November 19, 2009

MARS HILL, N.C. - The Lions' women's basketball program has signed three players in the Early Signing Period, head coach Jennifer Nance announced. Tyler Carlson, Lindsay Puckett and Autumn Ward have committed to compete for Mars Hill for the 2010-11 academic year.

Carlson is a 5’7" guard from Richmond Hills, Ga., where she attends Richmond Hills High School. As a junior, she averaged 16 points, three assists and three steals a game.  Carlson broke the 1,000 point mark in her junior campaign becoming the first basketball player in school history to do so. For her efforts, she was named First Team All-Conference and First Team All-Region.  She is also a valuable member of the cross country team as their top competitor and earned All-Region honors.

Head Coach Jennifer Nance stated, "The thing that initially attracted us to Tyler was her love and passion for the game of basketball. You can tell by how hard she plays as well as her consistent improvement that she loves what she is doing. She is a tremendous passer, shooter, and ball handler who will bring depth to our team in several positions next season. Ty has an explosive first step and makes great decisions in transition. Her work ethic and enthusiasm are contagious, and she will make us a better basketball team.”

Puckett is a 5’10" wing who comes from Eden, N.C., where she attends Rockingham County High School. She joins former teammate Krystal Moore at Mars Hill who is a freshman for the Lions this season.  In her junior campaign, Puckett helped lead her team to a 25-6 record while averaging 11 points, six rebounds and three assists per contest.  She earned All-Conference honors.

Head Coach Jennifer Nance stated, "Lindsay is a versatile player who does a lot of things very well. She is tall enough and strong enough to go inside and post up but also has tremendous guard skills, so she can step out, knock down the three or put the ball on the floor. Because of her versatility, she presents match-up problems for opposing teams. Lindsay has tremendous potential, and I’m excited to see her grow as a player.”

Ward is a 5’9" wing from Marion, N.C., where she attends McDowell High School. As a junior, she averaged 16 points, four steals and shot over 40% from the three point line. She earned All-Conference, All-District, and All-Western North Carolina honors.  In her first three seasons at McDowell, Ward has helped her team to an impressive 75-14 record.

Head Coach Jennifer Nance stated, “McDowell High School players have been extremely successful in the South Atlantic Conference, and I expect the same level of success from Autumn. The best words to describe her are 'gym rat.' Autumn truly loves the game of basketball and is constantly striving to better her game. She runs the floor very well and knows how to use her body to finish around the rim and get to the free throw line. She is also a deadly three-point shooter. Her style of play fits in great with our system, and we expect big things from Autumn the next four years.”

"We are very excited to welcome these three young women to our program," remarked Nance. "They fit in great with our current team on and off the court, and they have the ability to help take this program to the next level.”

Mars Hill College is a NCAA Division II institution and a member of the South Atlantic Conference. The league is comprised of schools in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

#####