Wolverines Announce Women's Track and Field 2020-21 Incoming Class
8/20/2020 12:05:00 PM | Women's Track & Field
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Head coaches James Henry and Jerry Clayton of the University of Michigan track and field program announced Thursday (Aug. 20) the full group of 11 student-athletes that makes up one of the nation's most competitive women's recruiting classes for the 2020-21 academic year.
Led by multiple-time Gatorade State Girls Track and Field Players of the Year in Katelynn Hart (Illinois) and Ziyah Holman (District of Columbia), the 10 first-year collegians and one transfer will bolster the Wolverines' depth both on the track and in the field.
Joining Hart and Holman as first-year collegians are Briana Bredeweg, Morgan Flynn, Mia Manson, Clare McNamara, Lucy Petee, Simone Roberts, Jaden Theis and Hannah Waller. Michigan also added Hanna Hearn from Eastern Michigan via transfer.
The talented class will convene in Ann Arbor from coast-to-coast and numerous points in between. In addition to the state of Michigan, the group hails from states and commonwealths as far flung as California, Colorado, Georgia, Mississippi, Virginia and Iillinois, as well as the District of Columbia.
In addition to her three consecutive Gatorade awards, Holman has already established herself internationally as one of the brightest young sprinters in the world. In 2019 she ran a leg of the world-record 4x400 relay team to win the Pan-American U20 Championships and individually finished the year ranked No. 13 globally at 400 meters among U20 athletes.
Hart claimed three Gatorade awards in track and field and three more in cross country, cementing her position as one of the premier distance runners in the nation. During her prep career she not only won a New Balance Nationals title in the mile, she also notched eight more top-five finishes at national championship meets. Among those are four top-four finishes in the hyper-competitive national cross country meets.
Hart and Holman -- who claimed the 2019 Brooks PR Invitational title -- are among three in the class who have won national-caliber high school competitions. They are joined by pole vaulter Manson, who has twice won age group titles at the USATF National Junior Olympic Championships.
Eight of the women in the class have combined to win 40 state championship titles, including 16 from Holman, 11 from Hart and five by Waller.
Bree Bredeweg
Pole Vault | Allendale, Mich. | Allendale HS
2018 MHSAA Division 2 State Finals champion in the pole vault ... Three-time top-three state finisher in the pole vault, with an additional third-place finish in the 2019 4x400 relay ... Finished third at the D2 State Finals in the pole vault in both 2019 and 2017
Morgan Flynn
Pole Vault | Laguna Niguel, Calif. | Aliso Niguel HS
Two-time top-eight finisher in the pole vault at the CIF State Championship Finals ... Took sixth at the 2018 championships and eighth at the 2019 championships ... one of just 45 girls nationwide in 2019 to clear at least 13 feet in the pole vault
Katelynne Hart
Distance | Glen Ellyn, Ill. | Glenbard West HS
2018 New Balance Nationals Indoor champion in the mile, eight-time top-five national finisher and seven-time IHSA 3A state champion at 800 meters, 1,600 meters and 3,200 meters ... 10th-fastest girl in high school history at two miles ... Six-time Gatorade Illinois Girls Athlete of the Year between track and cross country, including as a national finalist in cross country in 2017 ... Two-time national runner-up at the Foot Locker National Championships in 2017 and 2018, to go along with a fourth-place finish in 2019... Three-time top-20 finisher at Nike Cross Nationals, finishing fourth in 2017, 16th in 2018 and 18th in 2016.
Hanna Hearn
Sprints | Laurel, Miss. | Brefeuf Jesuit Prep HS | Eastern Michigan (Transfer)
Attended and competed for Eastern Michigan during the 2019-2020 season, and will come to Michigan with a full four years of outdoor eligibility and three seasons of indoor eligibility ... Finished fifth in the 60-meter final at the 2020 Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships ... In high school, finished seventh at the 2019 IHSAA State Championships over 100 meters and fourth at the Midwest Meet of Champions ... Won a state title in the 4x100 relay at the 2018 IHSAA State Championships
Ziyah Holman
Sprints | Hyattsville, Md. | Georgetown Day School HS
Broke the world U20 record while running a leg of the gold-medal winning 4x400 relay for Team USA at the 2019 Pan-American U20 Championships ... 2019 Brooks PR Invitational Champion in the 400m ... Bronze medalist at the 2019 USATF U20 Junior National Championships ... Ranked 13th globally at the U20 level over the 400 meter distance ... Three-time Gatorade State Track and Field Athlete of the Year for the District of Columbia ... Won 16 DCSAA state titles throughout her high school career, placing in the top five each of the 28 times she competed at the state level
Mia Manson
Pole Vault | Superior, Colo. | Monarch HS
2019 USATF National Junior Olympics (17-18 age division) gold medalist in the pole vault and 2017 USATF Junior Olympics (15-16 age division) gold medalist ... Ninth at New Balance Nationals Indoors in the pole vault in 2018 ... Three-time CHSAA 5A state champion in the pole vault
Clare McNamara
Jumps | Northville, Mich. | Northville HS
2018 MHSAA Division 1 state champion in the long jump ... Three-time top-five finisher at the state meet between the long jump and 400 meters, with an additional five top-10 finishes between the 4x200, 4x400 and 4x800 relays
Lucy Petee
Distance | Mason, Mich. | Mason HS
Won the 800 meters at the 2020 MITS Indoor State Finals in a 2:10.87 that ranked her 12th nationally, per Milesplit, and No. 6 in state history among high school girls, per MichTrack ... Three-time MHSAA Division 2 State Finals qualifier in cross country
Simone Roberts
Sprints | Stone Mountain, Ga. | Greater Atlanta Christian HS
Won GHSA 3A state titles in 2019 in both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays, and took fourth over 200 meters ... Also finished top-five at 200 meters in 2018 with a fifth-place finish ... Qualified for the 2019 USATF National Junior Olympic Championships at 400 meters
Jaden Theis
Distance | Lansing, Mich. | Lansing Catholic HS
Finished sixth at the 2018 Foot Locker National Championships in cross country ... MHSAA Division 2 State Finals cross country champion in 2018 ... Two-time eighth-place finisher in the two-mile at New Balance Nationals Outdoors in both 2018 and 2017 ... Ran a leg of the third-place 4xMile relay at the 2018 New Balance Nationals Outdoors
Hannah Waller
Sprints/Jumps | Reston, Va. | South Lakes HS
Eight-time top-10 finisher in championship sections at New Balance Nationals Outdoors in the indoor 60 meters, outdoor 100 meters, indoor and outdoor 200 meters and multiple relays ... Five-time VHSL 6A state champion between the indoor 55 meters (twice), indoor 300 meters, indoor long jump and outdoor triple jump ... Finished top-10 at the indoor or outdoor VHSL 6A Championships in all 22 of her opportunities
