EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana Cross Country/Track & Field Head Coach Mike Hillyard announced the Screaming Eagles' incoming men's recruiting class for the 2026-27 season.
 
The list includes sophomore transfer Jackson Nolan as well as incoming freshmen Brayden Kloeppel, Chaz Oberkfell, Elijah Teefey and Colin Thomas.
 
Jackson Nolan returns to Evansville's Westside after spending his first collegiate season at the University of Louisville.
 
The Reitz High School graduate, who is the younger brother of USI Assistant Coach Austin Nolan and reigning OVC Cross Country Athlete of the Year Alex Nolan, was a three-time state-qualifier on the grass during his prep career. He finished 10th at the IHSAA Cross Country Championships as a senior in 2024 after winning the Mater Dei section and regional meets. He also was ninth at the NXR Midwest Regional Championships.
 
On the track, Nolan finished third in the 3,200 meters at the 2025 IHSAA Outdoor Championships with a personal-best time of eight minutes, 56.33 seconds.
 
At Louisville, Nolan appeared in five meets for the Cardinals during the 2025 cross country season. He was 92nd overall and ran No. 6 for the team at the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships with a personal-best 10k time of 32:45.4, helping the Cardinals advance to the national championship meet for the first time in a decade.
 
Jackson brings personal-best collegiate times to USI in the 3,000 meters (8:19) and the 5,000 meters (14:21.39).
 
Brayden Kloeppel begins his first collegiate season after graduating from O'Fallon High School in O'Fallon, Illinois, where he qualified for the IHSA Class 3A Cross Country Championships four times. He finished 34th at the 2025 state meet after winning the Southwestern Conference title and finishing second at the Belleville regional.
 
On the track, Kloeppel was a three-time state-qualifier in the 3,200 meters. He posted a career-best finish of eighth at the IHSA 3A Track & Field Championships as a junior in 2025 and was 21st in 2026.
 
Kloeppel personal-best times include 9:16.30 in the 3,200 meters, 14:24.23 in the three-mile (XC) and 15:18 in the 5k (XC).
 
Chaz Oberkfell comes to USI from Gillespie High School in Gillespie, Illinois, where he was a two-time IHSA Class 1A champion on the cross country course.
 
On the track, Oberkfell won IHSA Class 1A titles in the 1,600 meters and the 3,200 meters as a senior in 2026. He also carded an eighth-place finish in the 800 meters at the 2026 state meet while helping GHS to a 21st-place finish in the 4x800-meter relay.
 
Oberkfell also won the 1,600 meters and the 3,200 meters at the 2026 Illinois Top Times Challenge during the indoor season. He brings and impressive resume to USI that includes top times in the 800 meters (1:53.73), the 1,600 meters (4:14.66) and the 3,200 meters (8:59.34).
 
Elijah Teefey is a graduate of Pleasant Plains High School in Pleasant Plains, Illinois, where he was a four-time state-qualifier on the grass. Teefey earned a fifth-place finish at the IHSA Class 1A Cross Country Championships as a senior in 2025 after collecting an eighth-place finish in 2024.
 
On the track, Teefey finished third in the 3,200 meters and fifth in the 1,600 meters at the 2026 IHSA Class 1A Championships. He also helped PPHS to a 17th-place finish in the 4x800-meter relay at the 2026 state meet.
 
Teefey qualified for the state meet multiple times throughout his prep career, including an eighth-place finish in the 1,600 meters and a third place showing in the 4x800-meter relay at the 2024 IHSA 1A Track & Field Championships. His personal-bests include 9:23.63 in the 3,200 meters and 14:49 in the three-mile on the cross country course.
 
Colin Thomas rounds out the Screaming Eagles' recruiting class after graduating from Edwardsville High School in Edwardsville, Illinois, where he qualified for the IHSA Class 3A Cross Country Championships twice. Thomas earned his first-career cross country win last fall when he finished first at the IHSA Class 3A Belleville Regional.
 
On the track, was a three-time state-qualifier, including twice in the 4x800-meter relay and once in the 800 meters. He helped lead EHS to a first-place finish in the 4x800-meter relay at the 2026 Illinois Top Times Championships during the indoor season.
 
Thomas brings a personal-best time of 9:21 in the 3,200 meters to USI.
 
"While this is a smaller recruiting class in terms of volume, this is certainly one of the best recruiting classes, pound for pound, that we have assembled," Hillyard said. "We're honored and grateful to have Jackson returning home to join his brothers here at USI. Chaz Oberkfell leads a very strong quartet from Illinois, all of whom we expect to be high impact contributors in the near future. "