LAKELAND, Fla. – As a busy offseason of recruiting around the country comes to a close, Southeastern University women's basketball head coach
Tim Hays has finalized his 2018-19 recruiting class.
SEU is coming off a 31-1 2017-18 campaign, in which the Fire went undefeated in the regular season for a second straight season, won their third consecutive Sun Conference Championship, and earned a berth to the NAIA National Tournament for a fifth straight season.
The Fire also advanced to the NAIA Quarterfinal for a second consecutive season before bowing out to eventual national champion Dakota Wesleyan.
"We had a big task in replacing a First Team All-American (
Ana Richter) and two very productive bench players in
Anissa Toumi and Maja Mijalska," shared Hays. "With the 2018-19 class, we feel like we've gotten deeper, longer, and more versatile than we've ever been."
Hays' class features eight new players to the program, six transfers and two freshman.
Senior shooting guard
Makenzie Cann comes to SEU from NCAA Division I Kentucky, where she started 35 games for the Wildcats. At UK, Cann averaged 6.3 points per game, 3.4 rebounds per game and was also third on the team in steals and assists. She earned placement on the SEC All-Academic and Community Service Team. Cann was also a recipient of the Frank G. Ham Society of Character Award.
Redshirt senior
Elsa Paulsson-Glantz is a transfer from Salt Lake Community College. The Ostersund, Sweden native played for her home country in the World University Games in 2017. At Salt Lake CC, she averaged 6 points per game and 4 rebounds per contest.
Junior forward
Kyeria Hannah joins the program from Butler Community College. ESPN Ranked Hannah #73 in the nation in her position coming out of high school. The Moore, Okla. native led Butler to a 48-15 record in her two seasons. She scored 9.7 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game as a sophomore. She was named one of the top 40 players in the NJCAA and competed in the NJCAA All-Star Game.
Sophomore forward
Maggie Gilbert is another NJCAA standout, transferring from Lake Region Community College. Like Hannah, Gilbert was also named one of the top 40 players in the NJCAA and competed in the NJCAA All-Star Game. The Gloucestershire, England native averaged 7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game at Lake Region.
Junior forward
Sara Echelberry is another NCAA Division I transfer from University of Nebraska-Omaha. At UNO, Echelberry was All-Summit League Academic. Junior point guard
Jae Taft rounds out the list of transfers, making the switch from NAIA Olivet Nazarene. Taft helped guide ONU to the NAIA National Tournament in each of her first two seasons with the program.
The SEU incoming freshman class features a pair of standout players.
Regan Wiedenfeld comes to Lakeland from Livermore, Calif. At Livermore High School, Wiedenfeld averaged 17 points per game, 10 rebounds per contest, and set school her school's career scoring record with 1,524 points.
Raegan Linster rounds out the freshman class. The shooting guard from Fargo, N.D. was First Team All-State, a nominee for Gatorade State Player of the Year, and Miss Basketball North Dakota. As a senior at Davies High School, Linster led the team to a regional title with averages of 16 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 2.1 steals as a senior.
"The addition of some high level players to a great returning group gives us the opportunity to compete at a high level nationally," commented Hays. "This group has been working hard and are extremely unselfish. They should be a fun group to coach."
The Fire are set to begin the 2018-19 season in Richmond, Ind. on Friday, November 2 versus Indiana Wesleyan. Tipoff is set for 4:00 p.m.
