Dec. 16, 2008

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State rowing program and head coach Matt Weise have announced the signing of five student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. Joining the Spartans for the 2009-10 season will be Brie Anne Breton (Welland, Ont.), Cate Hannum (Andover, Mass.), Elizabeth (Cullane) Horne (Indianapolis, Ind.), Jessica Olson (Southgate, Mich.) and Shelby Rockwell (St. Catharines, Ont.).

Brie Anne Breton • Welland, Ont. • South Niagara Rowing Club • 5-11
HIGH SCHOOL: Female Athlete of the Year at Ecole Secondarie Jean-Vanier as a sophomore ... Voted as the rowing team's most valuable performer in both her sophomore and junior seasons and was named the swimming team MVP as a junior ... Junior Athlete of the Year in the City of Welland as a junior ... 2008 Team Canada member for the CanAmMex Games ... Gold medalist at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta, the largest summer club race in North America ... Earned second-place honors in the junior pairs race at the Stonesbury Regatta, one of the largest high school races in North America ... Earned gold at the Canadian Indoor Rowing Championships in 2006 and took home the silver in 2007 ... Also took home the silver at the Ontario Erg Championships and finished fourth in the junior women's pair at the Canadian Secondary School Rowing Association (CSSRA) Championships in 2007 ... Competed at the Head of the Charles in 2006, 2007 and 2008, earning fourth, 10th and fourth, respectively in the women's eight ... Also lettered in swimming, soccer and basketball.

PERSONAL: Daughter of Richard and Brenda Breton ... Born Feb. 6, 1991 ... Plans to major in fisheries and wildlife while at MSU.

Cate Hannum • Andover, Mass. (Andover) • Essex Rowing Club • 5-10
HIGH SCHOOL: Rowed for Essex Rowing Club, the same club that current Spartan Kathleen Leighton competed with ... Coached by Travis Gardner, an MSU alumni who rowed as a member of the club team during his tenure ... Helped Essex to a second-place finish at the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Junior Regional Championships in 2007 as a member of the novice eight ... Finished 64th out of 200 rowers at the C.R.A.S.H.-B junior heavyweight singles division.

Elizabeth Horne • Indianapolis, Ind. (North Central) • Indianapolis Rowing Club • 5-11
HIGH SCHOOL: Primarily a single sculler during high school ... Finished fourth with a time of 10:40.01 at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in the junior single ... Placed sixth at the Head of the Hooch after finishing with a time of 24:55.5 ... Earned gold at the Pittsburgh Indoor Rowing Championships in the novice single.

PERSONAL: Plans to major in biology while at MSU.

Jessica Olson • Southgate, Mich.(Anderson) • Wyandotte Rowing Club • 6-0
HIGH SCHOOL: Rowed with current Spartan Michelle Neuder while at Wyandotte Rowing Club ... Earned a silver medal at the 2008 Speakmon Regatta in the mixed open pairs race in 2008 ... Finished third at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta with Neuder in 2008 ... Finished second at the 2008 Frogtown Regatta in the open pairs race.

PERSONAL: Plans to major in human biology.

Shelby Rockwell • St. Catharines, Ont. • Eden High School • 5-1 HIGH SCHOOL: Voted Eden High School's 2008 "Oarsman of the Year" ... Earned bronze as the coxswain at the 2008 South Niagara Championships in the senior four as a junior ... Earned gold at the Western Ontario Secondary School (WOSS) Rowing Championships as the coxswain of the junior eight and as a rower in the senior eight ... Earned bronze at the Mother's Day Regatta as the coxswain of the junior four boat in 2007 ... Took home the silver at the CSSRA Canadian Schoolboy race in the junior eight division ... Competed at Royal Canadian Henley in each of the past thee years ... Member of the honor roll for four consecutive years ... Represented her school at the Brock University "Scientifically Yours" science conference in 2008 ... Head of publicity and advertisement for student council in 2007-08.

PERSONAL: Daughter of Norman and Dale Rockwell ... Born July 30, 1991 ... Cousin, Cody Boyd, runs track at Cornell University ... Grandfather, Jack Boyd, played AHL hockey for the New York Rovers in the 1930's and was a Memorial Cup winner in 1935 ... Plans to major in science while at MSU.