NEWS

 

DAVIDSON, N.C. – The Davidson women’s basketball team will welcome five newcomers for the upcoming season, as head coach Gayle Fulks announced the program’s 2024 signing class Wednesday. 

The five members that make up the incoming class consist of five-foot-nine guard Emilie Bessell, 5-11 guard Kyra Bruyndoncx, 5-10 guard Sienna Dauer, 6-0 forward Candice Lienafa and 6-4 center Edina Strausz. 

“We could not be more thrilled in putting together a recruiting class of this nature,” said head coach Gayle Fulks. “The stability in our program during our tenure at Davidson has allowed us to be exceptionally targeted in high school recruiting, thus bringing in talented scholar-athletes that have pedigrees of winning and high character. It is clear with a class that includes five scholar-athletes from five different countries (Australia, Belgium, Canada, Hungary, United States), that we will go anywhere to find the best fits for our Davidson College program and community.” 
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EMILIE BESSELL
Guard | 5’9 | Sydney, Australia | Redlands 

Bessell is another promising commit in Fulks’ 2023 signing class from the same club program as current junior point guard Issy Morgan. The Sydney, Australia native claimed a bronze medal at the Australian U20 National Championships in February while ranking among the leading scorers at the event. Following a stellar performance in the National Championships, Bessell earned an invitation to the Australian Gems U18 selection camp seeking selection for the U18 Asia cup this June. 

Fulks on Bessell: 
“Emilie is another crafty, versatile and tough guard from Australia. She is a lefty with an elite feel in ball screen, a very good shooter and defensively has an advanced understanding of game-planning and scouting due to her playing background. She comes from the same club as current junior Issy Morgan, and she has excelled in the junior championships. She is an exceptional teammate and leader that will fit seamlessly into our team’s culture.”

KYRA BRUYNDONCX
Guard | 5’11 | Mol, Belgium | Kangoeroes Mechelen 

Kyra Bruyndoncx has helped lead her Kangoeroes Basket team to three total Belgian Cups including back-to-back U19 Belgian Cup titles. The Mol, Belgium native made her first EuroCup debut at just 14 years old. Most recently, Bruyndoncx represented Belgium in the U16/U18 European Championships and the U17 World Cup. Bruyndoncx was the ninth leading scorer at the U17 World Cup event, averaging 12.9 points per game. Additionally, in true Davidson College basketball fashion, the incoming freshman won the 3-point contest at the 2023 Basketball Without Borders Europe Camp. 

Fulks on Bruyndoncx:
“We are excited to add Kyra as the final member of the 2024 incoming freshman class. Kyra is a highly skilled guard who is coming to college already having tremendous experience at the international and professional levels. Her versatility to be a playmaker both with the ball in her hands and ability to shoot and space the floor will be a great addition to this year’s team. Kyra exhibits size and length at the guard position that should fit in seamlessly with this past year’s 11th nationally ranked scoring defense.”

SIENNA DAUER
Position | 5’10 | Lakewood Ranch, Fla. | IMG Academy 

Sienna Dauer and the Ascenders of IMG Academy were ranked in the top 10 in the country throughout the 2023-24 season. The strong team performance sealed a trip to the Chipotle High School National Championships where Dauer’s team finished as the runner-up.  

Fulks on Dauer: 
“Sienna is a high motorized and skilled guard with great size. She is a great cutter into space, does a great job of finding the paint and making good decisions. At 5-10, she can play any of our guard positions. Her time at IMG has also served her well, as she has gotten an early start on strength and conditioning, living in a residential campus and fully immersing herself in a community away from her family. She has shown great leadership in that setting and will bring Davidson high-level intangibles that should help her adjust to the college level.”

CANDICE LIENAFA
Forward | 6’0 | Montreal, Canada | Champlain College – Saint Lambert

A tournament MVP performance from Candice Lienafa helped her to a CEGEP (College of General and Professional Teaching) Provincial Championship win. The victory aided in the qualification of Lienafa’s Champlain College team for the Canadian Championships, where they went on to win bronze. 

Fulks on Lienafa: 
“Candice is an elite athlete with tremendous feel for the game that has been well-coached. Basketball concepts that we have in our offense such as cutting, attacking closeouts and reading screens come very naturally to her and paired with her athleticism, will make her a very dynamic player for us. She also has a knack for finishing with incredible touch around the rim, which will serve her very well in our offense. Candice has also lived away from home at Champlain College, where she fully immersed herself in their community and program. That experience will help with her adjustment to college basketball.”

EDINA STRAUSZ
Center | 6’4 | Hungary | Winston-Salem Christian 

A great season by Edina Strausz helped lead the Winston-Salem Christian National team to an impressive 31-7 overall record against a quality schedule of opponents. The Lions capped off their season with a victory in the Insider Exposure Independent Schools Nationals in February. Strausz will have the opportunity to represent her home country of Hungary in the U20 European Championships this summer. 

Fulks on Edina: 
“At 6-4, Edina has tremendous size, along with incredible skill to be a very productive player in our system. She can finish with both hands, has elite vision for her position and is a developing shooter. Edina chose to come to the USA for high school to further develop along with spending her summers as a contributing player on the Hungarian National teams. With both her high school environment of being away from home and her international basketball experience, Edina will be well prepared to excel at Davidson College.”