Wednesday was national signing day for every sport except Football and several different Gophers teams announced their 2026 recruiting classes. Other sports not on this list also inked players today but have not released a full press release with their signing classes. They likely will do so in future days. One Gophers men’s team announced their lone signing today and it was the men’s basketball team announcing the signing of Isaiah Santos. Our full write up of that is here. Below we recap the classes for women’s
basketball, gymnastics, and soccer with information taken from the various press releases provided by the teams.
Women’s Basketball:
The #18 ranked Gopher women’s basketball team does not have a ton of roster sports open for next season and thus signed just one player to be an incoming freshman next fall. That player is 6’7 forward Lexee Anderson from Latchford, Ontario.
Anderson is a native of Latchford, Ontario and attends Fort Erie International Academy, a high-performance basketball prep school in Toronto that competes against top competition throughout Canada and the United States. The 6-foot-7 center also competes with B1CE on the Under Armour circuit. Known for her size, length and presence in the paint, Anderson is a strong rim protector and rebounder.
Prior to attending Fort Erie International Academy, Anderson was a standout for the Temiskaming Thunder U16 girls’ basketball team during the 2023-24 season. She helped lead the Thunder to a silver medal at the Ontario Cup Championships, earning tournament MVP honors. Anderson also represented Team Ontario at the 2023 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Most recently, she helped her team capture a gold medal at the 2026 Alberta Indigenous Games in Edmonton, Alberta.
Dawn Plitzuweit had this to say about her new center. “Lexee brings tremendous size and length to our frontcourt at 6-foot-7, along with a strong work ethic and willingness to compete. She takes pride in doing the little things that impact winning, whether that’s sprinting the floor, battling for position in the paint, pursuing rebounds with two hands, or using her size to alter shots around the rim. Her presence gives us another dimension defensively, and we love the potential she brings as she continues to develop her game. We are thrilled to welcome Lexee and her family to Dinkytown!”
Gymnastics:
The Gopher gymnastics team is coming off of the best program in school history making it to the Four on the Floor and finishing in 4th place in the nation in 2026. They added five incoming athletes who will be freshmen in the fall of 2027 from across the nation. They include:
Camila Betancourt |Metroplex Gymnastics | Plano, Texas | Texas Connections Academy
Betancourt is a three-time national qualifier and a 2024 Nastia Cup qualifier, her high scores include marks of 9.675 on vault, 9.65 on bars, 9.6 on beam, and a 9.625 on floor.
Gopher head coach Jenny Hanson had this to say about her. “What stands out about Camila is how well-rounded she is. She’s strong on all four events, which gives us a lot of flexibility as we build our lineups. There’s a special connection for us, too. Camila trains at Metroplex Gymnastics in Texas, where former Gopher standouts Paige Williams and Lexi Montgomery also trained.”
Ashlyn Jensen | American Twisters | Juniper, Florida | Score Academy
Jensen is a 2024 and 2025 region eight beam champion and a national qualifier on beam in 2024 and 2025. Her high scores include marks of 9.95 on floor, 9.8 on beam, 9.675 on vault, 9.55 on bars, and a 38.075 all around score.
Hansen said about Jensen, “Ashlyn is an outstanding student and a strong all-around gymnast who fits right in with our team. After an injury kept her from competing last year, we can’t wait to see her back out there this season and show what she can do across all four events, Hansen said. It’s also special that she’ll get to continue competing alongside her club teammate, Avalie Brinn, who’s a freshman with us now.”
Darielis Aviles | Perfection Gymnastics | Liberty Township, Ohio | Lakota East High School
Aviles’ high scores include marks of 9.8 on vault, 9.775 on floor, 9.65 on bars, and 9.625 on beam. Aviles has been a part of the PR National Team since 2022, and is a five time USA Developmental Nationals Qualifier (2021-2026). She is a four-time state champion and three-time regional champion (region five) on vault. Darielis was a 2022 Junior Panamerican Championship bronze medalist. She also earned third on all around as a DP National Team member in 2022, Aviles was the vault champion and placed third on floor at the 2023 Central American and the Caribbean Championships. In 2024, she was a Regional all-around champion and placed seventh on vault at USA Developmental Nationals, she then placed fifth on vault in 2025. At USA Developmental Nationals in 2026, she placed third on vault, fifth on floor and all-around.
Hansen said abut her, “Dariellus has gained incredible international experience representing Puerto Rico as a member of its national team. She brings tremendous power to her gymnastics, and you see it most on vault and floor, where she can make a real impact for us.”
Claire Gilmer | Kidsport Gymnastics | Winona, Minnesota | Winona Senior High School
The lone Minnesotan in her class, Gilmer has posted career high marks of 9.65 on beam, 9.55 on vault, 9.525 on floor, and 9.1 on bars. She is a two time national qualifier and four time level 10 regional qualifier.
Hansen said about her, “Claire grew up coming to Gopher meets and cheering on Lexy Ramler and Halle Remlinger, two standouts who came from her club. It’s special to see her carry on that tradition and get the chance to compete for the team she grew up watching. Claire absolutely shines on balance beam, and brings an impressive combination of poise and power to floor and vault.”
Abigail Sikon | 360 Elite Gymnastics | San Antonio, Texas| Texas Connections Academy
Sikon has high scores of 9.825 on floor, 9.675 on beam. 9.650 on bars, 9.650 on vault and 38.175 all-around. She is a three-time national qualifier, with multiple top-10 placements. She has added her own skill (The Sikon) to the DP Code of points. She was also a 2026 DP National Team member.
Hanse said about Sikon, “Abigail comes from a gymnastics family, with older sisters competing at Nebraska and Gustavus. It’s exciting to see her take the next step in her own college gymnastics journey here at Minnesota. She really shines on beam and floor, and I’m excited about how much room she has to grow on vault and bars.”
