West Virginia Wesleyan College head women’s basketball coach Steve Tierney has announced the signing of three student-athletes to national letters-of-intent. Kristen Fournier (Erie, PA), Carlee Gault (Sterling, OH), and Angela Tassari (Pittsburgh, PA), will join the Lady Bobcat program in 2006-07.

“These incoming freshmen bring with them strong talent and should make a smooth transition from high school to the college level,” said Tierney. “We are extremely pleased to have these three quality young ladies join us at Wesleyan.”

Fournier, a 5-10 forward, comes to Wesleyan with an impressive background. A First-Team All-Region player, she led Mercyhurst Prep Academy to a 10-3 region record this past season. Fournier averaged 12.3 points per game and 6.9 rebounds per game and added 42 assists and 43 steals. She was honored with the Sister Maura Smith Outstanding Athlete Award, which is based on character, leadership, academics, and athletic ability. She was also honored with the city/county all-star award, nominated as an Arby’s Scholar Athlete, and named the most athletic female in her 2006 class.

“Fournier is an active player who goes to the offensive board very well,” stated Tierney. “She can also hit the outside shot which will help loosen the defense. Kristen understands the game extremely well, which will be a big plus learning our motion offense.”

Gault, a 5-11 guard/forward, was a four-year varsity starter at Norwayne High School and averaged 17.2 points per game during her senior season. She holds school records for steals per game (13) and three-pointers in a game (five). Honors include being named on the All-Ohio Special Mention team, First-Team All-WCAL twice, First-team District 4, Honorable Mention District 4, First-team Daily Record, and Gatorade Rookie of the Year.

 “Gault is an athletic wing player with three-point range,” Tierney commented. “Her strength right now is her versatility. She has the length to be effective inside while she possesses the skill set of a perimeter player. We look for her to develop into a player that will give opponents fits as they try to find the right match-up for her.”

Tassari, 6-2 forward/center, helped Oakland Catholic High School to the WPIAL championship title and the PIAA semi-finals last season. Her team ended the year with a 30-2 record. For the season, Tassari averaged 6.6 rebounds per game, 6.3 points per game, and 2.3 blocks per game. She was also selected to the All-Tournament Naples (FL.) Daily News Shootout team.

“Tassari comes to us from one of the best, if not the premier high school girls’ basketball program in Pennsylvania,” remarked Tierney. “She has received outstanding coaching during her career and has solid fundamentals. Oakland Catholic has been a perimeter oriented team the past couple of seasons and as Angela becomes more comfortable in a ‘go-to’ role, she has the potential to be an elite player in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC).” 

The Lady Bobcats are coming off of an 11-win season where they made the quarter-finals of the WVIAC Tournament. “With a strong group returning for next year, it was very important to find the right pieces to go with the upper class,” concluded Tierney. “I believe we found them. All three are good students and well-thought of at their respective schools and communities. They will help us continue our reputation as a respected team both on and off the court. We look forward to their positive impact on campus.”