Women’s Basketball Team ushers in six key new players this season

In preparation for their upcoming spring season, the Lewis & Clark Women’s Basketball Team welcomed six new members to their roster. The six first-year players constitute a refreshing new lineup for the Pioneers, and join nine returning players on the team.

As a winter sport, the LC Women’s Basketball season runs from the Nov. 11, 2023 to Feb. 17, 2024. The team will compete at both home and away games as a part of the Northwest Women’s Conference.

According to the LC athletics website, returning coach Ann Dorris expressed great excitement for the players’ arrival, citing their energy and their development potential going forward into the 2023-24 season.

The players are all West Coast based, from California and Washington. They come to Portland from a variety of backgrounds, and will occupy a wide range of positions on the team.

Zoe Anderson ’27 of Los Angeles joined the team as a guard after graduating from Leuzinger High School. Lauryn Frederickson ’27 joined as guard and forward out of Maple Valley, Washington, after graduating from Tahoma High School. Kaela Guidry ’27 graduated from Pioneer High School in Norwalk, California and came to LC as a forward.

DJ Kendrick ’27 attended Orcutt Academy Charter High School in Los Alamos California, and joined the team as a guard. Madilyn Palosi ’27, a graduate of Viewpoint High School in Thousand Oaks California, is another guard. Finally, from Puyallup Washington, graduate of Rogers High School Divinity Singleton ’27 joined as a forward.

The team’s incoming roster is exceptional both on and off the court: They all played for their varsity teams, and over half competed on either club basketball teams or outside sports teams such as Track & Field and Volleyball. Two served as team captains, and all were awarded with various league honors in their areas, including MVP. Half were recipients of academic honors in high school both individually and as part of their teams.

Many of their families, as reported by LC Athletics, are also involved in sports. Two reported collegiate athlete parents, one a brother and cousin and one an uncle, in sports including soccer, club lacrosse and basketball. 

Dorris and the coaching staff will be working with these six, as well as the nine returners, to develop players both on and off the court in the upcoming season.

Returning players in particular have a unique role on the team. Beyond their personal responsibilities and growth as athletes, they have a special relationship with the new freshmen basketball players.

LC did start their season on a slightly disappointing note, with a loss to Whittier College (67-51) on Nov. 11. But it was not a start without hope, as nine LC players had scores throughout the course of the game, with a notable showing from Frederickson who scored the team-high for rebounds in her first collegiate game. She also scored her first collegiate bucket, and the final basket of the game with her first three-pointer. 

Anderson hit a free throw to score her first collegiate basket, as well as achieving her first collegiate assist with Singleton. Singleton scored her first collegiate bucket as well.

Going into their 2023-24 season, LC Women’s Basketball has a lot of room to grow. And with six exemplary new players, it looks like they will be doing just that.