CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland State women's basketball head coach Chris Kielsmeier announced his incoming class for the 2020-21 campaign Friday morning, as Raevyn Harris (Great Mills, Md./St. Mary's Ryken), Meghan Kenefick (Oakton, Va./Paul VI Catholic), Destiny Leo (Willowick, Ohio/North), ZaMaria Polk (Detroit, Mi./Pensacola State), Amaya Staton (Lorain, Ohio/Amherst Steele), Hannah White (Wheeling, W. Va./Central Catholic), and Barbara Zieniewska (Lomianki, Poland/Panola College) have all committed to attend Cleveland State University beginning next fall.
Harris, Kenefick, Leo, Staton, and White will begin the 2020-21 campaign as freshmen with four years of eligibility remaining, while Polk and Zieniewska will have two years of eligibility remaining.
"Our program is thrilled to announce our seven incoming players, each of these student-athletes are a great fit for the future success and culture of Cleveland State Women's basketball both on and off the court," Kielsmeier said. "In addition, these young women are eager to work relentlessly on the court, in the classroom, and are passionate about being immersed in the Cleveland community and CSU campus."
Harris will join the Vikings after playing her high school career at St. Mary's Ryken High School, where she helped the Knights capture a Division I State Championship as a freshman.
Harris was named the Most Improved Player following her junior season, and earned single-game MVP honors at the 'She Got Game Classic-DC' in December 2019.
Kielsmeier on Harris: "Raevyn is critical to our program; bringing length and physicality which will be key for our post presence. She is a player whose aggressive approach to the game, and in particular her individual competitive attitude, will make those around her better. Raevyn's determination to compete and grasp individual position concepts and team concepts will allow her to become successful in our system."
Kenefick comes to Cleveland State as a three-time Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association State Champion, and led St. Paul VI Catholic High School to a 113-21 record during her high school career.
As a four-year starter for the Panthers, Kenefick was an All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference honoree, and was the Katherine Coyer Award recipient. Kenefick appeared in the State Championship game every year of her high school career, as she also helped her team to a runner-up finish as a freshman.
During the 2019-20 campaign, Kenefick and the Panthers were ranked as the No. 11 team in the country according to Max Preps.
Kielsmeier on Kenefick: "Meghan is an essential piece to our program; she will be a person who embodies all of the tools necessary to be successful both on the court and in the classroom. Not only does Meghan bring height to our guard position; but she also brings a quick shooting release and consistency from beyond the arc that allows her to be successful in our system. Meghan's consistency as a shooter will open up driving lanes allowing her to be versatile in how she's able to score."
Leo will join the Vikings following a standout career at North High School, where she finished her career with 2,227 total points to rank 24th all-time in the Ohio High School records. As a senior, Leo averaged 24.9 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.2 steals, 2.1 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game, while she also converted 84 three-pointers.
As a four-time Western Reserve Conference honoree, Leo guided North to three straight WRC championships during her final three seasons, and was named the WRC Player of the Year as a junior and senior.
After leading North to the Regional Championship game for the first time since 1994 as a junior, Leo was named the News Herald Girls Basketball Player of the Year, and picked up her second All-State accolade, earning First Team honors.
Leo and the Rangers followed this up with a second straight trip to the Regional Final last season, while she picked up her second straight News Herald Girls Basketball Player of the Year accolade and was also named the Cleveland.com Girls Basketball Player of the Year. Leo was also named First Team All-Ohio and finished as the runner-up for Ohio's Ms. Basketball as a senior.
Kielsmeier on Leo: "Destiny is an exceptional component to this recruiting class; she brings versatility and a 'refuse to lose' attitude to our program. She has the ability to take games over and will her team to victory. Her creative and versatile game make her very difficult to defend. Her consistency and range paired with her aggressive driving ability will create opportunities for her to score in many ways inside the arc: from attacking the rim, to knocking down midrange jumpers, and adding opportunities to post up smaller guards. Destiny was one of the first players recruited by our new Cleveland State Women's Basketball staff and the first to commit in this class. She is a local kid who really wanted to play for Cleveland State and her hometown University."
Polk will join the Vikings after spending the last two years at Pensacola State College, where she appeared in every game leading the Lady Pirates to a pair of winning seasons.
Last season, Polk averaged 11.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, recording seven double-doubles on the season. During Panhandle Conference games only, she averaged 10.7 points and 10.2 rebounds, earning a spot on the All-Conference Second Team.
During her first year with the Lady Pirates, she averaged 4.4 points and 4.2 rebounds, and earned a chance to participate in the NJCAA Women's Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Weekend.
Polk spent her high school career at Mumford High School in Detroit, Michigan, where she helped the Mustangs win their first ever Detroit Public School League Championship as a senior.
Kielsmeier on Polk: "Zamaria is an imperative addition to this recruiting class; she has collegiate experience having played at Pensacola State College. Zamaria not only brings experience; but also adds height, speed, and athleticism needed to dominate the paint in many areas of the game with rebounding being one of the most significant aspects of her game, allowing her to be productive on both ends of the floor."
Staton comes to Cleveland State following a standout career at Amherst Steele High School where she averaged 13.8 points and 9.6 rebounds per game as a senior.
Throughout high school, Staton earned All-County honors all four years, while she was also a three-time All-Southwestern Conference honoree and three-time All-District selection. As a junior, Staton earned Honorable Mention All-Ohio recognition, while she followed that up with a second Honorable Mention All-Ohio honor as a senior along with a Second Team All-Northeast Ohio selection.
Staton finished her high school career as the Amherst Steele record holder for single-season blocked shots with 55.
Kielsmeier on Staton: "Amaya is crucial to our program and system in many areas. She is a player whose height and athleticism has helped her to notch multiple double-doubles in her high school career, showing her consistency as a scorer and a rebounder. Amaya's work ethic combined with her competitiveness will be attributes that allow her to flourish at Cleveland State both on the court and in the classroom."
White will join the Vikings after becoming a three-time All-State honoree, and leading Central Catholic High School to a West Virginia State Championship.
As a junior, White helped the Knights capture the Class A State Championship after also claiming an Ohio Valley Athletic Conference title – one of three OVAC titles for White during her high school career.
In addition to earning three All-State honors, White was also a three-time All-Conference honoree and three-time All-Valley honoree, while she was also named the OVAC Championship MVP.
Throughout her high school career, White averaged 18.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.4 steals, and 3.0 assists per game.
Kielsmeier on White: "Hannah is a vital addition to our program; not only does she fit the culture of our CSU family in many aspects, but Hannah also brings a work ethic that will allow herself and her teammates to become better every day. Hannah's shooting ability and consistency will also complement our system very well. Not only does her shooting ability help our team, her basketball IQ will benefit herself and her teammates."
Zieniewska comes to Cleveland State after spending the last year at Panola College, where she averaged 8.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 2.9 steals per game.
Prior to her time at Panola College, Zieniewska also spent a season at New Mexico Junior College in 2018-19, when the Thunderbirds entered the campaign as the No. 1 ranked team in the National Junior College Athletic Association Preseason poll and finished the year with a 29-6 overall record.
Kielsmeier on Zieniewska: "Barbara is a significant factor in this recruiting class; she has experience at the college level having played valuable minutes at Panola College. Barbara's competitive nature will allow her to be a dynamic piece in our system. She is a consistent shooter with range and her ability to rebound on both ends of the floor from the guard position allows her to be versatile. She also really understands the game and is a very unselfish player."
