MARQUETTE – The Northern Michigan University men’s soccer team announced its first recruiting class Monday with the team’s inaugural season beginning this fall.

The Wildcats signed 20 players with 15 being high school seniors and the other five transfer students. Four incoming players are from Michigan, all from the Lower Peninsula.

Three of the Michigan players are high school seniors.

Brandon DeSmyter is a midfielder from DeWitt, who earned second team all-state, all-district and all-league honors; Ben Hoffman is a forward from Petoskey, who helped his team to a district title and was on the all-district, all-region and all-state second teams; and Brad Taalman is a defenseman from Hudsonville, who earned all-district and all-conference honors.

Carson Burmeister from Grayling is the transfer student. He comes to the Wildcats from the NAIA program at Spring Arbor University after playing at Grayling and Traverse City Nordstrom. He earned all-state honors as a junior and senior at Grayling.

Other signees included Daniel Hedstrom from Hermantown, Minnesota, who was the Class A Mr. Soccer award winner; Eric Suess, a defenseman from Germany; and Brin Lapuh, who comes to NMU from NAIA school Grand View University and is a native of Slovenia.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Writer Ryan Stieg. His email address is rstieg@miningjournal.net.