CENTRAL — The Southern Wesleyan University Women’s Basketball program and head coach John Davis are excited to announce the signing class of 2024. The Warriors will welcome 12 student-athletes from the states of Florida (1), Georgia (1), North Carolina (2), South Carolina (5), Virginia (2) and Wyoming (1). All 12 newcomers look forward to joining the team in the Fall of 2024.

“We are blessed and thankful to have such an incredible group of young women join our campus community and women’s basketball program,” stated Davis. “Coach Hedgeman had a big role in opening many doors for us and he worked hard on this class. We expect this group to be committed to our Christ-centered culture, while being dedicated to their own personal growth and development on-and-off the court. I fully expect this class to add great value to our university.”

Assistant Coach Bryant Hedgeman, who begins his second year with the Warrior women’s basketball program, helped guide the team to their second consecutive conference tournament berth during the 23-24 campaign. “We have signed a talented group of high character, faith-driven young women who can take this program to the next level. From basketball to community, I’ve been inspired by their stories, their talent and their drive. I’m excited to share in their growth and development helping them to realize their potential,” commented Hedgeman.

Southern Wesleyan will bring in Peyton Looky from Weston, Florida. Looky has played as a guard at Cypress Bay High School during her basketball career. She was All County 1st Team this past season and was also a 1,000 point scorer at her high school. Her favorite Bible verse is John 1:5 which reads “light shines in the darkness.”

Makayla Raines will transfer to Southern Wesleyan via Cairn University. The point guard is from Jonesboro, GA and attended St. Mary’s Academy in high school. Raines will come in as a sophomore after being named 1st Team All-Conference and the Freshman of the Year at Cairn after averaging 20.3 points per game and shooting 41% from the field, while also averaging 2.8 assists per game. Her favorite quote is, “never measure the height of a mountain until you have reached the top. Then you will see how low it was.”

The two newcomers from the state of North Carolina are Bria Dickinson and Faith Yelton.

Bria Dickinson is from Morehead City, North Carolina. She played for the Greenville High School Hurricanes where she served as both a point guard and a shooting guard. Dickinson has played the past two seasons at Bob Jones University where she averaged 6.7 points per game and shot 39% from 3-point range in her career. Her favorite quote comes from Ekko who said, “It’s not how much time you have, it’s how you use it.”

Faith Yelton is a native of Forest City, NC. She has played several positions during her basketball career and was named 1st Team All-Conference all four years of high school, while also being named the Conference Player of the Year this past season. Her favorite quote comes from Michael Jordan when he said, “I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept is not trying.”

The Warriors will welcome five newcomers from the Palmetto State in Trinity Bowman, Danielle Earley, DeYana Hayes, Trinity Nesbitt and Natalie Trudell.

Trinity Bowman is originally from Elbert County, Georgia and moved to Anderson, SC to attend Westside High School. She was a part of back-to-back state championship teams in 20-21 and 21-22. Bowman is a small forward that was awarded the Most Improved Player in 20-21 and the Hustle Award in 21-22. Her favorite quote is “success is rented, never owned.”

Danielle Earley will come to Central, SC from down the road in Greenville, SC. Earley attended Blue Ridge High School where she played as a forward. Her favorite quote is “create your own sunshine always.”

DeYana Hayes hails from Piedmont, South Carolina where she played as a forward for Wren High School. Individually, Hayes was an All Region selection her senior year, while her teams won the Region Championship in 21-22 and 23-24, with last season’s team playing for the 3A State Championship. Her favorite quote comes from Stephen Curry when he said, “Be the best version of yourself in anything that you do.”

Trinity Nesbitt is a forward from Greenville, SC and attended Woodmont High School. Nesbitt was a 1,000 point scorer and was named to the All Region Team for three consecutive years and played for head coach Jimmy Towe. Her favorite quote is “for whom much is given, much is required.”Trinity Nesbitt

Natalie Trudell comes to the Warriors from Boiling Springs, SC. Trudell played as a small forward for Boiling Springs High School. Her favorite quote is “let your faith be bigger than your fears.” Trudell will also be playing for the Warriors’ Women’s Soccer team as a goalkeeper.

The Warriors will welcome Kyra Price and Jezreel Reynolds to Central, South Carolina from the state of Virginia.

Kyra Price is from Fredricksburg, VA and attended Massaponax High School where she served as a small forward, center and power forward. She was a 3-time District Champion, 1st Team All District, 2nd Team All Region and 3rd Team All Area, while being a part of the 22-23 Regional Championship team. Her favorite quote is “be there for others, but never leave yourself behind.”

Jezreel Reynolds will join the Warriors via Alexandria, Virginia where she attended Annapolis Area Christian School. After school, the guard and forward attended Farleigh Dickinson University and Glenville State University where she played for current University of Tennessee head coach Kim Caldwell. Her favorite Bible verse is Romans 8:18 which reads, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is be revealed to us.”

Coming to Central, SC from Casper, Wyoming is Lexie Ransom. Ransom is a shooting guard and point guard for Natrona County High School and was also a Walhalla and Seneca High School product in South Carolina prior to her time at Natrona. In her high school career, Ransom was a member of seven different state championship programs in various sports (track and field, cross country and softball). Her favorite Bible verse is Proverbs 3:5-6 which reads, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Ransom is a 1,000 point scorer and was the 3A Mountain West Player of Year at Seneca during her sophomore season.

The Warriors will open up the 24-25 campaign in the SAC/CC Crossover at Mars Hill College against Emory & Henry College on Friday, November 8 at 1 p.m. Southern Wesleyan will then face the host school Mars Hill on Saturday, November 9 at 3 p.m.