NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball program received National Letters of Intent from two high school seniors on Wednesday morning. The 2022 recruiting class consists of Abbie Aalsma (Waupun, Wis./Waupun HS) and Taylor Veach (Dewitt, Iowa/Central Dewitt HS).
"We are so excited about our 2022 recruiting class," said head coach Kristen Gillespie. "Both Abbie and Taylor will be fantastic student-athletes and tremendous ambassadors for both our program and university."
Abbie Aalsma | Guard | 5-9 | Waupun, Wis. | Waupun HS
- Averaged 19.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.9 steals during the 2020-21 campaign to lead Waupun HS to an 18-4 overall record and East Central Conference title, that included a perfect 14-0 record in conference play
- A three-time WBCA All-State honoree, Aalsma was also the unanimous ECC Player of the Year voted to the USA Today All-Area Team in all three years of her prep career so far
- She enters her senior season 29 points shy of the school scoring record of 1,450 points, holding the single-season scoring record of 516 points
- Joins current Redbird Chloe Van Zeeland who is also from Wisconsin
Coach Gillespie on Aalsma: "Abbie is a high-level shooter that has an incredible work ethic. Her desire to be great will help set her up for success at the next level."
Taylor Veach | Guard | 5-11 | Dewitt, Iowa | Central Dewitt HS
- Led her high school team to the Iowa Class 4A state tournament for the first time in over a decade last season, leading the Sabers in scoring (19.1 ppg), rebounding (6.1 rpg) and field goal percentage (44.0%)
- Member of the Central Dewitt HS 1,000-point club, reaching the milestone in February of her junior year
- A three-time Class 4A All-State selection, Veach has also earned the titles of MAC Player of the Year, Clinton Herald Player of the Year, Iowa Prep Sophomore Player of the Year and Quad City Times Metro Player of the Year
- Continues the Redbirds' 'Iowa pipeline', joining the group of Mary Crompton, Lexy Koudelka and Lexi Boles who also hail from the Hawkeye State
Coach Gillespie on Veach: "Taylor is a versatile, skilled guard who can play multiple positions. She has an innate toughness to her game that will allow her to make an impact on both ends of the floor."
For all latest on Illinois State women's basketball, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team at @RedbirdWBB (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram).
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