The Gopher gymnastics team kicks off the 2027 season with their Best of Minnesota Meet at The Pav on January 8th.
Soccer:
The Gopher soccer team added seven players who will be freshmen in 2027 to their signing class. The class is national in scope with only a pair of Minnesotans included in the seven signed recruits.
Livi Abboud-Young | Edina, Minn. | The Blake School | MTA ECNL
Abboud-Young joins Minnesota after being named the MSHSL (Minnesota State High School League) Class AA Ms. Soccer and 2026 Star Tribune All-Minnesota Player of the Year following an impressive career at The Blake School. In total, Abboud-Young has scored 97 goals and recorded 50 assists during her time with the Bears. A back-to-back IMAC (Independent Metro Athletic Conference) Player of the Year in 2025 and 2026, the Edina, Minn., native was selected as a 2026 team captain. Abboud-Young’s other accomplishments include being named to the 2025 MSHSL All-Tournament Team, a three-time All-State selection (2023, 2024, 2026), and a four-time All-IMAC competitor (2023, 2024, 2025, 2026). She recently led the Bears to win the 2026 Class AA MSHSL State Championship.
Abboud-Young competes at the ECNL level for MTA and has earned ECNL Girls Midwest All-Conference accolades in 2024, 2025, and 2026. In addition, she was rostered on the ECNL National Selection Game in January of 2026. She earned a No. 26 PrepSoccer National Ranking and a No. 47 TopDrawerSoccer Ranking for the Class of 2027.
Claire Gallagher | Northfield, Ill. | New Trier HS | Chicago FC United GA
A four-year letter winner at New Trier High School, Gallagher was recognized as an All-Section selection in 2025 and a Chicagoland Soccer All-State player back-to-back seasons in 2025 and 2026. Gallagher led her high school to a pair of state championships in 2024 and 2026 and was selected to the 2026 Chicagoland Class AAA Top XI. In addition to her soccer accolades, the Northfield, Ill., native was named an All-American in strength and conditioning by the NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association).
Gallagher competes with Chicago FC United GA at the club level and assisted in taking her team to the 2026 GA National Finals. In 2024, she led her squad to win the 2024 National Championship and was named 2024 MVP. With Chicago FC United, she’s been invited to the Midwest Talent ID Camp in 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026.
Chloe Hughes | Olmsted Falls, Ohio | Olmsted Falls HS | Cleveland Force ECNL
Hughes comes to Dinkytown after playing competitively with the Cleveland Force ECNL squad and at Olmsted Falls High School. A four-year soccer varsity letterwinner, Hughes was named to the All-Ohio First Team this past season. In 2025, she was named the Southwest Conference’s MVP and was a First Team All-Southwest Conference honoree in 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026. In addition, Hughes holds school records for most goals scored in a game, season, and career for Olmsted Falls. Academically, Hughes is a Merit Academic Award winner and was named to the school’s honor roll.
With Cleveland Force, she was named a First Team All-ECNL National League player in 2026 and to the second team in 2025. Hughes received a U.S. ID Camp invite in 2022.
Mina Nagashima | Torrance, Calif. | Redondo Union HS | FRAM GA, Beach FC ECNL
Hailing from Torrance, Calif., Nagashima is a four-year varsity letterwinner at Redondo Union High School. She helped lead her high school to back-to-back Bay League Championships in 2024-25 and 2025-26. Nagashima has competed for FRAM GA and Beach FC ECNL. She was named to the 2025 GA Southwest Talent ID Roster.
Mia Olenek | St. Charles, Ill. | St. Charles East HS | Rockford Raptors FC ECNL
A goalkeeper from St. Charles, Ill., Olenek will come to Dinkytown after competing at St. Charles East High School and with the Rockford Raptors FC ECNL team. At St. Charles, Olenek was a 2026 DuKane County All-Conference and 3A All-Section honoree. She was named Goalkeeper of the Rose-Augsburg Drach Invitational after recording four shutouts in March 2025. With her club team, Olenek helped lead the Raptors to win the ECNL Midwest Conference Championship in 2025. In addition, she earned a spot on the Olympic Development Program Regional team and received a U.S. National Combine Invite.
Alex Vellieux | Plymouth, Minn. | Wayzata HS | Tonka Fusion Elite GA
A three-year varsity letter winner at Wayzata, Vellieux earned All-Lakes Conference recognition in 2025. She is a two-time All-State Tournament Team honoree, earning the accolades in 2024 and 2025. Competing with Tonka Fusion Elite GA, Vellieux helped lead her team to GA conference championships in 2023, 2024 and 2026. As a team captain, she assisted in helping earn Tonka Fusion a No. 7 national ranking in 2024 and No. 12 national ranking in 2026. Her success has granted her opportunities to attend the GA Talent ID camp three times and was a GA club representative twice. In 2025, Vellieux attended the U.S. Soccer Talent ID Camp and was also a member of the Olympic Development Program Interregional Team.
Brinley Walsh | Carlsbad, Calif. | Carlsbad HS | City SC GA White
Walsh will join the Maroon and Gold after impressive prep careers at Carlsbad High School and with City SC GA White. At Carlsbad, Walsh earned four varsity letters in soccer and was named All-Coastal League Player of the Year while earning All-CIF San Diego First Team honors following the 2025-26 season. After winning the Coastal League last season, her team voted her team MVP. With her club team, Walsh won the 2025 Surf Cup and the 2024 Champions Cup. She was named to the GA Champions Cup Best XI and participated in the 2025 Generation Adidas Cup. In addition, she has received an invitation to the GA Southwest ID Camps in 2024, 2025, and 2026. Last season, she was a GA National ID Camp Invitee.
