National Jr Teamer Hannah Bellard (2023) Makes Verbal Commitment to Michigan

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Hannah Bellard, an Honorable Mention recruit on our Way Too Early list of top girls in the high school class of 2023, has verbally committed to the hometown University of Michigan for 2023-24.

“I am extremely excited to announce my verbal commitment to swim and study at the University of Michigan! A big thank you to my family, friends, and coaches who have supported me through this process!! Go blue!💙〽️”

Bellard lives in Grosse Ile, an island in the Detroit River, which separates Michigan from Ontario, Canada. She is a junior at Grosse Ile High School and swims year-round with Club Wolverine. A two-time USA Swimming Scholastic All-American, she was recently named to the 2021-22 U.S. National Junior Team for her performances in the 800 free and 200 fly this past summer.

She has had a number of strong performances over the past year, in particular, beginning with the Mitten Swim Series-Meet 1 last November where she won all her events and notched lifetime bests in the 50/100/200 free and 200 fly. Her fly time (1:57.12) would have earned her an invite to 2021 NCAA Division I Championships, although it took 1:55.60 to score. A week later, she was competing in LCM at 2020 US Open, swimming the 200/400/800 free and 100/200 fly. She swam the 200 fly at Olympic Trials Wave II, but her most successful meet of the summer was Huntsville Futures. There, she won the 400 free (4:12.61) and 800 free (8:38.84), was runner-up in the 100 fly (1:00.30) and 200 fly (2:10.40), and came in 9th in the 200 back (2:16.04). Her PBs in the 400/800 free and 200 fly met Wave II qualifying standards. Her PB in the 200 back was a Winter US Open cut.

Best SCY times:

• 200 fly – 1:57.12
• 100 fly – 54.88
• 200 free – 1:48.80
• 500 free – 4:41.24
• 200 back – 2:00.66
• 200 IM – 2:06.76
• 400 IM – 4:25.74

By the time Bellard suits up for the Wolverines in the fall of 2023, Michigan will be turning over its fly and free group. NCAA 200 fly champion Olivia Carter (1:51.33) will have graduated, as will Victoria Kwan (1:56.37) and Megan Glass (1:58.82). She will overlap one year with Sophie Housey (1:57.29). Similarly, in mid-distance freestyle, Sierra Schmidt (4:39.30) and Kaitlyn Simms (4:40.29) will be gone. Housey (1:45.45/4:55.59) will be a senior.

If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].

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