Incoming Class Announced for Women's Track and Field, Cross Country
7/5/2017 1:33:00 PM | Women's Cross Country, Women's Track & Field
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Head coach James Henry, associate head coach Mike McGuire and the University of Michigan women's track and field and cross country program announced on Wednesday (July 5) the full contingent of 20 student-athletes who represent the first incoming class to compete and train in the team's brand new, world-class facility scheduled to open this winter.
In addition to eight women who signed National Letters of Intent in 2016 -- Mallory Barrett, Camille Davre, Chloe Foster, Alice Hill, Emma Lane, Lauren Morgan, Jacalyn Overdier and Micaiah Thomas -- 11 more women have committed to joining the Wolverines starting in the 2017-18 academic year.
Henry, McGuire and the rest of the program are excited to welcome into the U-M family transfers Audrey Belf and Margaret Sliney, and incoming freshmen Haley Click, Akili Echols, Carola Jansohn, Alexis Munley, Raquel Powers, Jenna Reid, Julia Sullivan, Julia Vanitvelt, and Emily Wall.
"It's exciting to see such a large class, such a balanced class and such a high-quality class in terms of both academics and athletics," Henry said. "I believe many of these student-athletes should help us immediately heading into the next season."
All told, those 20 women combined to win 22 high school state titles in track and field and/or cross country, with no fewer than seven among them having competing at the prestigious New Balance National track and field meet either indoors and/or outdoors.
With the addition of Belf, who transferred from Georgetown after two years, the 2018 Wolverines roster now includes all of the five of the fastest milers in Michigan high school history: Hannah Meier, Haley Meier, Belf, Erin Finn and Rachel Coleman.
"They're all outstanding students who fit our academic profile, and I felt we did a good job of balancing the class, addressing some event-area needs and solidifying some areas that are already strong," McGuire said. "We have a good balance of people who we think are motivated to succeed here over the next few years both in the classroom and in competition."
The incoming class will contribute to a tradition of success that continued to expand during the 2016-17 academic year. From coming within one point of the NCAA team title during the cross country season, to six total Big Ten individual titles, first-team All-Americans in three events and Jaimie Phelan's historic outdoor national title at 1,500 meters on the track, Michigan was at the forefront of the national scene for the duration of the past year.
Not only will this class be adding to the long, storied legacy of Michigan track and field and cross country, they will also be part of the newest chapter of that story as the first class to compete and train for the full duration of their collegiate careers in the state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor facilities set to open this winter.
"The new facility definitely entered into the conversation and they followed the progress of it," McGuire said. "It was definitely a contributing factor, but I still think the biggest factor is the opportunity to get an education from the University of Michigan."
They will have the advantage of utilizing the nation's only indoor facility that features both a hydraulically banked 200-meter track that features the same surface as that used for the track at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Portland, Oregon, and a 300-meter practice track running along the inner perimeter of the facility.
The building will also feature large, open-air throwing bays on the south side of the facility in addition to spacious runways for pole vaulting and jumps events.
Information on all 20 incoming recruits can be found below.
Mallory Barrett -- Highland, Michigan -- Highland-Milford High School -- Mid-Distance
2017 state champion and three-time state finalist at 800 meters ... Two-time competitor at New Balance Nationals ... Two-time top-10 finisher and four-time competitor at cross country state championships ... Sister of current Michigan distance runner Rachel Barrett.
Audrey Belf -- Bloomfield Hills, Mich. -- Georgetown transfer / Birmingham Seaholm High School -- Distance
Two-time state champion in cross country, two-time state champion at 3,200 meters, and part of a winning 4x800 relay team ... Ranks second all-time in Michigan high school history at 3,200 meters, fifth at 1,600 meters and second at 5,000 meters ... Three-time scorer at Big East Championship meets.
Haley Click -- Lake Forest, Ill. -- Lake Forest High School -- Sprints/Hurdles
Finished eighth in the 300-meter hurdles at the 2017 state championships ... Finished fourth in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2017 USATF Youth Championships
Camille Davre -- Milwaukee, Wisc. -- Whitefish Bay High School -- Mid-Distance
Only the fifth girl in Wisconsin state championships history to win 10 career state titles with a sweep of the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter titles at the 2017 state championships ... Won 2017 New Balance Nationals indoor emerging elite 800-meter title ... Finished no worse than fourth at cross country state championships in four appearances and never finished lower than fourth in any meet
Akili Echols -- Farmington Hills, Mich. -- Farmington High School -- Sprints
Finished top-15 at the state championships seven times ... Finished seventh over 100 meters at the 2016 State Championships ... New Balance Nationals competitor.
