ITHACA, N.Y. – Dayna Smith, The Rebecca Quinn Morgan '60 Head Coach of Women's Basketball has announced the Big Red's incoming class of 2017.The Big Red will add five players to next year's squad, as Nicholle Aston (Woodland Hills, Calif.), Taylor DePalma (Ithaca, N.Y.), Megan LeDuc (Vienna, Va.), Nia Marshall (Macedonia, Ohio) and Kerri Moran (Fair Hills, N.J.) will join the team for the 2013-14 season. The class of five players come from five different states and consists of three guards and two forwards.

“I am extremely excited to welcome in this year's freshmen class,” said Smith. “They all have been very successful in their high school careers and they each understand how to win.  This class will bring toughness and competitiveness to our team.  In addition to that, they all are great people that we are proud to have join the Cornell basketball family.”
 

Cornell Women's Basketball 2013-14 Recruiting Class
Name	Ht.	Pos.	Hometown (Previous School)
Nicholle Aston	6-2	F	Woodland Hills, Calif. (Louisville HS)
Taylor DePalma	5-6	G	Ithaca, N.Y. (Ithaca HS)
Megan LeDuc	5-6	G	Vienna, Va. (James Madison HS)
Nia Marshall	6-0	F	Macedonia, Ohio (Hathaway Brown School)
Kerri Moran	5-8	G	Fair Hills, N.J. (Oak Knoll School)

Cornell Women's Basketball Class of 2017 
Player Biographies

#32 Nicholle Aston – 6-2 – Forward
Woodland Hills, Calif. (Louisville HS)
Aston lettered four times at Louisville high school, serving as captain for three seasons and finishing her career with more than 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds. She was named the Mission League MVP and Los Angeles Daily News Player of the Year following a senior season in which she averaged 22.8 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.9 blocks and 2.1 steals per game.  Aston was named All-Mission League twice and was a two-time Daily News Future All-Star. She was also named to the All-Daily News team and the Daily News Senior All-Star team in 2013. Following her playing career, she had her jersey retired by Louisville high school.  Aston also lettered once in volleyball.

Smith on Aston: “Nicholle is a scrappy forward who plays with a great deal of emotion and is a vocal leader. She can score both on the block and on the perimeter, but is also an excellent passer from the forward position.”

#3 Taylor DePalma – 5-6 – Guard
Ithaca, N.Y. (Ithaca HS)
A native of Ithaca, N.Y., DePalma earned five varsity letters at nearby Ithaca high school after making the varsity team as an eighth grader. As a senior captain, she was named to the All-New York State Section IV team and picked up first-team all-conference accolades. DePalma made the BCANY Section 4 all-star team and was a three time Stars and Stripes all-star team selection. She was also named a Southern Tier Athletic Conference first-team all-metro selection as a freshman and sophomore. DePalma, the daughter of Bernie DePalma, Assistant Athletic Director/The Doc Kavanagh Head Athletic Trainer/Physical Therapist for the Cornell athletic department, also played for the Elmira Lady Express AAU team, helping them to a 6-1 record at the Nike Junior Nationals in 2012.

Smith on DePalma: “Coming from nearby Ithaca High, Taylor has grown up around our program, and our staff has gotten to know her very well over the years. She has a great attitude and we know she will work hard each day to help make our program better. Over the years, her teams have had a lot of success and she knows what it takes to be a part of a winning program.”

#44 Megan LeDuc – 5-6 – Guard
Vienna, Va. (James Madison HS)
A four-year letter winner at James Madison high school, LeDuc served as team captain during her final two campaigns. She earned All-Met honorable mention and was a first-team All-Northern Region and a first-team All-Liberty District selection in her junior and senior seasons. LeDuc helped her team to three Liberty District Championships, earning all-tournament team honors three times, including being named tournament MVP as a senior.  She was also a Northern Regional All-Tournament team selection in 2012. LeDuc also played for the Premier Sports Performance Academy (PSPA), serving as team captain for four seasons and helping the team to the Virginia Commonwealth Championship in 2011.

Smith on LeDuc: “Megan is a scrappy, competitive player.  She is a very good passer who knows how to get her teammates the ball in scoring positions. On the other end of the court, she is also an excellent defender.

#24 Nia Marshall – 6-0 – Forward
Macedonia, Ohio (Hathaway Brown School)
Marshall was a four-year letter winner at Hathaway Brown School, helping the squad to three consecutive Division II state championships. She served as team captain during her senior year and went on to earn both all-district and All-Ohio honors that same season. Marshall also earned two varsity letters in golf, winning the state championship in 2011 after finishing as the fourth runner up in 2010.

Smith on Marshall: “Nia is a strong power forward with the ability to step out and hit open shots.  She has a quick first step and knows how to use her strength, which is a big asset for a young player.”

#22 Kerri Moran – 5-8 – Guard
Fair Hills, N.J. (Oak Knoll School)
A four-year letter winner, Moran set the Oak Knoll school record with 1,453 career points and was an ESPN Hoop Gurlz 3-star prospect. She was named the Union County Player of the Year and was selected to the N.J. North/South All-Star team as a senior.  She led her team in scoring all four seasons, and was a three-time team MVP, after being named team Rookie of the Year her freshman season. Moran was a four-time first-team all-conference selection and was named first-team all-county twice after a second-team selection as a sophomore. She also lettered twice in soccer and once in cross country.

Smith on Moran: “Kerri is an extremely smart basketball player and an effective leader on the court. She is a strong guard who is an excellent passer from anywhere on the floor but also has the ability to score in many ways.”