The dawn of every new sports season brings new faces and renewed optimism for the season ahead. Head Coach Jennifer White’s 2010-11 St. Edward’s University women’s basketball team features a batch of new recruits from all over the state of Texas.

Freshman Hilltoppers Kendra Field, Maddie Wheeler, Mykel Bradshaw, Stephanie Dekkers, Shanae Lowrance, and redshirt freshman Kelsee Barr supply fresh talent for a team striving to improve on last season’s 9-20 record and fourth place finish in the Heartland Conference.

Combo guard and forward Field comes from Faith Academy in Marble Falls, where her 19.7 points-per-game earned her first-team all-state, Texas Basketball Magazine all-state, and first team all-Central Texas honors by the Austin American Statesman following her junior season. Field’s exemplary play helped Faith Academy amass a 94-18 record during her time there.

Wheeler comes to St. Edward’s from nearby Cedar Park. The highly recognized 5-foot-10 guard rejected scholarship offers from Cornell University and Yale, among others, because she was impressed by White and her coaching staff, the St. Edward’s campus, and the university’s close proximity to her family’s home in Cedar Park. Unfortunately, Wheeler suffered an injury in in the team’s first scrimmage against Baylor University that will prevent her from playing this season. She has exercised a medical redshirt and will make her playing debut next season.

“Hopefully I will come back stronger and better next year to make up for lost time,” Wheeler said. “Everyone on the team has been extremely supportive and helped me to stay positive. I think that really displays what an awesome group of women we have on this team, which helps them to be the best they can be on the court.”

Forward Kelsee Barr is a redshirt freshman from Lake Dallas High School who was also recruited by other programs—Southern Mississippi State, Tulane, Colorado, Vermont, and Air Force, among others prior to landing at St. Edward’s.

“I had two official visits planned after St. Edward’s, but once I came here and spent a couple of days in Austin and with my teammates, I didn’t even go on the other visits,” Barr said. “I just loved the academic recognition the school receives as well as the beautiful campus.”

Like Wheeler this year, Barr had to bide her time before playing because of last year’s redshirt status.

“I’m looking forward to the first game I can play in,” Barr said. “But other than that, I’m excited to play Abilene Christian because my sister went there, and that rivalry is still fun.”

Barr said she is also looking forward to playing against St. Mary’s University.

“We barely lost to them in the semi-finals last year, and revenge would be sweet,” Barr said.

Rockwall, Texas’ Shanae Lowrance garnered similar acclaim during her span at Rockwall Heath High School. She was named first-team all-district her freshman through junior seasons, and she was also awarded freshman of the year. Lowrance stood out as the top 4-A rebounder in the Dallas/Fort-Worth area her freshman and sophomore seasons and was her district’s leading scorer during her junior year.

The new wave of Hilltoppers will play on the home court for the first time on Nov. 12 when the team hosts the St. Edward’s shootout tournament.