Wolverines Welcome Three During Early Signing Period
11/29/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Nov. 29, 2016
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Head Coach Jerry Clayton and the University of Michigan men's track and field program announced the signing of three student-athletes to National Letters of Intent for the early signing period on Tuesday (Nov. 29). Middle-distance athlete Jack Aho, sprinter Jandon Briscoe and sprinter/hurdler Noah Caudy will compete for the Wolverines starting in the 2018 season.
Each athlete has a season remaining on the track in his high school eligibility. All three are ranked top-11 nationally in at least one event area among athletes in the graduating class of 2017, including Aho, who is listed that high or better in six events. Two are natives of the Midwest, while Briscoe comes from the South.
Clayton stressed the strong fit of all three in meshing with the Michigan culture.
"When these young men were in on their visits, it was a great opportunity for us to meet them and their families," said Clayton. "They really seemed to fit into what we're about, especially on the academic side and they bring a lot to the table athletically. Our goal is to continue to become a balanced program, and these are areas we feel that they can be ready come in and help the team right away."
With tied-fourth and second-place Big Ten finishes from last year generating the program's best season since 1997, the Wolverines seek to continue to develop balance and depth across the roster. Clayton and assistant coaches Kevin Sullivan (middle-distance and distance) and Steven Rajewsky (sprints and hurdles) have put together the makings of another big class of recruits for the Maize and Blue.
Even more exciting is the program's new facility, set to open in December of 2017. The new facility will feature a banked indoor 200-meter track and a flat 300-meter warmup track indoors, as well as an outdoor 400-meter track. It will be the only facility in the nation with both indoor tracks and will feature large, open-air throwing bays on the south side of the building in addition to spacious runways for pole vaulting and jumps events.
"You can actually see the building going up now and that transition is going to be really great," said Clayton.
"It's going to assist our student-athletes in the way they can train. It's going to make for a lot more versatility with that training and therefore make it better for time management to help them as students. That facility is a key component to their success here and it's going to be a key component for us to continue to challenge and be a contender for these Big Ten championships."
Jack Aho -- Grayslake, Ill. -- Grayslake Central High School -- Middle-Distance
Aho is an accomplished middle-distance athlete from Illinois with a championship pedigree. He ranks top-seven in the country among current high school seniors at three separate distances (indoor 1,500; outdoor 1,600 and indoor 3,200-meter events), with top-three rankings in two of those races, and is the fastest in the state of Illinois in all three events as well. Overall, Aho has top-15 rankings in six separate events.
Aho was third at NXR Midwest Regional Cross Country Championships this fall, running 14:55.1 in the 5K event one year after placing 53rd at the NXN Nike Cross Nationals meet. Now, he is qualified for Nike Cross Country Nationals (Dec. 3) and Foot Locker Cross Country Nationals (Dec. 10) to be run next month.
This year's third-place NXR Midwest Regional finish came just eight days after Aho defended the IHSA 2A State Championship. He won the three-mile state meet in both 2015 and 2016, and was top-three in all 10 races he ran as a senior. Those 10 races included eight wins, seven of which came at the three-mile distance.
On the track, Aho is a state runner-up. He finished second in the 3,200-meter race at the IHSA Boys 3A State Championships last spring and was third in that race at the IHSA Boys Class 3A State Finals. He was also the 1,600-meter race winner at the Illinois Top Times Championships.
Aho also has three top-five finishes at the Festival of Miles. He was fifth in the 1,500-meter race, third in the 1,600-meter race and third in the mile race this past year. Off the track and cross country course, Aho is very active in the Grayslake community. He participates in the National Honor Society, Link Crew, Navy League Cadet Corps Leadership Conference and the Life of an Athlete Leadership program.
Sullivan sees Aho as a perfect fit for the U-M distance group, which has the pieces to have another strong season this spring and an even better year in cross country next fall. He hopes that the addition of Aho and a strong returning group will help cement U-M as an eye-catching destination for elite distance recruits.
"I think that the potential of the team is enormous right now, and I think that lends itself to being a really, really attractive option to the nationally ranked athletes and the very talented guys we have in our backyard here in the Midwest," said Sullivan.
"Jack is one of the top ten junior class milers in the country last year, but has also shown that he can move up and run cross country, having just qualified for Nike Cross Nationals out of the Midwest region, which is probably the strongest region in the country."
"Coach Sullivan has been really excited about (Jack Aho) from the first day he spent watching him, and we want to continue to keep the distance program very strong," added Coach Clayton. "It's a key component to our program and the marquee event area of the program. We hope it will continue to be."
