Only two weeks removed from her second season at the helm of the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns women’s basketball team, head coach Erin McAleenan is pleased to announce her first commitments for the 2014-15 Canada West season.

Joining the Horns program next season will be southern Alberta product Kylie Mazutinec and Calgary native Elizabeth Buie.

Mazutinec, a 6’0” forward from Stirling, Alta., will join the Horns in the fall following a stellar high school career. This season, she has averaged 17 points and 16 rebounds per game, leading her team to a perfect 10-0 record in the Deep South high school basketball league.

With senior forward Kim Veldman and freshman Mariah Miller the only Pronghorns to stand 5’11'' or taller, Mazutinec is a much needed addition to the Horns front court. During her grade 11 season, Mazutinec was named a Deep South first team all-star and led her team to 1A zone and provincial championships.

Twice named her school’s female athlete of the year (2013, 2012), Mazutinec has also excelled in the classroom, reaching the honour roll each year.

“We are thrilled to be adding Kylie to our program. She is a very hard working and coachable athlete who has the skills to succeed at the CIS level,” says McAleenan. “Her ability to rebound the basketball and her footwork inside will add more depth at the forward position. Kylie has had a lot of success with Stirling and we are all very excited that she has chosen to join the Horns family for her post-secondary career.”

Buie, a multi-sport athlete, comes to the Pronghorns from Ernest Manning High School in Calgary. In addition to representing her school in basketball, she has also competed in cross country, field hockey, track and field - competing in javelin and the 100m relay - and badminton.

Through seven games this season, her team sits in the middle of the North Division standings with a 4-3 record. In her grade 11 season, Buie was named the girls basketball MVP at Ernest Manning.

Also an exceptional student, Buie is an honour roll student and has earned leadership awards in Chemistry 20-1, Math 20-1, and a Citizenship award in Social Studies 20-1. She plans to pursue a medical degree following her undergraduate degree from the University of Lethbridge.

“Elizabeth is a very well-rounded student-athlete and we are thrilled to have someone of her character join our program," says McAleenan. “She is a relentless on-ball defender and her leadership skills on and off the court made her a must-have for our program.”