CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston women's basketball team announced the signing of Kylea Praska (G, 5-8, Thief River Falls, Minn./Thief River Falls Lincoln H.S.) to a National Letter of Intent. Praska gives Minnesota Crookston a great outside shooting presence starting with the 2018-19 season.

"Kylea can really open up the court with her shooting ability from the outside," said Head Coach Mike Roysland. "She also possesses great court vision. We are very excited to be able to add a great player from right in our backyard in Thief River Falls. She is a great get for our program and we can't wait to see what Kylea is able to do as a member of the Minnesota Crookston women's basketball team. We welcome Kylea to our Golden Eagle family."

Praska is the seventh signee for the Golden Eagles. She adds to one of the best recruiting classes in the history of the program. She joins Mary Burke (F, 5-11, Virginia, Minn./Mountain Iron-Buhl H.S.), Paige Cornale (G, 5-10, Oak Creek, Wis./Oak Creek H.S.), Bren Fox (C, 6-3, Norwood Young America, Minn./Norwood Young America H.S.), Julia Peplinski (F, 5-10, Hustisford, Minn./Hustisford H.S.), Kylie Post (G, 5-7, Corcoran, Minn./Maranatha Christian Academy) and Kayla Sirjord (G, 5-6, Ulen, Minn./Ulen-Hitterdal H.S.).
The Golden Eagles have been able to add depth and competition at every position on the court. In addition, they have added strength in the post, speed, outside shooting, great passers and great defenders. Praska also displays the commitment for Coach Roysland to find the best talent in the area. She is the fifth signee in the class from the state of Minnesota and the third player from Northern Minnesota, joining Mary Burke from Virginia, Minn., and Kayla Sirjord from Ulen, Minn.

Minnesota Crookston is looking to build on an 8-19 mark on the 2017-18 season. The Golden Eagles had made the NSIC/Sanford Health quarterfinals the previous three seasons prior to 2017-18. They are looking to make it back to Sioux Falls, S.D. and the Sanford Pentagon. Minnesota Crookston returns 1,000 point scorer Isieoma Odor (R-Jr., F/C, Bloomington, Minn.), along with senior Caitlin Michaelis (Sr., G, Marshfield, Wis.), who made great strides as a junior, and Abby Guidinger (So., G/F, Waukesha, Wis.), who showed potential as a true freshman. The Golden Eagles also return five other players who saw time last season. Paired with the strong signing class, Minnesota Crookston will have great competition and depth up and down the line-up.

Kylea Praska (G, 5-7, Thief River Falls, Minn./Thief River Falls Lincoln H.S.)
Praska was an All-Northwest Conference pick for the Prowlers for four seasons. She holds the school record for the most three-pointers made in a single game. Praska was a 1,000 point scorer for the Prowlers. She was an All-Tournament team pick in 2016 after helping lead her prep squad to the Minnesota State Tournament. Praska also played volleyball and softball for her high school. She was named Rookie of the Year for her high school and was an All-Academic pick. In 2016, helped her unranked team at Thief River Falls upset top-seed Hutchinson High School in the Class 3A quarterfinal.

Praska is the daughter of Paula Praska and Jon Praska. She plans to major in elementary education at Minnesota Crookston. She was born Oct. 1, 1999. Her mother Paula Praska played basketball at Northland Community College and was Kylea's coach ever since she was in third grade.