In the 2023-24 season, Penn women’s basketball finished with a 15-13 record and lost in the first round of Ivy Madness. As the team tries to improve on last year’s results, six freshmen have joined the team,
First up is freshman guard Ashna Tambe from Plano, Texas. A four-year starter and two-time captain in high school, Tambe was named her school’s MVP four times and scored the most points in her school’s history. In her junior year, she racked up 1,000 points and has totaled over 1,600 points in the 72 games of her high school career. Notably, she started during the Red and Blue scrimmage last weekend, indicating that she’s worth keeping an eye on as the season gets underway.
Another four-year starter and two-time captain from high school is freshman guard Brooke Suttle from Atlanta, who was a two-time Region Player of the Year in 2023 and 2024, scoring over 1,000 points and 800 rebounds. She also played soccer throughout high school, excelling there as well, helping her team win a state title and four regional championships.
Two of the other new freshmen are also guards: Raegan Jamison and Sarah Miller. Jamison, from Washington State, led her team to four league championships and two bi-district championships. Recently, in 2024, she and her team won the state championship. Miller, from Arizona, has her own list of accomplishments — winning 2023-24 Conference Player of the Year and Region Player of the Year.
Lastly, there are two new forwards this season: freshmen Katie Collins and Gabriella Kelley. Originally from California, Kelley was named the best female basketball player in San Francisco and was Division 3 California State Player of the Year. Collins, hailing from the state of New Jersey, won two State Sectional Championships and two Group Championships in 2022 and 2024. Coincidentally, Collins was high school teammates with current Quaker junior guard Georgia Heine.
These six join current players like sophomore guard Mataya Gayle, who was last year’s Ivy League and Big 5 Rookie of the Year, and captains senior guards Stina Almqvist and Lizzy Groetsch, who both played in 28 games last season, Groetsch starting in all 28 and Almqvist starting in 27.
On Friday, Nov. 8, the team’s season kicks off at the Palestra where the team will tip off the season against Merrimack College. There, the six freshman will be looking to make an instant impact on a team predicted to finish fourth in the Ivy League.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
Donate
