Sasha-Gay Thompson made a second consecutive appearance on the Excellence Team.

Women's Track & Field 7/15/2026 9:00:00 AM Cooper Weidenthaler, Assistant Director for Media Relations

Women's Outdoor Track and Field Breaks School Record With 35 All-Academic Recipients

The program's old mark was 30, as many Excellence Team members as the squad had in 2025-26.

DETROIT -- The 2026 Wayne State University women's outdoor track and field team set a program record with 35 GLIAC All-Academic honorees, which included 30 All-Academic Excellence Team honorees. Over the last six years, 160 members of the women's outdoor 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 winter semester.

The thirty (30) student-athletes that were included on 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.), redshirt senior Robin Bresolin (LaSalle, Ont. / St. Thomas of Villanova), graduate student Richelle Cotter (Mt. Morris, Mich. / Flint Carman-Ainsworth [UM-Flint]), senior Jessica Denver (Imlay City, Mich. / [Catawba]), sophomore Annalise Elliott (Sparta, Mich. / Cedar Springs), senior Rachel Felstow (Leonard, Mich. / Romeo), sophomore Olivia Findlay (Marlette, Mich.), sophomore Remi Flanz (Eastpointe, Mich. / Fraser [MMSTC]), junior Anna Gdowski (Northville, Mich.), redshirt senior Emily Gordon (Northville, Mich.), graduate student Sarah Greb (Washington, Mich. / Romeo), graduate student Peyton Hansen (Freeland, Mich. / [Siena Heights]), 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 Emily 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.).

A pair of Warriors made it four-straight years on the Excellence Team, including Bresolin (Environmental Science Honors - 3.80) and Gordon (Nursing - 3.53). A further eight student-athletes were included for a third-consecutive season. They were Bastiaansen (Management - 3.86), Cotter (Exercise & Sport Science - 3.71), Greb (Occupational Therapy - 4.00), Johnson (Public Affairs Honors - 3.78), Migoski (Nursing - 3.80), Miller (Exercise & Sport Science - 3.53), Shadhaya (Nursing - 3.94), and Wilson (Nutrition & Food Science - 3.97). Cotter's third straight came after transferring from UM-Flint.

The seven members of the Green and Gold that appeared on the Excellence Team for back-to-back seasons included Branson (Psychology - 3.61), Gdowski (Exercise & Sport Science - 3.70), Hansen (History - 3.66), Overgaard (Biological Sciences - 3.83), Smith (Political Science - 3.85), Stewart (Global Supply Chain Management - 3.94), and Thompson (Finance - 3.75). Hansen was included for a second-straight season after transferring over from Siena Heights. That leaves 13 who were on the Excellence Team for the very first time, including Bennett (Applied Health Sciences - 3.50), Denver (Environmental Science - 3.82), Elliott (Communication Sciences & Disorders - 3.89), Felstow (Biological Sciences - 3.53), Findlay (Nursing - 3.54), Flanz (Computer Science - 3.82), Harmer (Nursing - 3.92), Hopkins (MBA - 3.52), Klink (Criminal Justice - 3.56), McArdle (Exercise & Sport Science - 4.00), Rudlaff (Nursing - 4.00), Steinhebel (Exercise & Sport Science - 3.93), and Zahnow (Exercise & Sport Science - 3.87). Bennett and Klink were on the All-Academic Team last season, while Felstow spent the previous two campaigns on that team before being elevated to the Excellence Team. Denver and Hopkins were eligible for the first time after transferring.

The remaining five Warriors earned All-Academic Team accolades for maintaining a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0-3.49. They were 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.).

The three sophomores of Smith (Nursing - 3.47), Toboy (Finance - 3.37), and Wooten (Psychology - 3.11) all were first-year eligible, with both Thomas (Biological Sciences - 3.33) and Warren (Biomedical Engineering - 3.37) making the grade for a second-straight season.

The women's track and field team as a whole (indoor and outdoor) 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

Robin Bresolin: Mid-Distance; 5' 3"; Graduate Student; 4-Indoor/4-Outdoor

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

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

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

Emily Gordon: Mid-Distance; 5' 7"; Graduate Student; 4-Indoor/4-Outdoor

Sarah Greb: Distance; 5' 4"; Graduate Student; 4-Indoor/4-Outdoor

Peyton Hansen: Throws; 5' 8"; Graduate Student; 1-Indoor/3-Outdoor

Taylor Hopkins: Distance; 5' 7"; Graduate Student; 2-Indoor/2-Outdoor

Aubrey Migoski: Distance; 5' 5"; Senior; 4-Indoor/4-Outdoor

Players Mentioned

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

Robin Bresolin
: 5' 3"; Graduate Student; 4-Indoor/4-Outdoor
: Mid-Distance

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

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

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

Emily Gordon
: 5' 7"; Graduate Student; 4-Indoor/4-Outdoor
: Mid-Distance

Sarah Greb
: 5' 4"; Graduate Student; 4-Indoor/4-Outdoor
: Distance

Peyton Hansen
: 5' 8"; Graduate Student; 1-Indoor/3-Outdoor
: Throws

Taylor Hopkins
: 5' 7"; Graduate Student; 2-Indoor/2-Outdoor
: Distance

Aubrey Migoski
: 5' 5"; Senior; 4-Indoor/4-Outdoor
: Distance