Women's Basketball | 8/4/2025 3:05:00 PM

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates - Former University of Minnesota Crookston women's basketball player Nicole Hernandez has signed a contract to play professionally with Al Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. Al Sharjah competes in UAE - D1. Hernandez is the first Golden Eagle in recent history to sign to play with a professional basketball team, after competing for Minnesota Crookston for the last three seasons.

Hernandez ended her career as one of the most formidable defensive posts in program history. She holds the school's career shot blocks record with 167 from 2022-25. Hernandez set the single-season mark with 80 blocked shots during the 2024-25 season. She also had a phenomenal defensive season in 2023-24 with 58 blocked shots, ranking tied for third. On the glass, she averaged 8.1 rebounds per game in her career, which is in the Top 10 all-time. She is top five in defensive rebounds in a season, and is sixth in defensive rebounds in a career. Hernandez ranks ninth in career rebounds with 546. She averaged 6.2 points per game in her career, with her best scoring mark coming as a senior with 8.0 points per game. Hernandez is a native of Oak Creek, Wis., and is one of 11 former Golden Eagles competing in either baseball, hockey, or basketball professionally.