HIGH SCHOOL PERSONAL BESTS
Track and Field
800m (indoor)--1:59.80
800m (outdoor)--1:57.95
1,500m (outdoor)--3:52.65 (No. 2 in the nation, No. 1 in Illinois)
1,600m (indoor)--4:17.49 (No. 11 in the nation, No. 1 in Illinois)
1,600m (outdoor)--4:07.39 (No. 3 in the nation, No. 1 in Illinois)
Mile (outdoor)--4:08.79 (No. 10 in the nation, No. 1 in Illinois)
3,200m (indoor)--9:16.48 (No. 7 in the nation; No. 1 in Illinois)
3,200m (outdoor)--9:00.70 (No. 13 in the nation; No. 1 in Illinois)
Cross Country
2.95 miles--14:13.4
3 miles--14:12.0
5000m--14:55.1 (No. 22 in the nation, No. 1 in Illinois)
Jandon Briscoe -- New Orleans, La. -- Jesuit High School -- Sprints
Briscoe is a highly decorated sprinter from New Orleans, and he brings a resume to Ann Arbor that shows he is ready to compete at the highest level. He ranks in the nation's top-20 in both the indoor (No. 19) and outdoor (No. 11) 400-meter dashes among returning seniors, and is top athlete in his state in the 400, ranking second in the 200.
A five-time All-American and two-time state champion already, Briscoe hopes to defend his 400-meter sweep at the state championships in 2017. He won the indoor and outdoor titles last year and carried his state-level success to the national stage.
Briscoe won the 400-meter race at the USATF National Junior Olympic Championships last summer and was runner-up in the 200-meter race at the Region 6 Junior Olympic Championships before finishing 26th at the junior national championship meet. He also placed seventh at New Balance Outdoor Nationals in the 400.
The New Orleans native has also been part of a number of successful relay teams, including running the first leg of the winning 4x400-meter relay team at the USATF Region 6 Junior Olympic Championships last summer. That relay went on to place 20th at the junior national championships.
In the classroom, Briscoe is a Student Council Executive Board member and is also a member of the National Honor Society. Sprints coach Steve Rajewsky is excited about bringing Briscoe into the fold.
"Jandon brings an ability to develop in both the 200 and the 400," said Rajewsky. "He's in the top-12 nationally in his class for the 400, and he's a strong addition to our sprint group, our long sprint group and our 4x4 pool."
Rajewsky stressed that Briscoe is a strong fit both culturally and academically for U-M, which only adds to his appeal as a prospective Wolverine. The coaching staff sees an immediate contributor in Briscoe, but also an athlete who will develop to realize his greater potential.
"Jandon is a strong student," said Rajewsky. "He has a great family that gives him great support, and I like that he's a multi-sport guy because he grew up running track and playing football. Being from the south he has not run a lot indoors, so I think his development doing track full time will pay dividends for him down the road. He's a kid that really fit in well on his visit and I think he'll make an impact right away. He can do some special things over his four years here, and I'm excited to see how he does the spring of his senior year."
HIGH SCHOOL PERSONAL BESTS
200m - 21.48 (No. 2 in Louisiana)
400m - 47.25 (No. 11 in the nation, No. 1 in Louisiana)
Noah Caudy -- Lake Odessa, Mich. -- Lake Odessa Lakewood -- Sprints/Hurdles
Caudy is one of the best in America in the 400-meter hurdles, where he is tied for the 10th-fastest time among returning high school seniors. He has twice been a state champion, winning a pair of 110-meter hurdles indoor at the division two level, winning titles indoor (2016) and outdoor (2015) over the last couple of seasons.
At the national level, Caudy placed 22nd in the 110-meter hurdles, competing at New Balance Outdoor Nationals (2016). He also finished 13th in the 400-meter hurdles at the same meet and placed 11th in the 400-meter dash at the Gazelle Sports/New Balance MITS Elite Classic.
Off the track, he has been an important offensive piece for the Lake Odessa Lakewood Vikings football team, accumulating nearly 1,500 yards with more than 20 touchdowns on the way to the first district title in program history.
Caudy will be an ideal fit as a Wolverine, says Rajewsky.
"Noah is a very strong student and that was a big plus for him, what we can offer academically," said Rajewsky.
"He's the star running back for his team with about 1,500 yards this year and he led his team to a district title for the first time. He's got competitive times in the 110- and 400-meter hurdles and I think we will see that continue to develop this spring during his senior year."
Rajewsky sees Caudy as an athlete with great promise and thinks his development will be key in the future as the native Michigander has an opportunity to work with an event group that figures to be a strength for the Wolverines to years to come.
"He's going to join a great group of hurdlers with Sierra (Hendrix-Williams) and Roland (Amarteifio) and of course Taylor (McLaughlin) to continue to make that a focal point of our program along with the other sprint events and the relay," said Rajewsky.
HIGH SCHOOL PERSONAL BESTS
60m Hurdles (indoor) - 8.29 (No. 37 in the nation, No. 1 in Michigan)
110m Hurdles (outdoor) - 14.04 (No. 33 in the nation, No. 1 in Michigan)
300m Hurdles (outdoor) - 38.22 (No. 4 in Michigan)
400m Hurdles (outdoor) - 53.73 (tied-No. 10 in the nation, No. 1 in Michigan)
The Wolverines will begin the 2017 season on Jan. 13-14. Select athletes will travel to Nashville, Tennessee, for the Vanderbilt Invitational both days, while others will compete at the U-M Indoor Track Building for the final time in the history of the facility with the Simmons-Harvey Invitational slated for Saturday, Jan. 14.
Communications Contact: Chad Shepard
Players Mentioned
