ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team and head coach Yvonne Sanchez announced the signing of four National Letter of Intents for the 2016-17 season on Wednesday. Mykiel Burleson, Brittany Panetti, Hannah Sjerven and Sammie Woodward will be joining the Lobos for the 2016-17 season.
This recruiting class has been rated the top recruiting class in the Mountain West by BlueStar Basketball and Collegiate Girls Basketball Report (which works with ESPNW), two of the three most respected women’s basketball recruiting sites. This is the second year in a row that the Lobos have had the top recruiting class in the Mountain West.
“We are extremely excited to add these four young ladies to the Lobo family,” said head coach Yvonne Sanchez. “They will all come in and blend well together.”
To learn more about the class, tune into ROOT Sports’ 2015 UNM Women’s Basketball NLI show Friday, Nov. 13 as it will be airing between the men’s and women’s games. Comcast viewers can find ROOT Sports on channel 261 and 841 in HD. ROOT is on channel 414 on DISH and 683 on DirectTV.
Mykiel Burleson (5-10, Guard, Pflugerville, Texas)
Burleson commits to UNM out of Pflugerville High School in Pflugerville, Texas. ESPNW rated her No. 25 in the country at the wing position. She is a 3-star recruit with a 90 rating. Burleson missed her junior season due to injury but is back and healthy for her senior year. As a sophomore, she averaged 9.0 points per game, 6.1 rebounds per game and 1.8 steals per game. She maintains a 3.4 GPA and is interested in majoring in sports journalism or psychology.
“She is a very, very good athlete,” said Sanchez. “She is extremely well coached at both levels, high school and club ball. I think she will make an impact right away. We are really excited to have Mykiel.”
Brittany Panetti (6-3, Forward, Katy, Texas)
Panetti commits to New Mexico out of Tompkins High School in Katy, Texas. She has averaged 10.1 points per game, 10 rebounds per game and 3.0 blocks per game as just a sophomore. She missed her junior season due to injury but is back healthy for her final high school season. ESPNW rated her No. 57 power forward in the country. She is a 3-star recruit with a 90-rating. Panetti maintains a 3.5 GPA and is looking to be a civil engineering major here at UNM.
“Brittany is a true-stretch four,” said Sanchez. She can get in and post up and loves to rebound. She is very fundamental, very well coached and runs the floor extremely well. We are excited for Brittany to join the Lobo family.”
Hannah Sjervan (6-2, Center, Rogers, Minnesota)
Sjerven commits to the Lobos out of Rogers High School in Rogers, Minn. She is the highest ranked recruit in the Mountain West as ESPNW lists her as the No. 23 post in the country and is the No. 131 overall. She is a 3-star recruit with a 90 rating. She averaged 13.7 points per game as a junior to go along with 12.3 rebounds per game and 5.8 blocks per game for a First Team All-Conference honor. She is No. 1 in the state of Minnesota for blocked shots and No. 7 in rebounds. Sjervan played AAU ball for the same program as current Lobo Khadijah Shumpert and current assistant coach Amy Beggin. On the academic side, she maintains a 3.5 GPA and is looking to major in physical therapy.
“She can shoot from the left,” said Sanchez “And can shoot from the right and we will develop that high-post jump shot with her. She is a very good defensive player. She understands the game and is very well coached. She’ll do whatever it takes to get it done and her main objective is to get better and win. We are very excited to have her come to New Mexico.”
Sammie Woodward (5-7, Guard, Racine, Wis.)
Woodward commits to New Mexico out of Prairie High School in Racine, Wis. She is the second highest ranked recruit in the Mountain West as ESPNW lists her as the No. 59 point guard in the country and No. 227 overall. She is a 3-star recruit with a 90 rating. In her junior season, she averaged 18.3 points per game, 8.0 rebounds per game and 3.2 steals per game to each First Team All-Conference honors and Honorable Mention All-State. Her cousin is Gabbi Ortiz, who plays for Oklahoma and was the Big-12 Freshman of the Year last season. Woodward played club basketball with current Lobo Kianna Keller’s sister. She maintains a 3.6 GPA and is interested in majoring in sports medicine.
“Sammie is a good point guard and a true leader,” Sanchez said. “That kid is vocal and will run through a wall for you. She can shoot, drive and dish to the open player. She completely understands the game. She is a kid that, if she is open, she is going to shoot and we need that. We are excited to get in a true point guard.”