Six Athletes Sign NLI's With Michigan Tech

HOUGHTON, Mich. - Michigan Tech head coach Joe Haggenmiller announced that six athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to join the cross country, Nordic skiing and track and field teams.

"I am really excited to have these six athletes join our program next season," said Haggenmiller. "They are all tremendous athletes and have a bright future ahead of them."

Brendan Banker is a four-time all-state selection in the high jump who capped his career by winning the Michigan Div. III state title. The Petersburg, Mich., native has a personal-best of 6-6 in the high jump and earned most valuable player honors at Ida High School. He also competed in the hurdles and was a member of the basketball team.

The Huskies also signed a pair of athletes from Alaska.

Jani Lane was an Alaskan state champion in both track and field and Nordic skiing during his career at Service High School. He recently finished 11th in the 800-meter run at the US Junior Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. Lane ran the fastest time in the state of Alaska in the 800 (1:51.82) to win the 4A state title. He was also a member of the mixed technique relay that won the state crown in Nordic skiing. Lane finished eighth in the 7.5-kilometer classic race and 11th in the 10-kilometer freestyle race.

Kyle Barnhart was a teammate of Lane's at Service High School. He finished 10th in the 7.5-kilometer classic race and 13th in the 10-kilometer freestyle race at the Alaska state ski meet. Barnhart also posted a pair of top-10 finishes at the 2011 US Junior Olympic National Championships. He finished seventh in the classic relay and ninth in the 15-kilometer classic race.

Bradon Kampstra was an accomplished distance runner at Middleton (Wis.) High School. He finished 54th at the state cross country meet to lead the Cardinals to a 17th place team finish. Kampstra also finished 21st in the 1,600-meter run at the state meet in 4:29.62 and was a member of the 1600-meter relay that finished 13th in 3:25.33. He also served as team captain and earned all-conference honors twice.

Marie Mets competed in the sprints and jumps at Romeo Senior (Mich.) High School. She has posted personal bests of 1:03.5 in the 400-meter dash and 15-3 in the long jump. Mets was a two-time all-county selection and a two-time team captain. She was also a member of the basketball and cross country teams.

Danielle Brzezinski was a standout sprinter at Traverse City West Senior (Mich.) High School. She ran personal bests of 27.3 in the 200-meter dash and 1:02.3 in the 400-meter dash. Brzezinski also participated in cross country where she ran a personal best of 21:48 in the 5,000-meters.