Senior Hanne Bastiaansen was featured on the Excellence Team for the third straight season.

Women's Track & Field 6/30/2026 12:35:00 PM Cooper Weidenthaler, Assistant Director for Media Relations

Women's Indoor Track & Field Has School Record 34 All-Academic Honorees

The women's track and field squad had a program-best 27 Excellence Team recipients.

DETROIT -- The 2025-26 Wayne State University women's indoor track and field squad set a program record with 34 GLIAC All-Academic honorees, which included 27 All-Academic Excellence Team recipients breaking that previous school mark of 25 set in 2024-25. Over the last six years, 156 members of the women's indoor track and field team have earned Academic All-GLIAC recognition.

Criteria states that student-athlete must be an active member on their respective sport roster at the end of the season, and not a true freshman or a first-year transfer student.

Grade-point averages listed are calculated through the fall semester since that was the last grading period before the season ended.

The aforementioned 27 student-athletes named to the All-Academic Excellence Team for maintaining a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.5 were senior Hanne Bastiaansen (Tessenderlo, Belgium / KS Diest), junior Tianna Bennett (Howell, Mich.), junior Nevaeh Branson (Mason, Mich.), graduate student Richelle Cotter (Mt. Morris, Mich. / Flint Carman-Ainsworth), redshirt senior Jessica Denver (Imlay City, Mich. / [Catawba]), sophomore Annalise Elliott (Sparta, Mich. / Cedar Springs), sophomore Remi Flanz (Eastpointe, Mich. / Fraser [MMSTC]), junior Anna Gdowski (Northville, Mich.), graduate student Emily Gordon (Northville, Mich.), senior Sarah Greb (Washington, Mich. / Romeo), graduate student Peyton Hansen (Freeland, Mich.), sophomore Alex Harmer (Woodstock, Ont. / Huron Park S.S.), graduate student Taylor Hopkins (Sanford, Mich. / Meridian [Northwood]), senior Emmanuela Johnson (Clinton Township, Mich. / Chippewa Valley), junior Gracie Klink (Capac, Mich.), sophomore Paige McArdle (Davison, Mich.), senior Aubrey Migoski (Wyandotte, Mich. / Roosevelt), senior Elyse Miller (Woodhaven, Mich. / Gibraltar Carlson), junior Rachel Overgaard (Ypsilanti, Mich. / Ann Arbor Huron), sophomore Emilee Rudlaff (Kalamazoo, Mich. / Central), senior Idalia Shadhaya (Bloomfield Hills, Mich. / Sterling Heights-Career Prep Center), senior Annabelle Smith (Blissfield, Mich. / [Willamette]), sophomore Ava Steinhebel (Dearborn, Mich. / Edsel Ford), junior Makayla Stewart (Novi, Mich.), junior Sasha-Gay Thompson (Plymouth/Shantamee, Jamaica/Titchfield), senior Avery Wilson (Davison, Mich.), and sophomore Megan Zahnow (Vicksburg, Mich.).

The numbers were split almost evenly, with nine Warriors recognized for the first time, nine for the second-straight season, and eight for a third-consecutive year. That leaves just one that was recognized for the fourth-straight year, which was Gordon (Nursing - 3.55).

The nine that were first-year eligible were Denver (Environmental Science - 3.76), Elliott (Communication Sciences & Disorders - 3.88), Flanz (Computer Science - 3.91), Harmer (Nursing - 3.89), Hopkins (MBA - 3.63), McArdle (Exercise & Sport Science - 4.00), Rudlaff (Nursing - 4.00), Steinhebel (Exercise & Sport Science - 4.00), and Zahnow (Exercise & Sport Science - 3.91). Both Denver and Hopkins were eligible for the first time after transferring. The nine that were honored for back-to-back seasons were Bennett (Applied Health Sciences - 3.50), Branson (Psychology - 3.68), Gdowski (Exercise & Sport Science - 3.63), Hansen (master's degree in History - 3.55), Klink (Criminal Justice - 3.52), Overgaard (Biological Sciences - 3.82), Smith (Political Science - 3.90), Stewart (Global Supply Chain Management Honors - 3.94), and Thompson (Finance - 3.74). Klink was elevated to the Excellence Team for the first time in her collegiate career after being on the All-Academic Team a season ago.

