MADISON, Wis. -- Seven incoming freshmen have signed their National Letter of Intent to join the Wisconsin women's hockey program next fall, head coach Mark Johnson announced on Tuesday. 

Chloe Baker, Laila Edwards, Claire Enright, Caroline (KK) Harvey, Payton Holloway, Vivian Jungels and Kirsten Simms all signed their National Letters of Intent during the fall signing period and will be joining Wisconsin in the fall of 2022.

"The overall class is a really highly skilled group," Johnson said. "It's one of the bigger classes that we've brought in. They are a bunch of good players with great potential and we're excited they're all coming in. They're all great students who will get a chance to work on developing their game in Madison. We'll have some fun getting to watch them grow as Badger hockey players."

Chloe Baker

A goaltender from Hermosa Beach, California, Baker has a resume deep with experience. She spent her freshman and sophomore years with Team Illinois 16U before joining Chicago Mission 16U her junior year. That year she finished third at the USA Hockey National Championship where she led all 16U teams in goals against average at 1.2. Her senior season she played for the Chicago Mission 19U team, champions of the USA/Canada Detroit Cup. Baker played in the World Selects Invitational twice, as part of the 2017 championship-winning team in Chamonix, France and part of the 2018 third-place team in Venice, Italy. She participated in the USA Hockey Central District Camp in 2018 and 2019 and played in the 16U division of the 2021 USA Hockey National Championship where her team finished third.

Personal: Parents are Ken and Brooke Baker… has an older brother, Jackson, who currently plays as a goaltender in the USHL

Why Wisconsin? "The amazing campus environment and the plethora of academic offerings."

Johnson on Baker: "Chloe plays with a competitive program in the Chicago Mission and has experience with national championship games. Being an athletic goaltender, that's one of the key ingredients for making yourself better. I'm excited for her to come in, work on her game and see how she improves during her time here."

Laila Edwards

A forward from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Edwards has international experience as part of the championship team that competed at the 2016 Legacy Global Sports in Chamonix, France. She was selected for the U.S. Under-18 Women's National Team that was slated to compete at the 2022 International Ice Hockey Federation Women's Under-18 World Championships and has attended U.S. U-18 select camp and the U-18 32 festival. She attended Bishop Kearney High School in Rochester, New York, where she played under head coach Brent Hill. During her freshman and junior seasons she won a silver medal at the national championships and was voted Team MVP her junior season as well.

Personal: Parents are Robert Edwards and Charone Gray-Edwards… has two brothers, Robert and Colson, and two sisters, Britney Gray and Chayla… sister Chayla currently plays hockey for Wisconsin

Why Wisconsin? "Atmosphere, academics and its superiority."

Johnson on Edwards: "Laila has connections to the campus and is excited to play with her sister, Chayla, for the next couple of years. Laila is versatile and there's unlimited potential there. She sees the ice very well and is one of the tallest players we've ever had."

Claire Enright

A forward from Lakeville, Minnesota, Enright was named to the U.S. Under-18 Women's National Team that was scheduled to compete at this year's women's under-18 world championships before the event was canceled. She is a three-time all-conference award winner and state championship competitor, two-time all-state, as well as Forward of the Year and team MVP her junior season with Farmington High. She now attends Lakeville South and plays under head coach Tim Morris. During her prep career between Farmington and Lakeville South she has posted 142 career points. 

Enright has attended multiple national development camps and a U.S. Under-18 National Festival. She has also played for the Minnesota Whitecaps and Tradition White Under-19 team. 

Personal: Parents are Brady and Autumn… she has two older brothers, Gavin and Mason, who are her role models

Why Wisconsin? "Wisconsin has been my dream school since I toured it with my brother when I was in sixth grade. I love absolutely everything about Wisconsin; the team culture, the town, the lake and the amazing atmosphere that's filled with fans."

Johnson on Enright: "Claire brings a high hockey IQ to the table and is a smooth and efficient skater. She is a great teammate, compliments the other players on the ice well and will bring international experience as she's also a member of the U.S. under-18 team."