Chloe Foster -- Ann Arbor, Mich. -- Ann Arbor Skyline High School -- Sprints
2017 state runner-up in the 300-meter hurdles, finished eighth over 400 meters at the 2016 state meet, and competed in the emerging elite 800 meters at the 2016 New Balance Nationals ... Has competed at New Balance Nationals in 400-meter hurdles, 400 meters, 800 meters, and the 4x400 relay.
Alice Hill -- Ann Arbor, Mich. -- Ann Arbor Pioneer High School -- Mid-Distance
The 11th-fastest Michigan high school girl ever at 800 meters to finish sixth at the 2016 New Balance Nationals outdoor meet ... Fastest 800-meter senior in the state of Michigan to finish third at state championships ... 2016 state runner-up outdoors and indoor state champion at 800 meters ... Took fourth in the 300-meter hurdles at states in 2015.
Carola Jansohn -- Rochester Hills, Mich. -- Rochester Adams High School -- Mid-Distance
Three-time top-10 finisher over 800 meters at the state championships, placing as high as fifth in 2016 and sixth in 2017
Emma Lane -- Mentor, Ohio -- Mentor High School -- Sprints
Finished third- and second-place in the past two outdoor state championships at 400 meters, and finished first and second at the indoor state championships in the last two seasons ... New Balance Nationals indoor competitor.
Lauren Morgan -- Bladensburg, Md. -- Elizabeth Seton High School -- Sprints
Eight-time individual champion in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference at 100 and 200 meters, having never lost a race at that level ... Multiple-time individual and relay competitor at New Balance Nationals both indoors and outdoors.
Alexis Munley -- Clarkston, Mich. -- Waterford Mott High School -- Mid-Distance
Finished sixth over 800 meters at 2014 state championships and ran legs of a pair of top-three 4x800 relay teams, including one that finished third at New Balance Nationals ... Sister of current Michigan women's mid-distance runner Courtney Munley
Jacalyn Overdier -- Ann Arbor, Mich. -- Ann Arbor Pioneer High School -- Mid-Distance
Three-time top-10 finisher at either 1,600 or 3,200 meters at the state championships, and also ran a leg of a winning 4x800 relay ... 21st-fastest senior in the nation at 1,500 meters after competing at New Balance Nationals ... Ran a leg of a third-place 4x800 relay team at New Balance Nationals ... Two-time top-40 finisher in cross country
Raquel Powers -- Newport Beach, Calif. -- Corona Del Mar High School -- Distance
19th-place finisher at state cross country championships in 2016 ... Four-time top-10 finisher at the Southern Sectional meet on the track at the 1,600- and 3,200-meter distances
Jenna Reid -- Middletown, N.J. -- Middletown North High School -- Sprints/Hurdles
Finished third at the 2017 NJSIAA Meet of Champions in the 400-meter hurdles with the fifth-fastest time in the nation among high school seniors ... Won the indoor 400 meters title at the 2017 group championships as well as the 2016 400-meter hurdles title ... Top-15 finisher in the 400-meter hurdles at New Balance Nationals.
Margaret Sliney -- St. Louis, Mo. -- Bucknell transfer / Mary institute and St. Louis Country Day School -- Long Sprints/Mid-Distance
Ran a leg of the winning 4x800 and distance medley relays at the 2017 Patriot League Championships ... 2016 state champion and Great Southwest Classic winner at 400 meters ... Finished 11th over 800 meters at the 2015 state championships
Julia Sullivan -- Thousand Oaks, Calif. -- Oaks Christian High School -- Mid-Distance
A five-time top-six finisher in individual events at the state Southern Section finals between the 400- and 800-meter events ... Ran on a pair of winning 4x400 relay teams in the Southern Section.
Michaiah Thomas -- Beverly Hills, Mich. -- Detroit Country Day School -- Sprints/Hurdles
State champion in the 100-meter hurdles from 2015 ... 2017 State runner-up in the 300-meter hurdles and ran the fastest time of the prelims in the 100-meter hurdles ... USATF Michigan Association Junior Olympic Championships 400-meter hurdles winner.
Julia Vanitvelt -- Grand Blanc, Mich. -- Flint Powers Catholic High School -- Mid-Distance
Two-time third-place finisher at the state championships over 1,600 meters in each of the past two years ... Ran a leg of the winning 4x800 relay team at the 2016 state championships ... Two-time top-10 finisher at the state cross country championships, including a fifth-place showing in 2016.
Emily Wall -- Midland, Mich. -- Midland Dow High School -- Mid-Distance
Two-time top-10 finisher over 800 meters at the state championships with eighth- and ninth-place finishes the past two years ... Finished third at the 2016 indoor state meet over 800 meters, and ran a leg of the 2017 runner-up outdoor 4x800 relay team.
Players Mentioned
