Kleese signs to run at Wartburg

Finding a college that fits one's mind's eye is always a process.

One vital link in that process may be finding the college coach who is similiar to one's high school coach.

Lincoln Kleese signed a letter of intent Friday at Washington High School to run track at Wartburg College.

What swayed him to make that choice was the coach, Marcus Newsom.

'I was talking to him on my first visit in August and that convinced me that the track family there was one of the best in the nation,” Kleese said. 'Coach Newsom has a very outgoing personality. He makes everybody seem like family. He is a really nice guy. (Washington) Coach (Steve) Roth is kind of the same way. I saw some of Coach Roth in him and I think that was really important.”

Newsom began his tenure in 1998-99 after serving as an assistant from 1995 to 1998. He's received 16 USTFCCCA Division III Central Region outdoor and indoor Coach of the Year honors to his resume along with the national awards. He has won nine Men's Outdoor Track and Field IIAC Championships and 18 Women's Outdoor Track and Field IIAC Championships and coached 537 All-Americans.

'I considered Iowa, Central and then Wartburg,” Kleese said. 'I went to Coe for a football camp but it wasn't an official visit.”

Kleese wants to major in exercise science and become a physical therapist or a personal trainer or something along those lines.

'The campus, the people, the coaching staff, everything about it was very appealing to me,” Kleese said of Wartburg. 'I didn't really see myself going anywhere else after I visited there.”

Roth sees an unlimited amount of potential in Kleese.

'I think his maturity is just now kicking in,” Roth said. 'I think he is going to have an outstanding college career because he is dedicated. The main thing is he wants to do it. College is totally different. Commitment level is different but I think Lincoln has that. I am anxious to watch him over the next four years. I think he just needs to get bigger. They will work on that. He has only spent the last five months with lifting since January but in college he will have a good eight months to spend working on his talent. It makes a person a lot better when you can spend that kind of time working on your talent. I think his talent has just touched the iceberg.”

Because Roth has had athletes become Knights, he is famaliar with Coach Newsom.

'The coach at Wartburg is an outstanding coach,” Roth said. 'It is well known for college and track and field.”

Wartburg athletics have been dominant for a long time in Division III.

'That was exciting for me to hear,” Kleese said. 'Knowing that I can be a part of that was a deciding factor for me.”