Hannah Steelman had modest expectations when she stepped onto the Wofford College campus last month.
The Orono native realistically wanted to be a strong asset to the women’s cross-country squad at the Spartanburg, South Carolina, school following what she called an excellent summer of preparation to jump to the Division I level.
Two races into her freshman campaign, Steelman has already cracked Wofford’s record books, recording the fastest 5-kilometer (3.1 miles) time in program history during a race at Furman University. Her time of 17 minutes, 37.5 seconds, was good for second overall on the course that will host the Southern Conference championships this fall.
“It was just one of those races where coach just wanted to see where we were all at,” said Steelman, who grew up in South Carolina but starred at Orono High School and won multiple team and individual state championships. “It worked out pretty well.”
Steelman’s first race wasn’t a one-hit wonder, as she followed that up with her first collegiate win last weekend at the Winthrop Invitational, clocking in at 17:43 and leading the Terriers to a first-place finish.
The early success for the humble Steelman is no surprise to Wofford head coach Johnny Bomar.
“She’s an extremely hard worker, she’s a great leader for our girls. She just comes in and works hard,” Bomar said.
Bomar got a first-hand look at that work ethic during a two-mile preseason time trial that Steelman ran in around 11:10.
“She’s in the middle of the pack, she said, ‘excuse me, can I get through,’ and she got out of the pack and she was gone,” said Bomar.
Steelman, who won individual state championships at 1,600 and 3,200 meters last spring and was part of four consecutive team state titles, has always had speed on the track, but focused over the summer on pouring on the mileage.
“The biggest transition has been racking on more miles. It’s obviously a demanding thing being a part of a Division I program, but I’m really liking how things are going down here,” Steelman said.
One training transition she has had to adjust to is occasional double sessions, in which a runner will get in a workout once in the morning and later on in the evening.
“It leaves you tired. You get up early and you do one workout then you go to class, then you do another,” Steelman said. “It’s just about being smart with everything else.”
Steelman has quickly emerged as Wofford’s top runner, and Bomar is hoping the other Terriers will follow her lead and use her team-first attitude as an example of how to succeed.
“That’s something I think she brings to the team,” said Bomar, noting the dynasty coach Chris Libby has built at Orono.
“They’re a joy to train with and they’re so encouraging,” said Steelman, who is planning to major in biology. “They’re all about the team mindset. The girls are awesome.”
Even though she has put down a couple of strong times, Steelman isn’t getting too far ahead of herself.
“I didn’t want to set the bar too high, I didn’t really come in with too high of expectations,” she said. “I just wanted to train smart, injury free and not burn out or anything while making the transition from high school to college.”
One of the reasons Steelman chose Wofford is because her father, former University of Maine women’s basketball associate head coach Todd Steelman, is the head women’s basketball coach at nearby Presbyterian College.
He has attended both Wofford’s meets.
She also remains close with former Orono teammate Kassidy Dill, who is running for nearby North Carolina-Greensboro, and said they talk every day.
Bomar hopes to use Steelman in middle distances such as the mile during the indoor track season, but said her versatility will be valuable to his program.
“She’s by far our most outstanding freshman,” said Bomar.
Steelman is back in action this weekend at the Asheville (North Carolina) Invitational.
