BUTTE, Mont. – The Montana Tech Women's Basketball team is thrilled to announce its 2024 recruiting class. The Orediggers added eight student-athletes to their roster. In addition to the incoming signees, the Orediggers return two All-Conference starters in Aubrie Rademacher and Liv Wangerin. This is Head Coach Jeff Graham's second recruiting class. The future is looking bright for the Orediggers.
 
The class consists of two impact junior college posts, a Frontier Conference All-Defensive team transfer, and five exceptional student-athletes from Montana high schools, including Butte High. Along with these eight newcomers, the Diggers also add Butte Central's Brooke Badovinac, who is coming off of her redshirt year. Landing Montana's best local talent is the top priority for Coach Graham and Coach Frankie Bignell.

 
Halle Haber – 6-0 Forward – Billings, MT (Billings West HS).
Halle was a 4-year varsity letter winner at Billings West in basketball. She was part of a State Championship team her Junior season. Halle earned All-State honors her Senior Year and was selected to play in the Montana/Wyoming All-Star game.
 
Halle was also a 3-year letter winner in volleyball and was a part of two back to back runner up finishes and 1 State Championship. She also ran track for 2 years, running a leg on the State Championship 4x400 relay team. Halle was selected as a finalist for the Midland Roundtable Athlete of the Year.
 
Halle is the daughter of Josh and Amanda Haber. She has an older brother Trey at Tech, and younger sister Lexi. She will be majoring in Business and Information Technology.
 
Coach Graham: "Halle comes from one of the best basketball programs in the State. Coach Charlie Johnson built a powerhouse at West and we are stoked to land one his players. We love three sport athletes and Halle was also a standout in volleyball and track. Her size and length are going to create matchup problems. She has the ability to guard any position on the floor. Halle reminds us of Macy and Aubrie, which is very exciting."  
 
 
Hadley Humpherys – 6-0 Post – Blackfoot, ID (Blackfoot HS, Utah State Eastern University).
A Blackfoot, Idaho native, Hadley comes from an outstanding basketball family. A two-year starter at Utah State Eastern University, Hadley earned first team all-region honors. She, along with fellow Tech commit Olivia Nielson, helped guide the Lady Eagles to a 21-7 record and a trip to the 2024 SWAC Conference Tournament Championship game. The 6'0 post averaged 9.3 rebounds per game led the team. She also averaged 10.2 points per game while playing an average of 22 minutes per game.
 
Humpherys had a stellar high school career at Blackfoot High School in Blackfoot, Idaho. She earned All-State First Team honors three times, All-Area Player of the Year, All-Area Girls Career Achievement Award, multiple Player of the Week awards, as well winning a 4A Girls' Basketball State Championship and receiving the 4A Academic State Champion Award. Hadley averaged a double-double while scoring over 1,000 career points and corralling over 1,000 career rebounds during her high school career.
 
Hadley is the daughter of Shawn and Hilary Humpherys.  Hadley is majoring in Nursing at Montana Tech.
 
Coach Graham: "Hadley is a proven winner. And Hadley is a leader. We are counting on Hadley to be an instant leader. She brings leadership not only through her tremendous work ethic, but through her ability to communicate with teammates. Hadley finishes with both hands and is a great passer. We are looking forward to her instant impact, both offensively and defensively. And what we are most excited for Hadley is the fact she will graduate from the #1 Nursing School in the state of Montana."
 
 
Kameryn Ketcham – 5'9 Guard – Big Timber, MT (Sweetgrass County HS).
A 5'9 shooting guard from Big Timber, Kameryn helped guide the Lady Herders to a State Championship in 2021 as well as a State Runner-up finish in 2023. She was a part of 4 straight District Championships, garnering All-State honors twice and as well as All-Conference honors 3 times. Kam scored over 1,000 during her career and was also team captain. 
 
Not only was Kameryn a standout in basketball, she excelled in 3 other sports at Sweetgrass County High School. She was a part of State Track Championship teams in 2021 and 2022, while earning All-State honors 4 times. She was also an All-Conference volleyball player and competed at the State Cross Country meet twice. Kameryn's success in the classroom was no different than on the court or the track as she was the Valedictorian of her class
 
Kameryn is the daughter of Mark and Lori Ketcham. She will be studying Mathematical Sciences at Montana Tech.
 
Coach Graham: "Kameryn can flat out shoot the basketball. She's demonstrated her shooting ability not only in games, but also at Three Point Contests around the state and at Elks National Free Throw contests. Kam helped guide her team to a basketball State Championship and brings a winning mentality to our program. As a three-sport standout, she understands the hard work and sacrifice it takes to be successful. Outside shooting is an area we have struggled with the past two seasons and we are counting on Kam to help us improve in that area. Coach Bignell and I are very excited to watch her grow as a student-athlete at Montana Tech."
 
 
 
Emma Konen – 5'9 Guard – Waterloo, MT (Twin Bridges HS).
Emma was a three sport all-state and all-conference athlete (volleyball, basketball, and track) at Twin Bridges. On the hardwood, she helped guide the Lady Falcons to a 4^th place finish at State in 2022, a 2nd place finish in 2023, and a 3rd place finish in 2024. Emma earned All-State honors in basketball in 2023 and 2024. She placed at the State Class C Track meet in both hurdles, the high jump, and both relays. She was also a captain for her volleyball team who earned trips to the State Tournament the past two years. Emma carried a 4.0 throughout high school and was salutatorian for her class.
 
