The Panthers have begun adding to their roster with offseason signings. They are looking to build on their 21-12 record from this past season. Here is the FIU Women’s Basketball signing tracker, with some of the players that head coach Jesyka Burks-Wiley and her staff have brought on board.
Breaunna Ward – Evansville
Ward played her freshman season at Evansville. The 5’10 guard started in 23 of 35 games, averaging 6.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 21.9 minutes.
Breaunna Ward was a three-sport athlete at John Burroughs High School, competing in basketball, volleyball, and track. She earned four letters in basketball, three in volleyball, and two in track.
In basketball, she led John Burroughs High to the 20222 Class 4 State Championship and 2024 Class 5 State Championship. Ward was a 2024 All-Tournament Team honoree and was named All-District and All-Conference.
The St. Louis native played AAU Basketball with the Missouri Phenom, helping them place second at the Nike Nationals in 2022.
Shorna Preston – Pepperdine
Preston spent her junior season playing for the Pepperdine Waves. The 6’1 forward averaged 22.5 minutes, 7.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.1 blocks in 34 appearances. She shot for 45.2% from the court as well.
Prior to that, she played her first two seasons at the collegiate level at Dodge City Community College under head coach Landon Steele. As a sophomore, Preston started in all 39 games, averaging 14.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.3 steals, 1.8 blocks, and 27.2 minutes.
She was quite successful with her shots, finishing third in her conference at 52.8% and finishing second in rebounds. Her efforts in 2025 earned her accolades, including an All-American Honorable Mention, selection to the All-KJCC Team, and Defensive Player of the Year. Preston was also a two-time Player of the Game at the NJCAA Tournament.
In 2023-24 as a freshman, Preston made 28 starts in 33 games. She averaged 7.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.2 blocks, and 18.9 minutes per contest.
Shorna Preston graduated from Hillcrest Christian College, where she spent six years on the varsity team under head coach Pero Cameron. The Gold Coast, Australia native was a three-time state champion there. At the club level, she represented the Gold Coast Rolers.
He’s a diehard 305 native who roots for his hometown teams in the good, the bad, and the ugly. Recently, he graduated from FIU with an MBA, but now he’s a Lemonhead covering UM basketball. Known to be anywhere and everywhere, you may catch him at a Miami sporting event.
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