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Milwaukee Men Add Seven To 2008 Recruiting Class

Panthers signed five in fall

June 10, 2008

MILWAUKEE - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee head men's swimming coach Dave Griffore has announced the signing of seven high school seniors to National Letters of Intent today.

Jordan Diel of Delafield, Wis., Evan Green of Eau Claire, Wis., Sam Keele of Idaho Falls, Idaho, Jake Koll of Racine, Wis., Alex Mishun of Neenah, Wis., Nathan Rahe of Ballwin, Mo., and Kyle Trelka of Sturgeon Bay, Wis., were all added in the spring signing period and will compete for the Milwaukee swimming and diving team next season.

Diel was home-schooled and did not compete with a high school team, but was a consolation finalist in the 100 butterfly at the YMCA Nationals. He is also a member of the Pabst Farms YMCA Club Team.

"Jordan went under the radar for a lot of schools because he did not swim for a high school team," Griffore said. "He is going to instantly contribute in the Horizon League in the butterfly and will hopefully break school records and contend as a freshman."

Green swam at Eau Claire Memorial High School as a prep and is familiar with UWM swimming - his sister Katie was a four-year member (2003-07) of the women's team at Milwaukee. He earned First Team All-Big Rivers Conference honors in the 200 freestyle, 100 butterfly, 400 free relay and 200 medley relay as a senior, leading his team to a conference title. He swam at the state meet as a senior, placing fifth in the 100 butterfly and also as a member of the 200 medley relay team.

"Evan had a great senior year and developed quite a bit," Griffore said. "He is one of the top butterflyers in the state and at the college level he will develop into a great swimmer and help us out in the butterfly and IM events."

Keele swam at Idaho Falls High School and is an Idaho high school state champion and state record holder in the 100 breaststroke. He also earned Idaho Most Valuable Male High School Swimmer accolades during his high school career. In addition, he was a finalist at YMCA Nationals in the 100 breast in 2008 and qualified for 2005 YMCA-National Long Course Championships in the 50, 100, and 200-meter breaststroke.

Having Koll and Mishun join the UWM diving team will add great depth and talent to the squad, something that the men's team has been looking to continue to develop over the past few seasons. The two have battled each other for state titles in high school the past few years and will now join forces to compete for the same team.

Koll was an all-state diver at Racine Park High School. He was the WIAA D-I State diving runner-up this year, taking second by just 1.5 points. He earned Racine County Athlete of the Year honors for boys' swimming and diving and went undefeated in Southeast Conference dual meets as a senior. Koll also placed seventh at the state meet as a junior.

Mishun was another all-state diver at Neenah High School and earned numerous honors as a prep. He was the WIAA D-I state diving champion as a senior (topping Koll for the crown) in leading his team to an eighth-place finish and also took second at state as a junior. He was named the Appleton Post Crescent Diver of the Year and was also the Fox Valley Association Diver of the Year and first team all-conference as both a senior and a junior.

"Jake will add needed depth to our diving program," Griffore said. "He is one of the top divers in the state of Wisconsin and has a lot of potential. Alex is a state champ here in Wisconsin and adding two of the top divers in the state will allow (diving coach) Todd Hill to do great things with the men's diving team."

Rahe swam for Lafayette High School in Wildwood, Mo., and was a very versatile athlete, holding top times for the squad in five different events as a senior en route to First Team All-Metro honors. Rahe finished fifth in the 200 IM and 15th in the 100 butterfly at the state meet as a senior. That followed winning the consolation final in the 100 butterfly and taking 12th in 200 IM at the state meet during his junior campaign, where he was a Second Team All-Metro selection.

"We are excited that Nathan chose to join our program next fall," Griffore said. "He is a very versatile swimmer that will help us in many areas."

Trelka is an all-state swimmer who competed for the Sturgeon Bay/Southern Door team in high school and was high school teammates with current UWM swimmers Sam Parent and Dennis Knipfer. He won state titles in the 100 freestyle and the 100 backstroke as a senior to cap a fantastic high school career. Trelka also placed eighth in the 200 backstroke and 14th in the 100 freestyle during the YMCA spring nationals earlier this month and placed second in the 100 backstroke at state as a junior.

"We are very fortunate to have a guy like Kyle because he is such a versatile swimmer," Griffore said. "He is a Wisconsin state champion and we always like to keep them here. We are excited that he chose to come to Milwaukee."