MADISON – It turns out that the Wisconsin women’s basketball program scored two big wins Jan. 21 .
On the court, the Badgers defeated No. 24 Nebraska, 63-60, for their second victory over a ranked opponent this season.
On the recruiting trail, coach Robin Pingeton and her staff scored their second commitment for the 2027 class: Ava Van Vonderen, a 6-foot-1 forward who plays for Kimberly High School and the Wisconsin Flight Elite club program, committed to the Badgers after the game.
She made her commitment public late Jan. 22 with a post on X.
“A perfectly built culture, making a change in the community and a successful team on the court,” she wrote. “Everything I want in a new home and I’m blessed I am finally apart of it.”
Van Vonderen joins Madison Edgewood guard Anna Miller in Wisconsin’s 2027 class. The commitment continues a run of in-state recruits for Pingeton. She signed 6-3 guard/forward Adaline Sheplee of Rice Lake, 6-1 forward Leah Nordin of Shawano and 5-9 guard Giselle Janowski of Pewaukee for the 2026 class.
In Van Vonderen Wisconsin gets a skilled forward who leads the Papermakers in scoring (14.3 points per game), rebounding (7.5) and assists (2.6).
Last season she helped Kimberly win the WIAA Division 1 state title. She posted team highs of 15 points and nine rebounds in the championship game.
“She’s a skilled player, yet she does all the intangibles,” Kimberly coach Dave Lepisto said. “She’s the first one diving on the floor. She chases balls down. She rebounds well.
“When you have some of your better players and your best players who are skilled [and] who are still those intangible players, that translates to any level. She wants to be great and she keeps getting better and better and she works hard.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Kimberly’s Ava Van Vonderen commits to Robin Pingeton, Wisconsin basketball
Reporting by Mark Stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
