Women's Cross Country 4/13/2026 8:25:00 AM Jeff Weiss, Senior Associate Director of Athletics/Media Relations

Women's Cross Country/Track & Field Adds Three More For 2026-27

DETROIT -- Wayne State University head men's & women's cross country and women's track & field head coach Grant Lofdahl, alogn with assistant coaches Nate Miller and Celine Freeman-Gibb have announced the signing of three additional high school student-athletes who will enroll at WSU this fall.

Sprinter Buife George-Uzonwanne (Oakville, Ont. / Sainte-Trinité Catholic), along with distance runners Becca Jud (Plymouth, Mich. / Salem) and Emma Rudling (Amherstburg, Ont. / North Star) will join the Warriors this fall.

Buife George-Uzonwanne, 5-7, Fr., Oakville, Ont. / Sainte-Trinité Catholic
High School: Will be a 2026 graduate of Sainte-Trinité Catholic High School ... competed for the Wolves and coach Mathew Stewart in the HSSAA (Halton Secondary Schools Athletics Association) ... was an OFSAA Provincial qualifier ... was the 60m gold medalist at the International Youth Meet of Champions ... took sixth place in the 60m Indoor dash at the 2026 U16 & U20 meet in Toronto ... ran a personal-best 7.82 in the prelims ... notched a ninth-place finish in the 200m Indoor dash at the same meet, running a 26.15 (short track) in the finals ... posted a personal-best 200m time of 25.51 at the 2025 meet at Varsity Stadium in Toronto ... best 100m dash time of 12.19 came on the same day as her best 200m time (July 22, 2025) ... ran a 12.10 (wind +2.4) for 100m in June of 2025 at the Track and Field Centre in Toronto ... competes during the summer for the Oakville Renegades Track Club and coach Ted Neptune ... has also participated in soccer and tennis.

Personal: Full name -- Nwanyabuife George-Uzonwanne ... born on November 18, 2008, in Rivers State, Port Harcourt, Nigeria ... daughter of George Uzonwanne and Sylvia Agorua-Uzonwanne ... has two sisters, Crystal and Obiaku ... plans to major in Biomedical Engineering ... first name is prounced BWEE-fay.

Coach Miller on Buife George-Uzonwanne: "We are thrilled to add Buife to the sprints squad this upcoming fall. Buife is a tremendously talented sprinter and has great potential. The team felt her personality fit very well with the team culture. As always, our incomers are great students, and Buife does very well in the classroom."

Becca Jud, 5-10, Fr., Plymouth, Mich. / Salem
High School: Will be a 2026 graduate of Salem High School ... was a three-year cross country letterwinner for coach Katie Carr ... selected as the squad's Most Improved Runner and Sophomore of the Year in 2023 ... named Team MVP as a senior ... ran a personal-best of 18:57.10 for 5,000m at the 2025 MHSAA Division 1 state cross country finals ... placed 10th at the 2024 MHSAA regional cross country meet to qualify for the state finals ... advanced to the state finals as a sophomore after finishing 11th at the regional meet in a season-best time of 19:22.80 ... earned a trip to the MHSAA Division 1 state track meet in the 400m dash as both a sophomore and as a junior ... was second at the regional meet as a sophomore (58.58), and again as a junior (58.89) ... ran the anchor leg on the 4x400m relay at the 2025 state finals ... served as a track and field team captain in 2025 ... attended Hopewell High School in Huntersville, N.C. as a freshman ... finished fifth at the 2022 Queen City Athletic Conference Championships cross country meet ... competes during the summer for the Motor City Track Club.

Personal: Full name -- Rebecca P. Jud ... born on May 20, 2008, in Lincoln, Neb. ... daughter of Ryan and Alli McPhail ... has two brothers, Mouch and Ruey, and three older sisters, Sunday, Mimi and Nyabouy ... plans to major in Nursing.

Coach Lofdahl on Becca Jud: "Becca is a multi-talented runner with tremendous potential. Coach Miller started recruiting her as a long-sprinter after she attended our summer track camp, and seeing her ability and attitude. She had a very nice senior cross country season, and she will run cross for us with a strong focus on speed and the 800 meters during track season. We are excited to watch her continued development."

Emma Rudling, 5-3, Fr., Amherstburg, Ont. / North Star
High School: Will be a 2026 graduate of North Star High School ... won the Senior Girls 6K at the 2025 SWOSSAA (South Western Ontario Secondary School Athletic Association) in 22:27.40, after placing second at the WECSAA (Windsor Essex County Secondary Schools Athletic Association) ... won the 3,000m event at the WECSSAA (10:40.99), then place second at the SWOSSAA (10:48.40) ... set personal-best times of 10:36.65 (3,000m) and 7:28.26 (2K Steeplechase) at the 2025 OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations) West Regionals ... placed second in the 2K Steeplechase at the 2025 Ontario U18 Track & Field Championships ... took first place in the 1,500m run (4:56.68) at the 2025 Canadian Track and Field League event hosted by the Ottawa Lions ... team MVP in both cross country, and track & Field ... received the Athletic Plus Award in 2025 for unity, loyalty, strength through teamwork, being kind and respectful and valuing all abilities and differences ... is a member of the Principal's List (95 percent Average) ... recipient of the 2025 University of Windsor Kinetics Book Award ... competes during the summer for the Windsor Legion Track/Cross Country Team.

Personal: Full name -- Emma O. Rudling ... born on December 26, 2008, in Windsor, Ont. ... daughter of Karey and Heather Rudling ... has a younger sister, Addy ... plans to major in Civil Engineering ... last name is pronounced RUD-ling.

Coach Lofdahl on Emma Rudling: "We are very excited about Emma's potential as a cross country and long distance runner. She works extremely hard and has good versatility at any track event 1500 meters and up. I was able to see her compete at the SWOSSAA Championships last fall, where she defeated some great runners on a tough course to win the title. She will have the opportunity to be a difference maker right away, especially given that as an Ontario high schooler, she brings plenty of experience racing the 6K distance in cross country. This 2026 recruiting class is one of the best in WSU women's cross country history, and Emma is a key part of that."

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