MARSHALL — Southwest Minnesota State University head women’s basketball coach Tom Webb announced today that three high school standouts have recently signed letters of intent to continue their academic and basketball careers at SMSU.

Joining the SMSU program for the 2021-22 season include Peyton Blandin from Farmington, Mackenzie Jones from Willmar and Bri Stoltzman from Mankato.

“Peyton, Bri, and Mackenzie can really shoot the basketball and have the ability to play at a high pace attacking the rim,” Webb said. “All three are highly-skilled, competitive student-athletes, but their ability to defend 94 feet may be the most underappreciated part of their games.”

Blandin, a 5-foot-9 guard, is a senior at Farmington High School for head coach Liz Carpentier. Blandin earned all-conference honors a season ago averaging 12 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game. A National Honor Society member, Blandin helped lead Farmington to the 2020 Class 4A state championship game before the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19. She scored 22 points in Farmington’s state semifinal victory over St. Michael-Albertville and helped the Tigers to an overall record of 29-2.

Jones, a 5-foot-10 forward, is a senior at Willmar High School for head coach Dustin Carlson. A three-year letter winner, Jones averaged 15 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists per game a season ago in earning all-conference and all-state honorable mention honors. Jones, who also was named all-area and all-section in basketball, is a standout pitcher in softball for the Cardinals.

Stoltzman, is a 5-foot-8 senior guard at Mankato West High School for head coach Julia Battern. A season ago, Stoltzman averaged 16.4 ppg, connecting on 47 3-pointers, while shooting 60 percent from the field and 82 percent from the free throw line. She earned all-state honorable mention accolades for her efforts and also was named all-conference and all-city. She is also a letter winner in both soccer and softball for the Scarlets.

Southwest Minnesota State University, located in Marshall, is a member of NCAA Division II and competes in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. SMSU finished the 2019-20 season with a 16-11 overall record, including 11-11 in the NSIC. It was the program’s first winning season since 2009-10 and its first .500 or better record in conference play since 2004-05.

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