In theory this is the slow time of the year for UAA athletics — the only team in action is the track and field squad — but it’s nonetheless been a busy week for the Seawolves.
The women’s basketball team added an All-American from the junior college ranks, the volleyball team signed another Alaskan and the ski team welcomed a 10-year-old with cerebral palsey who will be an honorary member of the team for the next two years.
The women’s basketball team on Monday announced the signing of Kedranea Addison, a 5-foot-8 guard who was a top scorer for Cowley College of Kansas.
As a sophomore this season, Addison averaged 17 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.8 steals, numbers that helped her earn second-team All-America honors.
She joins a team that has won 30 games in three of the last four seasons but will lose four starters from this season’s 30-3 team. Other acquisitions for UAA coach Ryan McCarthy include two incoming freshmen — Ellen Silva, a 6-1 forward from West Valley High School in Fairbanks, and Rachel Ingram, 5-7 guard from Colorado Springs, Colorado, who both signed letters-of-intent in the fall.
“Kedranea is a dynamic scorer who can create off the dribble and open up lots of opportunities for her teammates,” McCarthy said in a press release from UAA.
On Tuesday, the volleyball team announced the addition of Reilly Plumhoff, a 5-5 libero/defensive specialist who has been a member of Dimond High’s four straight state volleyball championships.
“Her leadership was a big reason for Dimond’s continued success last year,” UAA coach Chris Green said in a UAA press release. “We think she will be a great contributor to our program.”
Plumhoff is Green’s third recruit from Alaska who will join the team next season as freshmen. She joins Mia Ekstrand, a 5-10 outside hitter from Dimond, and Julia Fetko, a 5-7 setter/defensive specialist from Service.
On Wednesday, the ski team held a signing ceremony for 10-year-old Ryker Riggs of Anchorage, who will participate in team activities for the next two years. The signing is part of a partnership between UAA and Team Impact, a nonprofit organization in Massachusetts that connects children with serious or chronic illnesses with local college teams.
Riggs is the second youngster adopted by a UAA team — last fall, the men’s basketball team welcomed 5-year-old James Ludwig of Eagle River.