ITHACA, N.Y. – Adrian Durant, The George Heekin '29 Head Coach of Men's Track and Field and Cross Country, has announced the 19-member incoming class that will join the Big Red men's program for the 2016-17 academic year.

The Cornell men have had continued success in the Ivy League and on the national stage in recent years. The team won the Outdoor Ivy League Heptagonals championship this past spring and sent five individuals to the NCAA Championships. Durant, the 2016 Ivy league Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year, is certain that the newcomers will add to the team's talent.

"I am very excited about this year's group of freshmen," Durant said. "They are enthusiastic, ambitious, very talented and are eager to learn. If we want to stay at the top of the league we'll need guys who are willing to work hard and make sacrifices, and that is exactly what we have. What I see in this new group are guys who have the potential to be national caliber athletes and who will certainly make a significant impact within the HEPS for years to come."      
The newcomers hail from 11 different states, including a class-high five New Yorkers, as well as one athlete coming from Ontario. There are six state champions, a valedictorian and a salutatorian among the new faces. In addition to their duties on the track, Freddie Buckholtz, Shane Goosby Steve Neumaier, Liam Sullivan, Thorr Trowbridge, Connor Horn and Robert Whitney will be competing as members of Cornell's men's cross country team.

Cornell Men's Track and Field Class of 2020
Freddie Buckholtz - Distance - South Huntington, N.Y./St. Anthony's HS
Buckholtz joins the Big Red with personal bests of 4:16 (1600 meter) and 8:59 (3200 meter) and competed at the 2014 Nike Cross Country National Championships. He was a captain of both the cross country and track teams as a senior.

Shane Goosby - Mid-Distance - Corona, Calif./Mater Dei HS
Goosby, a captain of both the cross country and track teams in 2016 brings a 1:57 best at 800 meters and will look to quickly develop with the middle-distance group.

Connor Horn - Distance - Naperville, Ill./Nequa Valley HS 
Horn is likely to be an instant contributor to the distance squad, coming to Cornell with bests of 4:13 (1600 meter) and 9:09 (3200 meter).  Horn, who was named all-state in cross country, placed seventh in the 2014 Illinois state meet.

Steve Neumaier - Mid-Distance - Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster HS
Neumaier was the 2016 New York indoor state champion at 1000 meters and joins the middle distance group with bests of 2:28 (1000 meter) and 4:13 (1600 meter).

Liam Sullivan - Distance - Northampton, Mass./Northampton HS
The three-season captain placed third in the 2015 Massachusetts All-State cross country championship. He also set a personal best in the mile (4:16) and finished third in the 2016 Massachusetts All-State indoor track championship.

Thorr Trowbridge - Distance - Kingston, N.Y./Kingston HS
Trowbridge was one of the nation's best prep steeplechasers last year, finishing fourth at the 2016 New York state championships (9:18) and eighth at the 2016 New Balance national championships (6:06).

Robert Whitney - Distance - High Bridge, N.J./Vorhees HS
Whitney joins the squad with a 9:19 3200 meter personal best and placed third in the 2015 New Jersey cross country group championships with an impressive time of 16:07 on the Holmdel Park Cross Country Course.

Andy Snyder - Sprints - Camp Hill, Pa./Camp Hill HS
Snyder, who was also a member of the swim team while in high school, joins the Big Red track squad as one of the top sprinters to come out of Pennsylvania. He has a very good range being able to run the 100 through 400 meters and, with personal bests of 10.90 (100), 21.50 (200), and 48.04 (400), he will be an instant contributor to the Big Red's sprints and relays.

Clayton Jeffrey - Sprints/Hurdles - Whitby, Ontario/Upper Canada College
Jeffrey is a very talented hurdler and will add depth to the Big Red's hurdle squad.  Joining the squad with personal bests of 54.44 in the 400 meter hurdles 14.14 in the 110 hurdles, Clayton is expected to make an immediate impact in the Ivy League.

Vanzel Burnett - Sprints - Davie, Fla./Nova HS
Burnett comes to Cornell all the way from south Florida and looks the bolster the Big Red's long sprint crew.  With a personal best in the 400 meter of 48.17 Vanzel strives to position himself to become a scorer on the HEPS level in the 400 and the 4x400 meter relay. 

James Norris - Sprints - Cleveland, Ohio/St. Ignatius HS
Norris, who won a team state title as a senior, adds strength to an already young and talented Cornell short sprints squad. Norris' very fast personal bests of 6.80 in the 60 meter, 10.62 in the 100, and 21.50 in the 200 puts him immediately in Heptagonals scoring range and should provide the 4x100 meter relay with a very strong leg and will place the 4x100 relay school record in jeopardy.

Ben Fields - Sprints - Tulsa, Okla./Union HS
Fields joins the Big Red long sprint group with a personal best in the 400 meter of 48.98 and adds depth to a very talented group.  Ben is one of the top 400 meter runners coming out of Oklahoma, having placed second at the OKlahome 6A State meet in 2015 and will look to make contributions in the long sprints and the relays.

Jacinto Gomez - Hurdles - Washingtonville, N.Y./Washingtonville HS
Gomez placed second at the Section 9 New York State Qualifier meet where he earned his personal best of 54.87 in the 400 meter hurdles. Gomez is a welcomed addition to a very young and talented hurdle group that should make an immediate impact.

Malick Diomande - Jumps - Dlemar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central HS
Diomande placed fourth at the New York state championship meet in the high jump with a mark of 6'6" and he will add strength to the Big Red jumps group.  Malick is also a talented sprinter having run 49.26 in the 400 meter.   

Jordan Testerman - Sprints/Jumps - Murrieta, Calif./Vista Murrieta HS
Testerman, who helped his team to consecutive state titles in 2015 and 2016, comes in with a personal best of 22'9.5" in the long jump, which placed him ninth in the CIF state track meet. Testerman is also a very talented sprinter, as he ran 10.96 in the 100 meter and also served as leg on Vista Murrieta's very fast 4x100 meter relay team (40.32). 

Robert Lutkewitte - Throws - Colts Neck, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy
Lutkewitte, a captain as a senior, joins the Big Red throws group with personal bests of 58'4" in the shot put and 172'6" in the discus.Lutkewitte placed first at the NJSIAA sectional meet in both the shot put and the discus, setting him up to be a big impact thrower on the Heptagonals level.

Zach Hawley - Throws - Dayton, Nev./Dayton HS
Hawley placed first at the Nevada state championships in the shot put with a mark of 60' 1", and he also placed third in the discus with a throw of 180'8. Hawley adds to a group of young and talented Cornell throwers who should reshape the landscape of the throws in the Ivy League. 

Samuel Gomez - Throws - Boulder City, Nev./Boulder City HS
Gomez, who was ranked in the top 30 high school discus throwers in the country in 2016, brings a best of 189'11" in the discus and 54'5" in the shot and helps to add depth to a young and talented Big Red throws group. His throw of 189'11 in the discus placed him first at the Nevada state championship and should make a seamless transitition into the HEPS throwing scene.

James Enriquez - Throws - Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands Park HS
Enriquez joins the Big Red with personal bests of 52'4" in the shot put and 167'10" in the discus, and looks to quickly develop with the throws group.