CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston women's basketball team announced the signing of Paige Cornale (G, 5-10, Oak Creek, Wis./Oak Creek H.S.) to a National Letter of Intent. Cornale is the second signee for the Golden Eagles joining Mary Burke (F, 5-11, Virginia, Minn./Mountain Iron-Buhl H.S.).
"Paige is a gritty point guard, who also brings to the team a size and length that you don't often see at the position," said Head Coach
Mike Roysland. "In addition, she has great handles and great strength. Paige comes from a winning program in Oak Creek High School and we are excited to add her to the Golden Eagle family."
The Golden Eagles are slated to lose only two players from this season's roster, but two crucial cogs in the program with
Micaela Noga (Sr., G, Parkers Prairie, Minn.) and
Emily Gruber (Sr., F, Monticello, Minn.). Minnesota Crookston is slated to return 10 players to the fray for the 2018-19 season.
Cornale joins a squad that has been to three-consecutive NSIC/Sanford Health quarterfinals. The Golden Eagles have accumulated a program high of 40 wins in the last three years, including a school-record 18 wins during the 2015-16 season. Head Coach
Mike Roysland is in his 12
th season leading the squad. Roysland was the NSIC Coach of the Year following the 2014-15 season.
Cornale and Burke already give Minnesota Crookston two players to help replace Noga at the point guard and Gruber in the post. Cornale will give the Golden Eagles a type of player they have rarely had at the point guard position with her combination of size, strength and handles.
Paige Cornale (G, 5-10, Oak Creek, Wis./Oak Creek H.S.)
Cornale averaged 2.6 points and 1.4 assists per game as a junior at Oak Creek High School. She played for the Wisconsin Basketball Academy Prestige this summer. During her AAU season, she averaged 7.0 points and 1.2 assists per game. She also tallied 2.2 rebounds per contest. Cornale notched 19 points on 8-of-15 from the field against the Purple Aces. She notched 14 points on 5-of-9 from the field against the WI Flight Elite. Cornale helped Oak Creek High School to a 14-0-0 mark in the Southeast Conference. Her prep squad finished with a 21-5 mark last season as they lost in the sectional finals to Milwaukee King High School.
Cornale is the daughter of Kevin and Diane Cornale. She was born June 20, 2000. Cornale plans to major in biology/pre-med at Minnesota Crookston. Her brother Nathan Cornale played football at Carroll University. She has earned the Oak Creek High School Board of Education Awards each year.
All signees are contingent upon admission to UMC and compliance with NCAA rules, including certification by the NCAA Eligibility Center. Everyone released today has signed their National Letter of Intent prior to release of information.
For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at
www.goldeneaglesports.com.
Follow the Golden Eagles on Facebook at Golden Eagle Sports and on Twitter at @UMCAthletics.
The University of Minnesota Crookston is a NCAA Division II university located in the Red River Valley of Northwest Minnesota. UMC sponsors 11 intercollegiate athletic teams with membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate conference (NSIC) and the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). The NSIC is a 16-team conference with schools situated in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska.
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