W.J. Mouat student Madeline Beerwald is continuing her basketball career close to home.
It was announced on Tuesday that the Grade 12 student has signed with the UFV Cascades women’s basketball program.
The six-foot forward is a former member of the Junior Cascades club, and said she’s very comfortable with the campus, school and head coach Al Tuchscherer.
“It’s not only a great school and a great opportunity, it has a spot close to my heart because I’ve been playing here since I was young,” she said. “Al’s been my coach for a long time, and I have so much respect for him. I’m very grateful to have this opportunity at an amazing school.”
Beerwald was MVP of her school basketball teams in Grade 7 and 8, and earned second team all-star honours at the 2015 B.C. junior girls provincial championships as her Mouat Hawks finished fifth. She was Mouat’s Grade 11 female athlete of the year last season, and as a senior, she was on BC Sports Hub’s list of the top 20 Grade 12 players in the province.
Tuchscherer said Beerwald “brings a little bit of that Mouat grit to the table,” alluding to the many Hawks grads who have played for UFV in recent years, including alumni Kayli Sartori, Katie Brink, Sam Kurath and Jaslyen Singh, and current Cascades Amanda Thompson and Victoria Jacobse.
“I think she has great potential,” he said of Beerwald. “She’s a good athlete – she can get to the hole, she can rebound, and she can also shoot it a little bit.”
The club also announced the signing of Elissa Vreugdenhil.
The Sumas native comes to the Cascades after picking up all-star nods as a rookie with the Whatcom Community College Orcas of the Northwest Athletic Conference.
For more on the players, visit ufvcascades.ca.