Men's Track & Field/Cross Country Announces Addition of Seven Athletes for 2023

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri track & field and cross country announced the signing of seven athletes who will join the Redhawks roster for the 2023-24 season, the program announced Tuesday.

Marcus Gordon Jr., Myles Thornburg, Cade McCadams, Gregory Dennis, Maxwell Zeisler, Paden Lewis, and Trystan Wright will all step on campus this Fall.

The first cross country meet of the season will be on Friday, September 1, at the Osage Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo. with the women starting at 6:15 p.m. and the men at 6:45 p.m.

Marcus Gordon Jr.
A Westerville, Ohio-native, Marcus Gordon Jr. joins the Redhawks track & field squad after graduating from Westerville Central High School in 2023.

The son of Marcus Gordon Sr. and Michelle Gordon, Marcus competed in the 60-meter hurdles, 110-meter hurdles, and the 300-meter and 400-meter hurdles for head coaches Jason Loughman and Khalil Ali.

Gordon notched a career best 8.07 in the 60-meter hurdles,  a 14.02 in the 110-meter hurdles, and a 38.37 in the 300-meter hurdles.

He received the Westerville Central MVP sprinter award during his sophomore and senior seasons, along with winning the coaches award in his junior and senior campaigns.

During his time, his team won the 2022 indoor Ohio state championships, along with an undefeated 2023 outdoor regular season.

Individually, Gordon Jr. placed third overall at the indoor state meet in the 60-meter hurdles (8.07) and was a conference champion in the 110-meter hurdles and 300-meter hurdles.

Along with track, Gordon Jr. competed in football where he was a three-year varsity letter winner.

In the classroom, Gordon Jr. was a four-year honor roll student, along with being a part of National Honor Society while graduating with honors.

He intends to major in psychology at Southeast.

Myles Thornburg
Myles Thornburg, the son of Bryan Thornburg and Amy Allen-Schuett, comes to Southeast Missouri by way of Liberty, Mo.

Thornburg will graduate from Liberty High School before coming to SEMO and was a four year starter and letterwinner for head coach Robert Marquardt.

His career stats are highlighted by a 4:22 finish in the 1600-meters, a 9:30 in the 3200-meters, a 2:00 800-meter, and a 5000-meter finish in 15:35.

After his Cross Country senior season, Thornburg was selected to the Class 5 Missouri All-State team and was a First Team All-KC Metro selection.

Liberty High School was also the Cross Country conference champion in 2022.

In addition to Cross Country and Track, Thornburg also played soccer for Liberty .

He is undecided on his major at Southeast.

Cade McCadams
Native of nearby Jackson, Mo., Cade McCadams will join the 2023-24 Southeast Missouri track & field team.

The son of Joe and Nickie McCadams started and lettered all four years at Jackson High School for Coach Andrea Talley.

McCadams was a part of four conference championships, two district championships, three state qualifying teams, and a Class 5 fourth place finish at the state competition in 2022.

During his final season at Jackson, McCadams was selected as an All-Conference and All-District athlete, along with qualifying individually for the Class 5 state competition. He finished 45^th overall in the individual state meet.

Cade also competed in swimming and diving during his junior year of high school where he was a state qualifier in the 200-meter medley relay, where he finished 11^th.  He is also set the Jackson High School 200-meter medley relay record.

McCadams was a four-year honor roll selection, and was a member of National Honor Society.

He intends to study Biology/Pre-Med at Southeast Missouri.

Gregory Dennis
A native of Cape Girardeau, Mo., Gregory Dennis will join the track & field squad after graduating from Notre Dame Regional High School in 2023.

The son of Greg and Tracy Dennis, Greg competed in the 110-meter hurdles, high jump, the 4x100-meter relay, and the long jump for head coach Ryan Long at Notre Dame high school.

Dennis started and lettered in three seasons in high school, including setting the school record in the high jump (6' 8.5") and the 110-meter hurdles (15.04).

His results on the track earned him a SEMOBall.com track athlete of the year nomination.

Along with track, Dennis competed in volleyball, basketball, and soccer during his time at Notre Dame high school including having the highest free-throw percentage in the SEMO Conference in 2023.

Dennis plans to major in business administration and management at Southeast.

Maxwell Zeisler
Maxwell Zeisler, a native of Gurnee, Ill., will join the Redhawks cross country team in the fall, along with the track and field squad for the 2023-24 season.

The son of David and Olivia Zeisler, Maxwell will transfer to SEMO after spending his freshman year at PAC-12 member Arizona.

Zeisler graduated from Warren Township High School (Ill.) in 2022 where he lettered and started for three seasons for coaches Brett Heimstead and Josh Williams.

A two-time all-conference and state qualifier, Zeisler competed in the 400-meter relay, 800-meter, and the 1600-meter during his high school career.

He has recorded personal-bests in all three events, beginning with the 400-meter relay turning in a 51-second split, a 1:56 finish in the 800-meter, and a 4:22 1600-meter finish to round out his best events.

In addition to Track & Field/Cross Country, Zeisler played two years of high school basketball. In his off time he enjoys golfing.

Zeisler intends to major in multimedia journalism at Southeast Missouri.

Paden Lewis
Paden Lewis will join the Redhawks track & field squad in 2023-24 after spending the last two seasons at NCAA Division-II Quincy University (Ill.).

The son of Quinn and Cyndi Lewis, Paden is originally from Jefferson City, Mo. And attended North Callaway High School.

During his high school career, Lewis was a three-time Eastern Missouri Conference (EMO) champion, a three-time district champion, a two-time sectional champion, and a one-time Class 3A state champion in shot put.

So far throughout his college career at Quincy, Lewis has competed in shot put (18.03m), discus (51.32m), hammer throw (55.18m), and weight throw (19.84m).

Through two seasons, Lewis has received a Division-II 2^nd Team All-American honor in the shot put. He has won the GLVC Conference shot put championship, along with being the runner up in weight throw, hammer throw, and discus.

In 2022, Lewis was selected as the GLVC Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year along with being the Quincy University Male Athlete of the Year.

In the classroom, Paden Lewis is a two-time All-Academic honor recipient.

Trystan Wright
Trystan Wright will join the Southeast Missouri track & field team in 2023-24 after graduating from Calloway County High School in 2022.

The son of Nick and Jessica Wright, Trystan started and lettered all four years at Calloway County for head coach Mike Wicker. Wright competed in the 110-meter hurdles and the 400-meter hurdles.

During his junior season, Wright was the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) 110-meter hurdles state champion and was awarded first team all-state.

Wright also competed in Kentucky Track and Cross Country Coaches Association (KTCCCA) state meet where he finished first overall in the 60-meter hurdles to become a state champion.

His career best times feature a 14.68 finish in the 110-meter hurdles, a 51.55 indoor 400-meter dash, and a 56.37 in the 400-meter hurdles.

Wright was selected to the KHSAA Academic all-state team as an honorable mention selection following his junior season.

Other than track, Trystan played football at Calloway County High School.

He intends to major in health sciences at Southeast.

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