* Michigan freshman Ziyah Holman dazzled in her indoor debut this weekend in Ann Arbor
Photo Credit: University of Michigan athletics
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Walking down competition was nothing new to Ziyah Holman in high school.
The 2020 Georgetown Day School (DC) graduate was among the nation's leaders for 400 meters over her junior and senior seasons, and so whenever the time called upon it -- which, to be fair, wasn't very often -- she was ready to make it happen.
On Saturday, though, Holman was ready to make her college debut.
She sure made it memorable.
Not only did Holman anchor the University of Michigan's 4x400 relay at the Simmons-Harvey Invitational on Jan. 16, but she walked down her competition in the process, putting down a 51.79 split to pace the Wolverines in a time of 3:38.02.
"As the race keeps going, you see yourself getting closer," Holman told Michigan's student newspaper, The Michigan Daily. "'Like oh my god, I'm actually getting closer.' Why would I try so hard and not try to win?"
The program's athletic department proceeded to post video of the dazzling anchor leg on its Twitter account shortly thereafter. It's up to nearly 4 million views.
The viral nature of the video has grabbed attention from outlets like Yahoo, the New York Post and more.
But again, this was not surprising.
In 2019 Holman was part of a World U20 record-setting 4x400 team at the Pan American U20 Championships in San Jose, Costa Rica. That same year, in June, she ran a personal best outdoor 400m mark of 52.12 seconds to place third at the USA U20 Championships.
Over her senior season, Holman eclipsed 54 seconds a total of five times.
Holman wasn't done with her college debut, either.
She would end up winning the 600m in a time of 1:29.27, securing the only sub-1:30 performance on the day. That time currently stands as No. 1 in the NCAA and among just two under 1:30 overall.
Holman Wins Her 500m Heat At The VA Showcase In 2020
Holman Edges Past Competitor At The Texas A&M Indoor Invitational In 2020
