WINONA, Minn. – Winona State University head women's basketball coach Scott Ballard has announced the first two signings to the Warriors' 2020-21 recruiting class. Vanessa Alexander and Mattie Schimenz have both signed their National Letters of Intent to continue their education and basketball careers at Winona State next fall.

"We are extremely excited to announce the signing of Vanessa and Mattie," Ballard said. "These young ladies are high-character individuals off the court and high-energy players on the court that are accustomed to winning, and both have strong work ethics and competitive toughness that will help them strive in our program."

Alexander, a 5-11 forward from Saint Michael Albertville High School, averages 8.0 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per contest. She was named to the Mississippi 8 All-Conference Team, has been a team captain, and Rookie of the Year. Alexander plans to study pre-optometry at Winona State.

"Vanessa is an elite defender and great athlete on both ends of the floor," noted Ballard. "She is an excellent rebounder and plays well in our up-tempo style. She has a ton of potential and a great upside which we project will flourish over her Warrior career."

Schimenz, a 5-6 point guard, is a three-sport athlete at Brown Deer High School in basketball, soccer and volleyball. Entering her senior campaign, Schimenz had accumulated 1,222 career points and averaged 18.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game as a junior. She has been a Woodland East First Team All-Conference recipient all three years to date and a Scholar-Athlete award winner. Additionally, she was named the Conference Player of the Year in 2019 for volleyball and was a three-time All-Conference pick in soccer.

"Mattie is a dynamic playmaker with a versatile skill set," Ballard said. "She is really good at beating the defense off the dribble and setting up herself or her teammates to score. She is a great competitor and tenacious defender that makes everyone around her better."