Early signings get underway for a number of sports activities at UM

MISSOULA — Signing day for NCAA Division I sports activities obtained underway on Wednesday across the nation, with various sports activities on the College of Montana including new faces. Beneath are the brand new additions for UM packages in males’s and ladies’s basketball, ladies’s soccer, softball and volleyball, with data from Montana media releases included.

Males’s basketball

The Griz males’s basketball staff obtained its season underway on Tuesday with a 91-63 loss to Duquesne, however on Wednesday they introduced the addition of two new gamers who will be part of the staff subsequent season.

The UM Twitter account introduced that it had obtained letters of intent from incoming freshmen in guard Cash Williams from Oakland, California, and ahead Zack Davidson from Mission Viejo, California.

Ladies’s basketball

The Girl Griz, who kicked off their 2022-23 marketing campaign with a 65-63 loss to North Dakota State on Monday, signed three new gamers to this system on Wednesday.

Guard Macy Donarski of La Crosse, Wisconsin, guard Macey Huard from Highlands Ranch, Colorado and guard Adria Lincoln of Monroe, Washington all signed on Wednesday.

From UM athletics: Huard, at 6-foot-2, is the top-ranked participant in Colorado within the class of 2023. Lincoln, 6-foot-1, is the top-ranked combo guard in Washington, the No. 5 total participant in accordance with Prep Ladies Hoops.

Donarski, a 5-foot-8 level guard and the No. 6-ranked participant in Wisconsin, received a U16 membership nationwide championship with Wisconsin Flight Elite and in July the Nike EYBL Run 4 Roses title.

When Huard publicly dedicated in June, she tweeted that she could not resist the chance to play together with her older sister Haley, a sophomore at Montana. They’re going to have two seasons to take action.

Huard was her convention MVP as a freshman at Bear Creek (Wash.) Excessive, all-conference as a sophomore and junior at Valor Christian in Colorado. This previous summer season she was named second-team 17U Adidas 3SSB All-Circuit.

Donarski’s older sister, Lexi, is a junior at Iowa State. She was the Massive 12 Freshman of the Yr in 2021-22, the Massive 12 Defensive Participant of the Yr in 2021-22.

An all-state setter for the Aquinas volleyball staff and a state qualifier within the relays on the observe, Donarski was all-state as a sophomore and junior on the basketball court docket taking part in for her dad.

Lincoln first caught Holsinger’s consideration years in the past, when he was nonetheless at Oregon State.

That may occur if you’re considered one of solely 34 gamers chosen to take part within the USA Basketball U16 nationwide trials, which Lincoln did in 2021. She would find yourself with greater than 20 Division I gives.

Lincoln was her staff MVP and first-team all-conference as a freshman, sophomore and junior, and is coming off a season when she averaged a double-double.

Huard and Donarski dedicated to the Girl Griz within the spring. Lincoln was an August commit.

Ladies’s soccer

The Griz soccer staff fell within the semifinal spherical of this yr’s Massive Sky Convention match and completed 7-7-6 this yr. They added six new gamers to this system on Wednesday.

The Griz added goalkeeper Bayliss Flynn of Edina, Minnesota, exterior again Lucie Rokos or Portland, Oregon, middle again Riley Carolan of Seattle, Washington, Abby Smith of Corvallis, Oregon, Taija Anderson of Bluffdale, Utah and midfielder Perrin Pennington or Athens, Georgia.

From UM athletics: Flynn lately was chosen to compete subsequent month within the Excessive Faculty All-American Sport in Panama Metropolis, Fla. She is only one of 4 goalkeepers on the East and West rosters. The others are dedicated to Ohio State, Boston School and Kansas.

Rokos performs for one of many prime highschool packages within the nation and membership for the Portland Thorns. She is a 5-foot-4 exterior again, the identical measurement as one other current Grizzly who took her skillset to the NWSL.

Carolan is a 6-foot middle again who joins a program that has a profitable historical past of fielding dominating, imposing defenders at that place.

She offers a sizeable bookend to 5-foot-10 ahead Delaney Lou Schorr, who led the Massive Sky in objectives throughout the common season. All seven of her objectives got here off her head.

