TOLEDO, Ohio - University of Toledo Head Men's Golf Coach Jeff Roope announced the signing of Michael Distefano (Maumee, Ohio) and Maxim McKenzie (Chilliwack, B.C.) to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday. The duo will begin attending the University of Toledo in the 2026-27 academic year.

Distefano was a first-team all-district and all-league selection for Anthony Wayne High School and helped the Generals to a state title as a sophomore. He also tied for sixth at the AJGA Northwestern Holding Junior Open (74-67-71) that was held at Sylvania Country Club this past summer.

"We are absolutely thrilled that Michael has chosen to remain close to home and become a part of our program," Roope said. "He has an unbelievable amount of talent and has shown that during his time at Anthony Wayne High School and in his junior career. Michael has a boatload of raw talent and it's going to be nice to see him grow and develop just like some our other Toledo-area players have done in the past few seasons."

McKenzie has enjoyed a strong amateur career in western Canada and produced numerous Top 10 showings. He finished first at the 2025 NextGen Pacific Championship (69-71-66) and 2025 Junior Players Tour (72-68-64) and second at the 2025 British Columbia Men's Amateur Championship (70-72-67-64) and 2025 Sonoran Amateur (70-69-68). He also tied for second the British Columbia Junior Boys Championship (68-71-70), tied for fourth at the 2025 Canadian Junior Championship (71-69-70-69), and fourth at the 2024 British Columbia Men's Amateur (67-71-70-68).

"Maxim is a complete grinder who has proven to be a winner," Roope said. "He's a guy that can go low and competes for titles. He has a high level of self-belief and really knows how to put up red numbers. It was readily apparent during his visit that he was chomping at the bit to be a Rocket even though he had a plethora of opportunities. We could not be more thrilled to be a part of our program."