WSU's eight that were on the Excellence Team for a third-straight season were Bastiaansen (Management - 3.89), Cotter (master's in Exercise & Sport Science - 3.89), Greb (Exercise & Sport Science - 3.75), Johnson (Public Affairs Honors - 3.83), Migoski (Nursing - 3.88), Miller (Exercise & Sport Science - 3.51), Shadhaya (Nursing - 3.93), and Wilson (Nutrition & Food Science - 3.97).

The seven student-athletes earning All-Academic Team accolades for maintaining a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0-3.49 were senior Rachel Felstow (Leonard, Mich. / Romeo), sophomore Olivia Findlay (Marlette, Mich.), sophomore Sydney Smith (Davison, Mich.), redshirt junior Keneisha Thomas (Madison Heights, Mich. / Lamphere), sophomore Ania Toboy (Wyandotte, Mich. / Roosevelt), junior Nicole Warren (Saline, Mich.), and sophomore Lauren Wooten (Grand Blanc, Mich.).

A quartet of sophomores, including Findlay (Nursing - 3.49), Smith (Nursing - 3.47), Toboy (Finance - 3.37), and Wooten (Psychology - 3.11), all were first-year eligible. Warren (Biomedical Engineering - 3.37) was honored for a second-straight season. Thomas (Biological Sciences - 3.33) collected her second award, but first on the All-Academic Team after being on the Excellence Team last year. That leaves Felstow (Biological Sciences - 3.49), who was included for a third-consecutive campaign.

The women's track and field team had a cumulative term GPA of 3.609 for the Winter 2026 semester, with 27 Warriors included on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll for a term GPA of 3.5 or better. Seven members of the Green and Gold achieved a perfect 4.0 term GPA.

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Players Mentioned

Hanne Bastiaansen: Sprints; 5' 5"; Senior; 4-Indoor/3-Outdoor

Tianna Bennett: Sprints; 5' 7"; Junior; 3-Indoor/3-Outdoor

Nevaeh Branson: Jumps; 5' 5"; Junior; 1-Indoor/2-Outdoor

Richelle Cotter: Hurdles; 5' 5"; Graduate Student; 2-Indoor/3-Outdoor

Jessica Denver: Mid-Distance; 5' 3"; Redshirt Senior; 2-Indoor/2-Outdoor

Annalise Elliott: Mid-Distance; 5' 7"; Sophomore; 1-Indoor/1-Outdoor

Rachel Felstow: Mid-Distance; 5' 8"; Senior; 4-Indoor/3-Outdoor

Olivia Findlay: Jumps; 5' 9"; Sophomore; 1-Indoor/1-Outdoor

Remi Flanz: Distance; 5' 9"; Sophomore; 1-Indoor/1-Outdoor

Anna Gdowski: Mid-Distance; 5' 8"; Junior; 3-Indoor/2-Outdoor

Players Mentioned

Hanne Bastiaansen
: 5' 5"; Senior; 4-Indoor/3-Outdoor
: Sprints

Tianna Bennett
: 5' 7"; Junior; 3-Indoor/3-Outdoor
: Sprints

Nevaeh Branson
: 5' 5"; Junior; 1-Indoor/2-Outdoor
: Jumps

Richelle Cotter
: 5' 5"; Graduate Student; 2-Indoor/3-Outdoor
: Hurdles

Jessica Denver
: 5' 3"; Redshirt Senior; 2-Indoor/2-Outdoor
: Mid-Distance

Annalise Elliott
: 5' 7"; Sophomore; 1-Indoor/1-Outdoor
: Mid-Distance

Rachel Felstow
: 5' 8"; Senior; 4-Indoor/3-Outdoor
: Mid-Distance

Olivia Findlay
: 5' 9"; Sophomore; 1-Indoor/1-Outdoor
: Jumps

Remi Flanz
: 5' 9"; Sophomore; 1-Indoor/1-Outdoor
: Distance

Anna Gdowski
: 5' 8"; Junior; 3-Indoor/2-Outdoor
: Mid-Distance