition to his achievements on the track.
Coach Kabia on Schirmer: Finnigan is an exceptional and versatile athlete. With his combination of strength and speed, he can do so many things for us on the track. He has proven himself to be not only a great student-athlete but also an outstanding young man with great energy. He is one of the greatest high school athletes to come out of Illinois, having had great success in the 110-meter hurdles, 300-meter hurdles, 100-meter dash, and 200-meter dash. We couldn't be more excited that he's a Gopher.
Ben Schnoor, Germantown, Wis. (Distance)
A distance runner from Germantown, Wis., Ben Schnoor joins the Gophers from Germantown High School. He owns high school personal bests of 4:26 for 1,600 meters, 9:18 for 3,200 meters, and 15:21 for cross country 5,000 meters. Schnoor was a four-time Wisconsin Division 1 Cross Country State Championships qualifier and earned two top-10 state finishes in the 3,200 meters on the track.
Coach Plasencia on Schnoor: Ben had a great sophomore year in track & field and was one of the top guys in the state of Wisconsin as a sophomore. He ran into the injury bug a bit, but it looks like he's healed up and we're working with him to get back to full strength.
Aarron Westmoreland, Crete, Ill. (Sprints)
A sprinter from Crete, Ill., Aarron Westmoreland joins the Gophers as a junior after beginning his college career at Iowa Western Community College. Westmoreland qualified for the 2020 NJCAA indoor championships in the 60 meters and advanced to the 2019 NJCAA outdoor championships in the 4x100-meter relay.
Coach Kabia on Westmoreland: Aarron is a talented sprinter from Iowa Western Community College. He went to Crete-Monee high school in Illinois. Aarron had a breakout season this past season and he will continue to develop into a Big Ten sprinter. He has great passion for sprinting, and he has a huge desire and willingness to work, which I absolutely enjoy.
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