Heading into the upcoming school year, the Lake Region State College women’s basketball roster is tied for the largest it’s been in at least the last 12 seasons.
The school’s listed roster features 11 new players, giving it 15 total.
The last time the Royals women had that many players was 2023-24 under Ryan Clark, when they also had 15. In the online recorded history of the program, which goes back to 2015-16, they’ve never had more than 15 listed on a roster.
It’s a sharp change from two seasons ago, when LRSC only had nine players, including multiple who went down with season-ending injuries. There were times when that team only had six active players.
This will be the first season under head coach Kori Zarzutzki.
Here’s a glimpse at who’s joining the squad.
New recruits
Of the 11 new players, 10 are listed as freshmen.
The lone new sophomore is 5-foot-9 guard/forward Maia Kahura, a transfer from Kansas City Kansas Community College. She played in 24 games there, averaging 1.9 points in 9.6 minutes of playing time per game. Kahura is originally from Tauranga, New Zealand, joining returning sophomore Kiritiana Patea as New Zealanders on the team.
The Royals bring in two local freshman guards: Dru Longie from Four Winds High School and Cailee Hanson from Minnewaukan High School. Both played for the Four Winds/Minnewaukan Lady Indians, a co-op that ended after the conclusion of last season. Hanson was the second scorer and an all-region selection on an Indians team that went 16-8. Longie added about eight points per game.
LRSC also adds 5-foot-4 New Town guard Takiyah Bad Hawk. She’ll reunite with New Town native Ayiana Gray, a returning sophomore.
Tioga guard/forward Cheryl Hayes rounds out the quartet of North Dakota kids joining the team. Hayes is the all-time leading scorer in Tioga girls’ basketball history. At 6-foot-0, she’s tied with two other players as the tallest on the team.
Two freshmen from Salt Lake City, Utah, join the roster: guards Amaya Apiata and Fina Tuha. They both went to West High School.
The Royals also add a 5-foot-6 guard from Port Charlotte, Fla., in Maya Shipley.
The freshman class is completed by three international signings. Two come all the way from Spain: Barcelona’s Jana Rueda and Madrid’s Carla Medina. Rueda is a 5-foot-9 guard, while Medina is a six-foot forward.
Medina and the returning Patea are the only full-time forwards listed on the roster. Kahura and Hayes are listed as hybrids.
The third international signing is Axelle Deman, a 5-foot-4 guard from Bredene, Belgium.
Returners
Four players return to LRSC women’s basketball for their second year.
Two of the four are from Devils Lake.
One is Torri Fee. The 5-foot-4 guard averaged 8.5 points per game off the bench last season. She made 58 threes in 133 attempts — good for the highest percentage in the Mon-Dak at 43.6. Fee added 3.1 rebounds per game as well. She’s a two-sport athlete, also playing for the LRSC volleyball team.
The other Devils Lake native is Tylee Black. An injury sidelined Black for nearly all of last season; she played in just four games with four total minutes of playing time. Black was on the state championship Firebird team back in 2023-24. She didn’t play basketball in 2024-25, then joined the program for last season.
The other returners are Patea from New Zealand and Gray from New Town.
Patea is a six-foot forward. She appeared in 18 games last season and started five, averaging 4.2 points and 4.4 rebounds.
Gray, a 5-foot-4 guard, appeared in 28 games off the bench. She averaged 6.2 points in 17.2 minutes of playing time per game. She added 2.4 rebounds.
The Royals are coming off a 17-12 season under Colden Hutton, who’s now the athletic director. Their season ended in the Region XIII semifinals. Between Clark and Hutton, they’ve had four straight seasons with a conference winning percentage of .500 or better.
The revamped LRSC women’s basketball team begins action Oct. 3 at the ICCAC JUCO Jamboree in Des Moines, Iowa.