Caroline Harvey

A defenseman from Salem, New Hampshire, Harvey was slated to join this Badgers this past fall before she was named to the U.S. Olympic Team that will compete at next month's Winter Olympics in Beijing. She skated for Team USA at the 2020 IIHF Women's World Championships, where she had three points off a goal and two assists. She competed with the United States at the IIHF Under-18 Women's World Championships in 2019 and 2020, winning silver at the 2019 tournament and gold at the 2020 championship. She was a team-best +4 in five contests at the 2020 IIHF Under-18 World Championship and was named one of the U.S. Top Three Players of the Tournament. A left-handed blueliner, Harvey competed in two under-18 series against Canada and was the youngest player invited to the 2020 USA Hockey Evaluation Camp in 2020. 

Harvey helped the Selects Academy U-19 team win the New York State U-19 Ice Hockey State Titles in both her sophomore and junior seasons, and she was named the team MVP her junior year. 

Personal: Parents are David and Martha Harvey... has an older brother, Nolan and an older sister, Grace... role models are Kacey Bellamy and Meghan Duggan

Why Wisconsin? "Academically Wisconsin has many career paths that you can explore, the campus is beautiful and for the hockey aspect the coaching is incredible."

Johnson on Harvey: "We thought that Caroline was going to be playing here this year but she's getting a unique opportunity. Not many kids her age get a chance to play on the national team leading into the Olympics and she's going to be able to do that. This opportunity is going to help her in her development so when she steps on campus next September she's going to have a year of very competitive hockey under her belt.  It'll be exciting for our fans to watch her."

Payton Holloway

A forward from Tomah, Wisconsin, Holloway played at Shattuck- St. Mary's under coaches Mitch Baker and Brook Garzone. She competed in the 2017 World Selects Tournament in Courmayeur, Italy and attended the 2019 15-Player Development camp. Born and raised in Wisconsin, Holloway played with the Madison Capitols Under-16 team in 2018-19 and 2020-21.

Personal: Parents are Ian and Laura… has one younger brother, Parker… role models are her parents, her grandma and Cole Caufield

Why Wisconsin? "Wisconsin has always been my home. I was born and raised here and it has always been my dream to further my academics and athletics at the University of Wisconsin- Madison."

Johnson on Holloway: "A local kid, Payton decided to go to Shattuck St. Mary's this year and it is a high-level program where she can work on her game. She's a very hard worker with a great shot. She's always dreamed about coming here and we're excited that she's staying close to home to join our program."

Vivian Jungels

A defender from Edina, Minnesota, Jungels participated in the 2018 and 2019 USA Hockey Women's National Festivals. Playing under coach Sami Reber at Edina High School, Jungels made the all-state team her sophomore and junior years, along with the all-state tournament team her freshman and sophomore years. She was a state champion her junior year and set the record for most goals, assists and points as a defender at Edina High School with 38 goals, 92 assists and 130 points through her junior season.

Jungels currently plays at Edina along with the Minnesota Whitecaps Under-19 team and Tradition Black Under-19.

Personal: Parents are Keith and Kelly Jungels… has two older brothers, Chase and Jett… has one older sister, Tella… her role models are her parents and current UW captain Grace Bowlby.

Why Wisconsin? "I chose Wisconsin for the culture of the hockey program, the tradition of excellence in academics and hockey and the leadership of the people."

Johnson on Jungels: "Vivian is a skilled defenseman who has put up big numbers at Edina, one of the top high school teams in Minnesota with a couple state championships. Her skill level is really high and it will be exciting to watch her growth and her development as she goes through her time here in Madison."

Kirsten Simms

A forward from Plymouth, Michigan, Simms was slated to compete for the U.S. at the 2022 IIHF Under-18 Women's World Championships in Sweden and has a plethora of experience under her belt. She competed in the 2020 IIHF Under-18 World Championships in Slovakia, leading the U.S. to gold while collecting two assists and a +3 plus/minus rating. She also has attended the 2019 and 2021 USA Hockey Under-18 National Player Development camps and USA Hockey National Festivals. 

Simms currently plays on the Under-19 AAA Little Caesar's team under Badger Hockey alum Mellissa Channell and has also played for Honeybaked Under 19 squad. 

Personal: Parents are Bill and Karen… has one older brother, Billy, who she also considers her role model

Why Wisconsin? "It has amazing facilities and a beautiful campus and hockey-wise the coaching is incredible."

Johnson on Simms: "Kirsten is another highly skilled, good offensive player. She's played at a high level with the Little Caesar's program, where she was coached by former UW defender Mellissa Channell, and has been part of the U.S. under-18 team. She's a very good center, is very creative in the offensive zone and is a savvy player.