TOPEKA, Kan. -- Washburn Lady Blues head basketball coach Ron McHenry has announced the addition of four new student-athletes who will join the program this fall. The Lady Blues are coming off a 27-5 season and a No. 13 final national ranking, in which they made the school's eighth straight NCAA tournament appearance.
"We're excited with the players we will be bringing in this fall and we believe we have really shored up some areas of concern entering the upcoming season," McHenry said.
Joining the Lady Blues next fall will be senior transfer from Oklahoma, guard Rose Hammond, senior transfer from Florida Gulf Coast, guard Amanda Fessenden, junior transfer from South Plains (Texas) College, guard Chasity Workman and freshman forward Dana Elliott from Rock Creek (Kan.) High School. They join Laura McMullin, a 6-1 forward from Sedalia (Mo.) Sacred Heart High School and Laura Kinderknecht, a 5-7 guard from St. Marys, Kan. who signed with Washburn during the early signing period in the fall.

Rose Hammond • 5-9 • Guard • Depew, Okla. • Oklahoma/Depew High School
McHenry on Hammond: "Rose will give us immediate skill and experience at the point guard position. With her Big XII experience, Rose should be a top point guard in the country. We are excited to have her here at Washburn."
Played in 18 games scoring seven points and grabbing 13 rebounds as a junior at Oklahoma ... played in 60 career games ... scored a career-high 12 points on two separate occasions, including 12 points in the first round of the 2008 NCAA tournament to carry the Sooners to victory ... led OU in assist-to-turnover ratio as a sophomore in 2008.
Was a four-year varsity starter at Depew High School ... averaged at least 22 points per game her final three years, including 23 points and six steals as a senior when she led Depew to a state championship ... helped Depew to runner-up finishes as a sophomore and junior ... also earned four letters in track and field, where she won five state championships.
Personal: daughter of Lisa and Jim Hammond ... born May 19, 1988 in Tulsa, Okla. ... majoring in human relations.

Amanda Fessenden • 5-9 • Guard • Wichita, Kan. • Florida Gulf Coast/Hutchinson CC/Maize High School
McHenry on Fessenden: "Amanda will bring skill and toughness to our program. She has the ability to shoot the three and can put it on the floor and get to the basket or foul line. She will be a great addition to the Lady Blues program."
Appeared in 27 games averaging 2.5 points as a junior at Florida Gulf Coast ... scored a career-high 11 points with five rebounds at USC-Upstate.
Started all 25 games as a sophomore at Hutchinson CC where she led the Dragons in scoring at 14.4 points per game and rebounding at 7.7 per contest ... shot 44 percent from behind the arc and was named first team all-conference, all-region and was an honorable mention All-American.
Was a first team all-conference, second team 6A all-state honoree and a McDonald's All-American nominee at Maize High School.
Personal: daughter of Steve and Duranda Fessenden ... secondary education/mathematics major.

Chasity Workman • 5-10 • Guard • Garland, Texas • South Plains College/Naaman Forest High School
McHenry on Workman: "Chasity will give us a scorer from the wing position. What Chasity can really do is rebound from the wing. We are really excited to have her in our program. Her experience at South Plains along with her ability to score and rebound will be exciting to see."
Averaged 7.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game as a sophomore ... averaged 9.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest as a freshman at South Plains College ... had season-highs of 22 points and 16 rebounds.
Averaged 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists per game as a senior at Naaman Forest High School ... was a two-time all-conference performer ... earned MVP honors as a senior ... also a letterwinner in track and field.

Dana Elliott • 5-11 • Forward • Wamego, Kan. • Rock Creek High School
McHenry on Elliott: "We are extremely excited to have Dana in our program. We feel she has the ability to step in at Washburn and, with the normal adjustment to the college game, help this program continue to win at a high level. She comes from a very strong program at Rock Creek High School and has been a part of many wins."
A four-year varsity letterwinner for head coach Mike Zabel at Rock Creek ... named first team all-conference two times, a two time all-state selection and a state tournament all-tournament team selection when she helped lead Rock Creek to third place finish ... Flint Hills' player of the year ... set school records for steals and rebounds in a single game and scored over 1,000 points in her career ... also earned four letters in volleyball and softball ... named all-conference and all-state in both sports as she helped lead the Mustangs to runner-up finishes in both volleyball and softball.
Personal: daughter of Doug Elliott and Angie Elliott ... born December 13, 1990 ... plans to major in nursing.