MADISON – Wisconsin’s Robin Pingeton scored big on the recruiting trail last fall when she signed three in-state players to her 2026 class.
Now the Badgers women’s basketball coach is also scoring Wisconsin-bred talent from the transfer portal.
McFarland native Teagan Mallegni, a 6-foot-1 guard who spent her first two seasons at Iowa, has signed with UW, the school announced April 18.
Mallegni averaged 2.6 points and 1.3 rebounds for the Hawkeyes in 45 games.
As a freshman she played in 30 of 34 games, averaging 3.2 points and 2.1 rebounds in 8.8 minutes per game.
This season her minutes average dropped to 5.6 in her 15 appearances as did her scoring (1.5 ppg) and rebounding (1.3 rpg). According to the Des Moines Register, Mallegni was hampered by an ankle injury early in the season and then missed four games in late November and early December after having her tonsils removed. She never worked her way back into the rotation.
Mallegni, however, was a highly regarded prospect coming out of McFarland. HoopGurlz ranked her as the No. 59 prospect in the 2024 class, while ESPN listed her 64th.
Her best game with the Hawkeyes came against Wisconsin this past season. She finished the 81-52 Iowa win with season highs in scoring (10 points), minutes (14), assists (four) and steals (two).
She is the fourth player the Badgers have added this offseason. Guard Addie Deal and forward Kadidia Toure were transfer portal pickups. Guard Alicia Courthiau is an incoming freshman from Belgium.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Former McFarland star, Iowa Hawkeye Teagan Mallegni signs with Wisconsin
Reporting by Mark Stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
