Women’s Basketball Recruiting Class Announced
UW-Oshkosh head coach Brad Fischer announced Wednesday (May 16) the addition of nine student-athletes to the school's women's basketball program for the 2018-19 season.
Fischer's recruiting class features Brooklyn Bull from Union Grove, Lauren Burd from Watertown, Brooke Freitag from Osseo-Fairchild, Emily Higgins from Pulaski, Abby Kaiser from Potosi, Katie Ludwig from New Berlin Eisenhower, Heather Pearson from Amherst, Mattea Peplinski from Eau Claire North and Claire Staples from Middleton high schools in Wisconsin.
The incoming freshmen will join a UW-Oshkosh program that has compiled a 139-33 record, made four NCAA Division III postseason appearances and finished first or second in the WIAC standings the past six seasons.
UW-Oshkosh concluded the 2017-18 season with a 21-6 record, marking the program's sixth straight year with at least 20 wins. The Titans shared second place in the WIAC standings before reaching their fifth consecutive league tournament championship game.
"We are extremely excited to welcome this deep and talented class to our women's basketball program," said Fischer. "We believe we have found a great fit with a group of selfless, hard-working, academically gifted individuals who will help us continue to build on the great success we have experienced since our staff has arrived. We are fortunate to be part of a program with a storied tradition of excellence and take a lot of pride in maintaining that level."
#11 Brooklyn Bull • 5-8 • Guard
Union Grove High School • Head Coach Rob Domagalski
• Senior season averaged 17.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.2 steals
• Associated Press All-State Honorable Mention
• WBCA Division 2 All-State Honorable Mention
• WBCA Division 2 South All-Star Team
• Ranked 35th in Wisconsin Senior Class by Wissports
• Three-time All-Conference selection (Player of the Year -2016)
• School's All-Time Leading Scorer – Boys or Girls (1,299 points)
• School record 163 career three-pointers
• Led team to three consecutive conference championships
• AAU Team: Wisconsin Flight
• Anticipated Major: Elementary Education
Why UW-Oshkosh: "I chose UW-Oshkosh because of Coach Fischer, the family atmosphere of the team, the location of campus, and the competitiveness of play."
Coach Fischer: "Brooklyn is a dynamic offensive player that can beat you off the dribble or catch and shoot. She's been one of the state's better shooters during her high school career while also being asked to run some point guard and be active on the glass with her length. She will be a great addition to our program."
#34 Lauren Burd • 5-9 • Wing
Watertown High School • Head Coach Matt Stollberg
• Senior season averaged 15.7 points, 3,3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.0 steals
• Two-time All-Conference mention (2018 First Team)
• Badger Conference All-Star Game Most Valuable Player
• Academic Excellence Award
• National Honor Society Member
• AAU Team: Coaches Basketball Academy (CBA)
• Anticipated Major: Psychology
Why UW-Oshkosh: "I chose UW-Oshkosh because of my love for the campus, my interest in the Psychology program, and, of course, the amazing opportunity to play basketball for a nationally ranked program."
Coach Fischer: "Lauren is someone who has flown a little bit under the radar. She showed in the Badger Conference All-Star Game how good she is against other top players and I believe her best basketball is ahead of her. She has shown the ability to finish in traffic and has been extremely dangerous from three. We're excited to see her continue to expand her game."
#3 Brooke Freitag • 5-7 • Guard
Osseo-Fairchild High School • Head Coach Hailey Zawacki
• Senior season averaged 15.5 points, 5,6 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 3.9 steals
• WBCA Division 4 All-State First Team
• WBCA Division 4 North All-Star Team
• Western Cloverbelt Conference Player of the Year
• Three-Time All-Conference mention; Two-Time First Team
• Scored over 1,000 career points
• High honor roll and Scholar-Athlete
• Ranked in the Top 10 in her class academically
• AAU Team: Wisconsin Playmakers
• Anticipated Major: Pre-Medical Studies
Why UW-Oshkosh: "UW-Oshkosh has a strong and successful basketball program. The campus is not too big but also not too small, which I love. I can really see myself being successful in academics and basketball at Oshkosh."
Coach Fischer: "Brooke had a tremendous season leading her team to a conference championship and we are excited to add her competitiveness and toughness to our program. We think she can be very dangerous both on and off the ball and is physically ready to compete at our level. She's a great athlete and will adjust well to the college game."
#23 Emily Higgins • 5-8 • Wing
Pulaski High School • Head Coach Jeff Charney
• Senior season averaged 16.2 points, 5,2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals
• WBCA Division 2 North All-Star Team
• WBCA Division 2 All-State Honorable Mention (2017)
• Three-time All-Conference mention; 2-Time First Team
• Conference scoring leader (2017)
• Pulaski's third all-time leading scorer (1,050 points)
• Member of school's Academic Honor Roll
• AAU Team: Wisconsin Blizzard
• Anticipated Major: Undecided
Why UW-Oshkosh: "I loved the atmosphere, the coaches, and the players. Great people to be around."
Coach Fischer: "Emily brings a scorer's mentality and has proven over the last few years to be able to find different ways to put the ball in the basket. She is a tremendous athlete and has excelled in multiple sports. We believe with her physicality and being able to focus on basketball she has tremendous potential to impact our program."
