Northern Kentucky University Athletics

The Northern Kentucky University men's cross country and track & field teams have added nine student-athletes to their roster for the 2013-14 campaign. The Norse are looking to build off of their first season as a Division-I institution. Head coach Steve Kruse and assistant coach Paul Longano are looking to improve their program as they head into year two of Atlantic Sun Conference competition. The Norse will have to replace their star distance runner Brendan Chwalek and fellow graduating senior Ricky Harm.
 
Brad Fortuna
Fortuna comes to NKU as a graduate student after completing his undergraduate degree at Eastern Kentucky University. He hails from South Dearborn High School in Aurora, Ind. He is a long-distance runner who set a personal best in the 8000-meter with a time of 26:27.80 in the Vanderbilt Commodore Classic during his senior season at EKU. He has a personal record in the mile of 4:23.75, which he ran during the Ohio Valley Conference Championships in 2010. Fortuna ran the 5000-meter in 15:10.08 during the Raleigh Relays at North Carolina State University. In high school, he set school records in the 1600-meter at 4:26 and 3200-meter at 9:24. At EKU, he was part of the three-time OVC Championship team and was a two-time NCAA qualifier.

Isaak Haas
Haas is a distance runner from Silver Creek High School in Sellersburg, Ind. In 2012, he was named the News and Tribute Runner of the Year. He is a three-time regional qualifier and has been named to the All-Area team on two occasions. His personal best in the 1600-meter came at the North Harrison Invitational, where he finished third with a time of 4:30. He also runs the 3200-meter and has a personal best time of 9:37.

Izak Velasquez
Velasquez joins the Norse after transferring from St. Xavier University in Chicago. He is an Ohio native that ran at Oak Hills High School. While at St. Xavier, he frequented the 3000-meter and set a personal best of 9:07.14 at the Chicagoland Championships. He was one of Oak Hills' most decorated runners earning several honors his senior, year including All-City, All-District, All-Region, and All-Conference. His greatest high school achievements include a first-place finish in the 3200-meter in the district finals and a 10^th-place finish in the 3200-meter at the State Championships.

Jess Adamson
Adamson is one of the most decorate high school field athletes to join the men's track team. He has been the most dominant shot put and discus thrower in Georgetown (OH) High School history. He is a three-time 1st-team field athlete in the Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference. He was named the Field Event Athlete of the Year by the SBAAC in 2011 and 2012. In his senior season, he placed third in the shot put at the state championships. He has two school records at Georgetown in discus and shot put with marks of 155'9" and 65'5",respectively.  His shot put record, which is also a Greater Cincinnati record, was set at the Midwest Meet of Champions.

Austin Eibel
Eibel is a versatile track & field athlete and will contribute in several events for the Norse. He is best suited in hurdles and the high jump. In his senior year at St. Henry District High School in Erlanger, Ky., he placed fourth during the state finals in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 41.93. This was after he placed first in the event during the Regional Championships. He also finished third at state in the 110-meter hurdles, setting a personal best time of 15.96. Eibel also has a personal best in the high jump of 6'2".

Branan Foster
Foster competed in the 400-meter dash, long jump, and triple jump during his time at Sycamore High School in Cincinnati. He ran a personal best in the 400-meter his senior year, during the Greater Miami Conference Championships with a time of 50.12. He also set a personal best in the long jump during that same meet with a mark of 19'11.5". Foster set a personal best in the triple jump at the Wayne Invitational with a mark of 39'9.5". In his senior year, he earned a 5^th-place spot at the OHSAA District Championships in the 400-meter and 14^th-place in the long jump.

Danny Keller
Another thrower to join the Norse this season comes out of Turpin High School in Cincinnati. Keller is a well balanced thrower in shot put and discus. He has a personal best in the discus of 144' which he threw at the OHSAA District Championships his junior year.  In his senior season, he placed third in both shot put and discus at the districts. While at the OHSAA Regional Championships, he placed sixth in the shot put. He was named All-Academic for the Eastern Cincinnati Conference.

Logan Lucas
Lucas is a sprinter and middle-distance runner from Georgetown (OH) High School. He was a captain of the track & field team his senior year. He ran a personal best in the 400meter of 57.23 during the OHSAA District Championships his senior year. He finished in 8^th-place in the event and earned 12^th-place in the 800-meter. He has a personal best of 24.69 in the 200-meter dash, which he ran during the Western Brown Invitational his senior season.

Bannon Swartz
The third Georgetown (OH) High School athlete to join the Norse is Bannon Swartz. He was the fellow shot put and discus thrower to Adamson. He earned 7^th-place during the OHSAA Regional Championships in discus with a mark of 148' which was just one inch off of his personal best that he set at the District Championships. He set a personal best in shot put at districts as well, with a mark of 39'10". He was named first-team All-SBAAC for discus his senior season.

This class will be an addition to the early signees for the men' cross country and track & field teams as seen in the story below..
http://www.nkunorse.com/news/2013/2/7/MXC_0207134445.aspx?path=mcross

The Norse finished the 2012-13 season in sixth place in the A-Sun in cross country and track & field. The team rallied behind the strong performances of J.J. Webber, who earned All-Conference honors in cross country.  The cross country season begins on August 31^st at the Flyer 5K, hosted by the University of Dayton.