The Radford University women’s basketball team will welcome five newcomers to the squad for the 2021-22 season after all five committed to Radford Thursday.
Two are incoming transfers and three come from the high school ranks.
Jackie Christ is a transfer from Appalachian State while Bridget Birkhead will come in from Mount St. Mary’s. Vanessa Blake, Madison Roshelle, and Carmen Williams all will be incoming freshmen.
“First of all, I want to thank our coaching staff for their diligence, hard work, and transparency during a recruiting landscape that is constantly changing and challenging without in person evaluations and visits,” head coach Mike McGuire said. “Our coaches have done an outstanding job and have prioritized recruiting young ladies that fit our institution and program.
“With that being said, I am excited to announce the addition of Jackie Christ, Bridget Birkhead, Carmen Williams, Vanessa Blake, and Madison Roshelle to our women’s basketball program,” the head Highlander said. “Each young lady aligns with what our program stands for and what we strive to accomplish each day. Each one of them addresses specific needs for the upcoming season and the future of our program. When you combine these five ladies with Alyssa Chapman and Makaila Brown, our early signees, it creates a pivotal recruiting class for our program. They will bring a strong work ethic and winning mindset to our program. Today is a great day for us.”
JACKIE CHRIST is a 6-3 center from Sterling, VA., who played in 26 games, averaging 6.4 minutes per outing in two seasons at Appalachian State. Before that, she was a dominant force for Dominion High School in her first three seasons, posting her best year in 2017-18 when she averaged 20 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks per game
MCGUIRE ON CHRIST: “Jackie is a young lady we recruited out of high school and have always admired. She will bring immediate size, strength, and physicality to our post game. We will be relying on her experience and work ethic to help us re-establish our inside game.”
BRIDGET BIRKHEAD is a 5-11 guard from Doylestown, Penn. She played in 24 games averaging 21.6 minutes per outing last season at Mount St. Mary’s and helped guide her team to an NCAA Tournament appearance. She averaged 7.2 points per game and made 39 3-pointers during the season. She hit 41.1 percent of her three-point shots, which was best on the team and second in the Northeast Conference. In high school, she scored 575 points in three seasons.
MCGUIRE ON BIRKHEAD: “When we looked at our current roster and the needs we had for the upcoming season, we had to address our perimeter shooting. I have been very familiar with Bridget since we played the Mount in 17-18 and 18-19. She has proven that she can be an excellent three-point shooter, and we will rely on her experience in that area. Bridget has also won conference championships and played in this year’s NCAA tournament. These experiences align with our program expectations. “
CARMEN WILLIAMS is a 5-11 guard from Voorhees, N.J., who averaged 12.8 points per game her senior year at Penn Charter School and 15.6 points per game at Loomis Chaffee School (post-grad). She was twice named First-Team All-Conference and finished as the sixth-leading scorer in Penn Charter School history. She led her team to the Pennsylvania Independent Schools State Championship game in 2019-2020
MCGUIRE ON WILLIAMS: “Carmen is a talented and well-rounded young lady. She is a smart, versatile basketball player who values hard work and expects to win, a versatile guard with good size who can score in multiple ways. She has an impressive mid-range game that can be hard to guard. She has a great presence about her and understands the game well. We will most likely ask her to be a combo guard for us especially early in her career. Carmen’s upside is exceptional.”
VANESSA BLAKE is a 6-2 center from Summerville, S.C., who averaged 18.5 points, 14.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game her final season. She was twice an all-region player and a 5A all-state player in 2020-21. She also played volleyball at Ashley Ridge High School.
MCGUIRE ON BLAKE: “Vanessa is an exciting addition to our program. She is a post player who probably flew under the radar in our region for various reasons. We were drawn to Vanessa because of her size, her athleticism, her aggressiveness on the defensive end of the floor, and her upside as an offensive player. She will provide immediate depth to our posts and help us re-establish our inside play.”
MADISON ROSHELLE is a 5-9 guard from Cincinnati and Princeton High School who averaged 13.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, two steals and 14 assists her final season. She was named to the Southwest Ohio third team and was a First-Team All-League player. Her team was the 2020-21 district runners-up. She placed sixth in the state in the long jump in 2018-19.
MCGUIRE ON ROSHELLE: “Madison is a dynamic athlete who just oozes tremendous potential. She may be one of the most athletic players I have ever coached in my career. She has the ability and potential to play the game at an explosive level. Madison is 5’9 but plays the game as if she is 6’0 due to her natural ability. Her presence should elevate our team on both sides of the ball.””
–RU Athletics