#2 Abby Kaiser • 5-10 • Wing
Potosi High School • Head Coach Brad Bierman
• Senior season averaged 23.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 4.0 steals
• Class Valedictorian
• WBCA Division 5 All-State Honorable Mention (2018)
• WBCA Division 5 South All-Star Team
• Six Rivers West Conference Player of the Year (2018)
• Telegraph Herald All-Area Player of the Year
• Four-Time All-Conference mention; 2-Time First Team
• Led team to conference title as a senior
• School's All-Time Leading Scorer – Boys or Girls (1,669 career points)
• Single-Game Scoring Record: 39 points
• AAU Team: Team Wisconsin
• Anticipated Major: Accounting
Why UW-Oshkosh: "I chose UW-Oshkosh because I loved the campus and their successful basketball program."
Coach Fischer: "We feel like Abby had one of the best senior seasons in the entire state. We anticipate her being able to create action with her athleticism and length and look forward to taking advantage of her versatility. She has the tools and work ethic to become a match-up problem for opponents on the perimeter."
#13 Katie Ludwig • 5-7 • Guard
New Berlin Eisenhower High School • Head Coach Gary Schmidt
• Senior season averaged 8.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.9 steals
• WBCA Division 2 South All-Star Team
• Two-Time All-Woodland West Conference (First team 2017)
• All-Suburban Honorable Mention
• Two trips to WIAA State Championship Game (2016 Champion)
• AAU Team: 1-on-1 Milwaukee
• Anticipated Major: Business
Why UW-Oshkosh: "I chose UW-Oshkosh for its quality education program and the overall feel of the campus."
Coach Fischer: "We love that Katie brings a winner's pedigree to our team. Having played in two state championship games I don't think there will be moments that are too big for her. She has always displayed the willingness to fill whatever role her team needs. She showed in the state semi-final she could score if needed; but is always willing to defer and put the ball in the right spots offensively."
#4 Heather Pearson • 6-1 • Center
Amherst High School • Head Coach Gregg Jensen
• Senior season averaged 16.7 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 2.0 blocks
• WBCA Division 3 All-State First Team
• Associated Press All-State Honorable Mention
• WBCA Division 3 North All-State Team
• Central Wisconsin East Conference Player of the Year
• Four-Time All-Conference mention; Three-Time First Team
• 2018 WIAA State Tournament All-Tournament Team
• Scored over 1,000 career points
• Academic honor roll
• AAU Team: Wisconsin Blizzard
• Anticipated Major: Business
Why UW-Oshkosh: "I really like how the team plays and I really liked Coach Fischer. He reminds me a lot of my high school coach and made me feel very at home (at UW-Oshkosh)."
Coach Fischer: "Heather has the potential to bring a tremendous presence to the center position for us. In leading her team to the State Championship game, she showed she could greatly impact the outcome on both ends of the floor. While there is typically a big transition period for post players, Heather has a strength and toughness beyond her years. We're excited to get her in the gym and see what she can do."
#10 Mattea Peplinski • 5-10 • Forward
Eau Claire North High School • Head Coach Michelle Peplinski
• Senior season averaged 7.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 steals
• Two All-Area mentions
• Two All-Conference mentions
• Two-time Academic All-Conference
• National Honor Society member
• Ranked in Top Four Percent of Senior Class
• AAU Team: Minnesota Stars
• Anticipated Major: Kinesiology
Why UW-Oshkosh: "(In my visits to campus) I realized how much I enjoyed the coaching staff, facility, players, and style of play and I knew I wanted to be a part of that culture. After taking an academic visit I realized the campus and the kinesiology program were all great fits for me."
Coach Fischer: "Mattea brings a high basketball-IQ and strong understanding of how to play the game. She is extremely familiar with our program and pays great attention to the little things that we talk so much about. She's a post player who's had experience playing both inside and out and we're looking forward to seeing her develop over her career in our system."
#32 Claire Staples • 5-7 • Guard
Middleton High School • Head Coach Jeff Kind
• Senior season averaged 7.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals
• Named to Wissports Senior Shooters Watch List
• Missed significant portion of senior year due to injury
• Helped team to 2017 WIAA State Tournament
• National Honors Society Member
• AAU Team: HoopStars Basketball
• Anticipated Major: Kinesiology
Why UW-Oshkosh: "I chose UW-Oshkosh because it overall fits me best as a person and a player. The academic programs will allow me to achieve my goals and set me up for a successful career path. The basketball program has always been one that I admire and respect, so being able to have the opportunity to play for the team made Oshkosh my number one choice. The environment at Oshkosh was one that I wanted and could see myself happily being a part of the next four years of my life."
Coach Fischer: "Claire is someone who understands our program and values the same things that are important to us. She is very strong fundamentally and will bring a 'whatever it takes' mindset and work ethic to our team. She believes in making the right basketball play. Claire battled injuries this year and showed her toughness in getting back ahead of schedule to do everything she could to help her team. She has proven to have the make-up of the young women that have seen great success in our program."
Fischer mentioned that he is very pleased with his recruiting class and can't wait for the newcomers to join his list of nine returning letter winners. UW-Oshkosh's first practice for the 2018-19 season is scheduled for Oct. 15. UW-Oshkosh's first game is against Loras College (Iowa) on Nov. 9 in Kolf Sports Center.
"This class brings a lot of versatility and flexibility, especially on the perimeter, where many of them can play multiple positions for us," said Fischer. "I know our returning group is excited to get to work with them and we think they will all complement one another very well. This will be a fun team to coach and we're looking forward to seeing how much we can grow over the course of the season with such a young team."