Toll Gate senior Courtney Jacobsen, who is nationally ranked as the preseason No. 1 in the hammer throw, signed her National Letter of Intent with the University of Michigan on Thursday morning, accompanied by her parents in the school’s gymnasium.

Jacobsen had narrowed down her choices to Michigan, William and Mary, Brown, Stanford and Wake Forest, but eventually chose Michigan because it was “the total package.”

“The academic support that they had there was incredible,” Jacobsen said. “The team was very close and I really like that team aspect. Just the support that they had for me from academics to athletics, I just felt like I could really do well there.”

Jacobsen has shined in the classroom as well, with a 4.3 GPA that puts her at 13th in her class. She is also a member of the National Honor Society, and will enter Michigan as a kinesiology major in the fall in her pursuit of becoming a veterinarian.

She was ranked No. 4 in the country after the New Balance Games last season, according to throwing coach Tom Doyle, but the three girls ahead of her at the time were seniors while she was a junior.

Despite the ranking, Jacobsen is humble heading into next year.

“I don’t even think that it feels any different than being ranked No. 3 or No. 30,” Jacobsen said with a smile. “I mean, I just do the same things that I’ve always been doing. I’m sure it will feel good once it pays off in the end, but for now I’m just living my life normally I guess.”

Jacobsen has been training for more than a year with Keith Johnston, whose daughter Kate holds the state record in the hammer throw at 189.3, which she set in 2001 after breaking her own mark. Jacobsen is about 10 feet short of the state record as of now, but Johnston said he “couldn’t think of a more deserving person to break it” if Jacobsen reached it.

“She’s got the potential to do that, but I don’t want to put the pressure on her,” Johnston said. “That’s possibly one of her goals. She has the ability, but I don’t want to put that pressure on her. If she keeps performing the way she’s performing, that’s within her grasp.”

Jacobsen will have a shot at the state record in the spring, and if she reaches it, it will be a result of the ability and work ethic of which Johnston spoke so glowingly.

“She’s got a very natural gift for the sport,” Johnston said. “She works extremely hard. It’s without any fanfare. She does a lot of her training, her throwing, her weightlifting. Very disciplined young lady. Extremely, extremely coachable, and wants to learn more and more about the event.”