Women’s golf adds talented duo
The Idaho women’s golf team announced the signing of two Northwest recruits Monday morning.
Hannah Gropp and Danika Palm, both from the state of Washington, signed separate letters-of-intent to join the Vandals in the fall.
“Both Hannah and Danika have Idaho ties in their families, so we are thrilled they’ve chosen Idaho,” Vandal head coach Lisa Johnson said. “They will both be great Vandals on the course and in the classroom.”
Gropp will graduate from University High School in Spokane this spring, after serving as the team captain and all-league performer for her school.
“Hanna will be a wonderful addition to our team,” Johnson said. “It’s always a great thing for any program when you can recruit and get local talent. Hannah is deeply committed to taking her game to the next levels and has always loved the Vandals.”
Palm, a Richland native, will join the Vandals after representing Team Washington at the Girls Junior America’s Cup and earning several top 15 finishes at the 2015 WIAA State golf tournament in Indian Canyon.
“Danika is a strong and talented athlete and we are excited as we believe her golf game is a great fit for our program here at Idaho,” Johnson said. “She hits the ball far and has shown tremendous improvement in her scores over the course of this past year.”
The two recruits will join the Idaho women’s golf program in an attempt to help the team repeat as Big Sky Conference champions after claiming the 2016 title last week.
Vandal track and field nets in-state commit
The Idaho track and field program announced the signing of Couer d’Alene sprinter Emily Callahan last week.
“We are excited to have Emily a part of the Vandal family,” said Tim Cawley, Idaho director of track and field. “She is an amazing athlete, who should excel as well as multi. As a talented student and tough competitor she should feel right at home with the team.”
Callahan enters the program after competing in basketball, golf, cross country and track and field during her high school career.
The recruit has focused primarily on the 200-meter and 400-meter dash events during the past year.
She has posted personal bests of 26.9 seconds in the 200-meter and 58.9 seconds in the 400-meter dash.
The recruit said she is excited to reconnect with several former teammates currently on the Vandal roster.
“We had a wonderful and successful time in high school and I am very excited to rejoin them at Idaho,” Callahan said. “They are very positive and I know they would push me to be and do my best.”
She said she considered Grand Canyon and Montana during her school search, but ultimately chose Idaho after visiting campus.
“I really like the University of Idaho campus and the atmosphere,” Callahan said. “It is close enough to where I can come home on the weekends, yet it gives me the opportunity to move on and start my life as a young adult.”
Callahan said she is excited to grow as a collegiate athlete with her teammates.
“I am most looking forward to getting better as an athlete, meeting new people and creating new family to be with,” she said.