NEWARK, NJ–NJIT fifth-year head coach Mike Lane announced the addition of four high school standouts who will join the Highlanders in the Fall of 2023.
"Our four new Highlanders are great students, dynamic players and exceptional young women," said Lane. "This class is versatile, athletic and has a high basketball IQ. They are excited to come to Newark to continue our climb up the America East ladder. Many thanks to Aaron Gratch, Colleen Moriarty, Payce Lange and Anyssa Sanchez along with our players who helped bring this class to NJIT!"
Here is a closer look at the 2023 newcomers:
Madilyn Dogs, Guard, Kewaskum, WI/Kewaskum High School
Dogs, a 6-foot wing, will enter her senior year at Kewaskum High School with 750 career points.
She guided the Indians to three consecutive Division 3 Regional titles and averaged 13.7ppg, 7.2rpg, 2.5apg, 4.0spg and 1.5bpg in 2021-22.
As a freshman, Dogs was named Honorable Mention All-Conference and was voted unanimous first-team All-Conference as a sophomore and junior. She was named Division 3 WBCA All-State as a junior, leading the team in scoring, field goal percentage, rebounding, blocks and steals.
A three-sport athlete at Kewaskum, Dogs played volleyball and runs track at Kewaskum High School. Dogs helped the Indians capture their first women's volleyball conference title in 11 years in the Fall 2022 and was named West Bend Daily News Female Track Athlete of the Year as a sophomore.
She played for Wisconsin Flight Elite and intends to major in business at NJIT.
Coach Lane Quote on Dogs: "Madi is a long wing who is an adept scorer in the paint where she can score with either hand off cuts, on drives, with putbacks and post-ups. She is a willing passer and can distribute as well as score. But where she will make the most impact is on the defensive end of the floor with her speed, length and hustle."
Audrey Kormann, Forward, Maple Grove, MN/Maple Grove Senior High
Kormann, a 6-foot-2 forward from Minnesota, guided Maple Grove Senior High to three consecutive Conference Championships and Section Runner-Up.
The 2022-23 team captain for Maple Grove Senior High, earned preseason All-Conference and All-State Academic recognition and played for the MN Metro Stars 2023.
An honor roll student throughout her high school career and member of the National Honor Society, Kormann's grade point average (GPA) ranks second in a class of 600+ students. She intends to major in environmental engineering at NJIT.
Coach Lane Quote on Kormann: "Audrey is a post player who can score over either shoulder with either hand down on the block. She posts and seals very well and that will fit in nicely with our motion that demands a post presence. She can also step out and knock down perimeter looks. She is a physical defender who will battle in the paint."
Marissa Gingrich, Guard, Lewistown, PA/Mifflin County High School
Gingrich, the Mifflin County girls' basketball all-time leader in three-point field goals and assists, and a 1,000-point scorer by her junior season, will join the Highlanders in Fall of 2023.
The 5-foot-7 guard from Lewistown, PA, has a stellar basketball resume heading into her senior campaign at Mifflin County: 2021-22 Class 6A Third-Team All-State, 2021-22 Mid-Penn Keystone Division Division Player of the Year, led Mid-Penn Keystone Division in scoring, assists, steals and three-point field goals in 2021-22, guided Mifflin County to first PIAA District VI Championship in 2021-22, Mid-Penn Keystone first-team All-Star in 2021-22, 2019-20 Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division second-team All-Star and three-time Mifflin County Most Valuable Player.
Gingrich played for the Philadelphia Belles and intends to major in forensic science at NJIT.
Coach Lane Quote on Gingrich: "Marissa is a true combo guard. Her court vision is excellent, I love her passing, especially in transition. Her shooting stroke is pure. She is a threat on the ball or off. A great guard for our style of play - sees the floor, knows the game, and is always on the hunt for her own offense."
Mackenzie Wright-Rawls, Forward, York, PA/Central York High School
Wright-Rawls, a 6-foot forward who attends Central York High School in Pennsylvania, was selected York Adams Interscholastic Athletic Association (YAIAA) Division I Honorable Mention and Division I first and second team.
A Miss Pennsylvania nominee three times, Wright-Rawls played for Spooky Nook Lady Raiders.
Wright-Rawls, a member of the volleyball team, was named to the YAIAA Division I first team.
She earned Scholar Athlete of the Week and was recipient of the Judy Gelnett Award. Wright-Rawls intends to major in computer science and business at NJIT.
Coach Lane Quote on Wright-Rawls: "Mackenzie is a wing with a creative flair to her game, patrols the court defensively, and is a great communicator on the floor. She will defend multiple positions and fill up a box score. A gifted passer and a knack for knifing her way to the tin highlight her offensive skills."
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