The Texas women’s track and field team signed three new athletes this past November, helping usher in a new era of the program. Among the recruits, two athletes will arrive in the fall, while the other has wasted no time in making an impact on the program.
Naomi London
Naomi London is a rising star sprinter out of Vieux Fort, Saint Lucia. London clinched two silver medals in the 100 and 200-meter under-17 events at the 2023 CARIFTA games, a meet composed of competitors from English-speaking countries of the Caribbean. She also qualified for the final rounds in the same events at the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games. London will look to build upon the legacy of fellow Saint Lucian star Julien Alfred, a former Longhorn who is a World Champion and five-time NCAA Champion. The Texas program is already starting to see an impact from Alfred’s international and collegiate success in its recruits, inspiring Saint Lucian athletes like London to follow in her footsteps.
Nita Koom-Dadzie
Nita Koom-Dadzie is a sprinter from the Houston area and is currently a senior at Kingwood High School. Koom-Dadzie opened up her season with two wins in the 60 and 200-meter events at the Arkansas High School Invitational. She was the runner-up for the 2022 UIL State 100-meter title her sophomore year, but an injury prohibited her from competing at the state meet last season. Now fully recovered, Koom-Dadzie is expected to contend for a gold medal at the UIL State Championships in the 200 and 100-meter events before hitting the Forty Acres in the fall.
Ziyah Holman
Graduate student Ziyah Holman is a transfer from the University of Michigan who signed in November of last year, but is already making waves wearing the burnt orange and white. Holman made her debut for Texas in January at the Rod McCravy Memorial Invitational, where she won the 600-meter race and achieved a personal best time of 1:27.63. Holman was integral to Texas winning its 14th Big 12 Indoor Championship title. She won the gold in the 400-meter event and was a runner-up in the 4×400 relay alongside Lauren Lewis, Kenondra Davis and Dejanea Oakley. That same quartet placed fourth at the NCAA Indoor National Championships, achieving a time of 3:28.91, the 11th fastest time in school history. This feat earned her an indoor First Team All-American honor. Holman’s most recent success was a second-place finish in the 400-meter event at the 64th annual Mt. Sac Relays this past weekend. While competing for Michigan, Holman set the new school record for the outdoor 400-meters and claimed five Big 10 conference titles. Holman’s performance in both the relay and mid-distance events will be key in Texas clinching a two-peat at the NCAA Outdoor National Championships in June.