Pennington will give Montana its first participant from Georgia, nevertheless it was her household’s temporary keep in Seattle that led to her turning into a Grizzly.

She performed for OL Reign Academy when she lived in Seattle. In Georgia, she performs for Tophat Soccer Membership.

Regardless of Montana’s relative proximity to Utah, the Grizzlies have had simply two gamers from the state within the historical past of this system: Raquel Watts and McKenzie Warren, who was a senior on Citowicki’s first staff, in 2018.

Anderson, who performs for Actual Salt Lake Academy, makes it a 3rd.

Smith is a high-scoring ahead out of Crescent Valley Excessive. She scored a hat trick on senior evening final month and her staff’s lone aim on Tuesday because the Raiders superior to the Class 5A title recreation with a 1-0 victory over North Eugene.

Volleyball

UM volleyball is at present 15-10 total and 8-5 in league play as they wind down the season. They added two gamers on Wednesday in Gracie Cagle of Frisco, Texas, and Olivia Liermann of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

From UM athletics: Cagle excelled as a setter for Reedy Excessive Faculty. A serious power for her, and one thing that caught the attention of the Grizzly teaching workers, is the flexibility she brings to the ground.

She has performed almost each place on the court docket, bringing a ability set that may be very nicely rounded to suit wherever it’s wanted. It additionally makes her perceive the remainder of her teammates duties on the ground. She was named to the AVCA Phenom Watch Checklist, in addition to the AVCA’s Greatest and Brightest in 2022.

Cagle is also a three-year letter winner and has helped lead her staff to a number of 9-5A District Championships whereas being given honorable point out honors. The honors lengthen into the classroom, the place Cagle twice earned Tutorial All-District.

She comes from a volleyball household, as her father David performed the game collegiately at Ambassador College. Montana supplied an opportunity for her to proceed her profession in addition to an ideal place for her teachers as she plans to review wildlife biology.

Liermann performed for the Lake Metropolis HS Timberwolves as a member of Idaho’s highest largest class at 5A. A left handed reverse hitter, Liermann additionally performed membership volleyball for the CPA Elite staff in Spokane.

She has began for her highschool since her sophomore season and has additionally been profitable in observe and area as a discus thrower. She has a powerful resume off the court docket as nicely with an almost 4.0 GPA and a charitable persona. Throughout the pandemic she volunteered with Meals on Wheels, her native meals financial institution and the Kootenai Humane Society

Cagle will grow to be the third participant from Texas on the Montana roster, becoming a member of Jackie Howell and Maddie Pyles. Liermann is the second participant from Idaho together with Paige Clark on the 2023 roster.

Softball

The UM softball staff will get their season underway within the spring after going 8-0 of their fall exhibition season. On Wednesday, they added 4 new gamers to this system.

The Grizzlies added pitcher Nyeala Herndon of Helena, pitcher Rylee Rehbein of Battle Floor, Washington, catcher Madison Tarrant of Goodyear, Arizona, and infielder Riley Peschek of Fox Island, Washington.

All 4 will graduate within the spring and be part of the Grizzlies as freshmen subsequent fall.

From UM athletics: Montana at present has 5 pitchers on its roster for the upcoming spring season. One is a senior.

Herndon, who received 15 video games final season and had a 2.12 ERA whereas hanging out 151 batters over 109 innings, performed in Montana till becoming a member of the Washington Ladyhawks travel-ball staff.

Rehbein, who performed for the Northwest Bullets earlier than becoming a member of the Washington Ladyhawks, led Battle Floor Excessive to a third-place end on the Washington Class 4A state match in Could.

Tarrant was an all-region choice as a senior. She and her teammates at Canyon View completed runner-up on the Arizona Class 5A state match. She performs for the Arizona Storm.

Montana has a pair of catchers on its present staff, junior Riley Stockton and sophomore Kynzie Mohl.

Peschek, who performs for the Northwest Bullets, is a two-time All-South Puget Sound League choice at Gig Harbor Excessive.