Emma is the daughter of Gary and Bobbie Jo Konen.
 
Coach Graham: "We are excited to have Emma join our basketball team after initially committing for Track & Field. She is continuing a family tradition of attending Montana Tech. Emma is an extremely talented and well-round athlete. She is a team-first player and a natural leader who was an instrumental part in the success Twin Bridges experienced the past four years in three sports. Emma's addition to our team in late April added to our talented 2024 class. Emma 100% picked the right school to major in nursing and will follow in the footsteps of former Diggers such as Tavia Rooney, Soda Rice, and Macy Mayer."
 
 
Selene Morrel – 5'10 Forward – Butte, MT (Butte HS).
Selene spent her high school career at three different schools, ultimately graduating from Butte High School. While playing at Bellevue High School during her junior and senior years, she earned KingCo 3A Honorable Mention and Second Team honors. While at Butte High, Morrell also earned Academic All-State Track honors while finishing 6th at the Western AA Divisional in the discus this year. 
 
Selene is the daughter of Chuck and Jen Morrell. Selene is majoring in Environmental Engineering. 
 
Coach Graham: "Selene bleeds green. She grew up at Montana Tech and knows the culture here. Selene exudes the same toughness her father did during his successful coaching tenure here. She's willing to do all of the little things it takes to win. Selene is a gym rat and loves the weight room. Her versatility on the defensive end of the floor is something Coach Bignell and I really like about her. She will graduate from our Environmental Engineering department some unbelievable job opportunities."
 
 
Hallie Neibauer – 5'10 Guard – Chinook, MT (Chinook HS).
Hallie Neibauer was a four-year starter for Chinook High School. She averaged 20.8 points per game, while shooting 48% from the field during her senior season. Hallie also pulled down 7.3 rebounds. She broke numerous school records including: most points in a game, most 3 pointers made in a game, and most three pointers made in a season. Hallie was selected 1st Team All-Conference and All-State 3 years. She accumulated 12 letters and 12 Academic All-State honors in basketball, volleyball, and track. Hallie played in the Montana vs Wyoming All-Star game, in which Montana won both games.
 
Daughter of Jamie and Karla Neibauer. She will be majoring in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering. 
 
Coach Graham: "Hallie fits our "Tech Tough" motto to a T both on the court and off the court. She is an exceptional student, her character is exceptional, and her toughness is infectious. Hallie has grown up in a wonderful community and been a part of successful basketball, volleyball, and track programs. Hallie is hard-nosed and her ability to defend multiple positions will provide us with opportunities to be creative on defense. Hallie also has the ability to get to the rim as well as knock down 3's. She has a very high ceiling and we are looking forward to helping her reach it."  
 
 
Olivia Nielson – 6'0 Post – Kemmerer, MT (Kemmerer HS, Utah State Eastern University).
Olivia comes to Butte after finishing her junior college career Utah State Eastern University in Price, Utah. She was a two-year starter for a Lady Eagles team that went 43-16 during her two years. Olivia shot 47% from the field while providing terrific defense in the paint. Olivia was also awarded the 2023-2024 Women's Basketball Academic Athlete of the Year as well as the 2023-2024 Overall Academic Athlete of the year at USEU.
 
Olivia, a Wyoming native, graduated from Kemmerer High School in 2022 as the valedictorian. She was All-Conference three years as well as All-State two years for basketball. Olivia played in the Wyoming vs Montana All-Star basketball game as well as the Wyoming North vs South All-Star game. She also lettered in volleyball, track, and golf.


Olivia is the daughter of Chad and Jennifer Nielson. She will be majoring in Civil Engineering.
 
Coach Graham: "Our players absolutely loved Olivia when she came on her visit. She fit right in with our team instantly. Not only did she impress our players on the court, she impressed them even more off the court. After overcoming an injury during the season, Olivia continued to gain momentum as an impact player. She helps checks a lot of the boxes of what we need to be successful. The engineering offerings Montana Tech provides will set Olivia up for tremendous success the rest of her life. Olivia will also have the opportunity to experience the numerous outdoor recreational and golfing opportunities Butte and its surrounding areas provide."
 

Rachel Van Blaricom – 5'9 Guard – Clancy, MT (Jefferson County HS, MSU-Northern).
Rachel to Montana Tech from MSU-Northern. The Clancy native, who starred for Jefferson County High School, brings instant Frontier Conference experience. Van Blaricom was a two-year starter for the Skylights and has been one of the best defenders in the conference the past two years. Rachel will redshirt the 2024-2025 season.
Coach Graham: "Rachel brings a lot of Frontier Conference experience to our team. We have a lot of new faces on our roster and she will help them understand what the Frontier Conference is all about. Rachel has shown she is a lock-down defender as she has made the Frontier All-Defensive team. She's been working tirelessly on her shooting and we are excited to see her offensive growth during her redshirt season. Off the court, you will be hard pressed to find someone who works as hard as Rachel. She is the first person to volunteer and is an outstanding basketball camp coach. Rachel will be an instrumental part of our program the next three years."