Women's Basketball August 26, 2026 Claire Gay, UMW Sports Information

Montana Western Women’s Hoops Adds Seven Ahead of 2026-27 Season

DILLON, Mont. – The Montana Western women's basketball team has added seven student-athletes to its 2026-27 roster, head coach Ryan Sullivan announced Friday.

A brief profile on each athlete and some words from Sullivan follow below.

"More than anything, we are incredibly proud of the people we have brought into our program," Sullivan said. "We believe we have added a group of outstanding basketball players, but more importantly, we have added incredible young women who are driven, competitive, coachable, and committed to being great teammates. Each of these athletes brings something unique to our program, and together they represent the culture we want to build at Montana Western. We are excited not only about what they will accomplish on the court, but about the impact they will have in our community, in the classroom, and on the lives of those around them. We feel very fortunate to have this group of Bulldogs and can't wait to see what impacts they leave here at UMW."

Ava Blair | Freshman | Forward | 6-0
Salt Lake City, Utah | Olympus HS
Blair joins the Bulldogs from Olympus HS. In her senior season she led her team to its best record in the last 10 years and was an all-state and all-region honorable mention. She helped her team to one region championship and two elite-eight appearances in her high school career. She also earned the Most Versatile Player honor. She is the daughter of Sadie and CJ Blair and will major in Biology.

"Ava is the type of player every coach wants in their program," Sullivan said. "Her versatility, size, and ability to impact the game in multiple ways make her a great fit for what we are building at Western. She comes from a winning program at Olympus, and her experience competing at a high level will be valuable as she transitions to the college game. We are excited about her potential and can't wait to see her continue to grow both on the court and in the classroom as a Bulldog."

Silivia Fonongaloa | Sophomore | Post | 6-2
Bay Area, Calif. | Los Angeles Harbor College
Fonongaloa is a transfer from Los Angeles Harbor College where she averaged 20.5 points, 12.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.6 blocks through six games before being sidelined due to injury. She also played one season at Cal State LA, averaging 4.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per game while shooting 42.3 percent from the floor. She is the daughter of Malia Latu and Mike Fonongaloa.

"Via brings a tremendous physical presence," Sullivan said. "Her production at Los Angeles Harbor showed what she is capable of, and we believe she has the opportunity to make a significant impact in our frontcourt. She is a strong rebounder, a talented scorer, and someone who brings toughness to our team. We are thrilled to welcome Via to Western and are excited to see what she can accomplish as a Bulldog."

Reese Gustin | Freshman | Guard | 5-9
St. George, Utah | Pine View HS
Gustin is a freshman out of St. George, Utah. She averaged 10.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.7 steals per game in her senior season. She helped lead her team to a third-place finish at the 2026 state tournament. She earned one first team all-state recognition and three first team all-region honors. She is the daughter of Trish and JD Gustin and plans to major in Biology.

"Reese is a talented shooter who has a great feel for the game and a high basketball IQ," Sullivan said. "Coming from a family of coaches, she has been around the game her entire life, and you can see that understanding in the way she plays. She has the ability to stretch the floor, make shots, and make smart decisions with the basketball. We are excited to add her skill, knowledge, and competitiveness to our program and look forward to watching her continue to develop at Western."

Maddie Kaufman | Sophomore | Guard | 5-7
Frenchtown, Mont. | Northwest College
Kaufman is a transfer from Northwest College. She averaged 8.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. She shot 38.4 percent from beyond the arc. She led her team to a Region IX tournament runner-up finish and was named to the all-tournament team. She was named the Conference Co-MVP in her lone year with the Trappers. She is the daughter of Jennifer and Jory Kaufman and will major in Biology.

"Maddie is a proven winner who brings confidence, toughness, and a high level of skill to our backcourt," Sullivan said. "She had a very large impact on the success her team had at Northwest, and we believe that experience will translate extremely well to our program. Her ability to stretch the floor and knock down shots from the perimeter will be an important addition for us. We are excited to have Maddie back in Montana and look forward to watching her continue her career as a Bulldog."

Kendyl Meinhold | Freshman | Forward | 5-10
Florence, Mont. | Florence-Carlton HS
Meinhold joins Western from Florence-Carlton HS. In her senior season she averaged 10.0 [points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 steals, 3.0 assists, and 1.0 blocks per game. She led her team to a 22-5 overall record in her final campaign. She earned two first-team and one second-team all-conference honor and was the District Defensive MVP. She is the daughter of Tami and Shane Meinhold and will major in Psychology.

"Kendyl is a competitor who can impact the game in so many different areas," Sullivan said. "Her ability to defend, rebound, create for others, and score makes her a really valuable addition to our roster. Her willingness to do the dirty work is what truly set her apart in the recruiting process. She understands what it takes to be part of a successful team, and we are excited to see her bring that mindset to Western."

Madeline Moline | Freshman | Forward | 5-11
Brockway, Mont. | Circle HS
Moline is a freshman out of Circle HS. In her senior season she averaged 15.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. She was an 84.0 percent free-throw shooter. She led her team to a Class C State runner up finish in 2025 and was a four-time all-conference and four-time all-state player. She is the daughter of Sara and Conrad Moline and plans to major in Business Administration.

"Madeline is a talented and versatile forward who brings a great combination of size, skill, and basketball experience to our program," Sullivan said. "Her successes at Circle pretty remarkable and are a great example of what we are looking for here at UMW: Winners. She has a great feel for the game and has shown that she can contribute in a variety of ways. We are excited to welcome her to Western and watch her continue to develop as a Bulldog."

Marisa Snider | Freshman | Guard | 5-5
Ennis, Mont. | Ennis HS
Snider joins the Bulldogs from Ennis HS. She scored over 2,000 career points in her high school career and finished in the Top-10 all-time scorers in Montana High School Girls Basketball history. In her senior season she averaged 26.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. She led her team to the 2026 District Championship abd two state tournament appearances. She earned four all-conference and four all-state honors. She is the daughter of Marci and Dallas Snider and will major in Kinesiology.

"Marisa is an incredibly accomplished player, and we couldn't be more thankful that she trusted the vision we have here at Western in the recruiting process," Sullivan said. "Scoring more than 2,000 career points and finishing among Montana's all-time leading scorers is an incredible accomplishment, but what stands out to us is her ability to make everyone around her better. She is a dynamic scorer, a talented passer, and a competitor who understands what it takes to win. We are excited to have her represent Western and look forward to seeing her leave her mark on our program."

For complete coverage of UMW Women's Basketball, be sure to follow us on social media at @umw_wbb (Instagram), @umw_wbb (X), and @Montana Western Athletics (Facebook) or visit our official website at UMWBulldogs.com.

#GOBULLDOGS!

Print Friendly Version