Women's Basketball | August 18, 2025

AIKEN, S.C. – USCA, in conjunction with head women's basketball coach Brittany Batts, is excited to announce her first signing class.

Kristen Auguste, Monique Emelifeonwu, Nika Kurdija, Riley Miller, Zenia Palaska, Mahkayla Premo, Ioanna Stefanaki and Imogen Veal will continue their athletic and academic careers at USCA beginning this fall. The eight will join Megan Jacoby and Mackenna Nix, who signed with the Pacers in the fall semester.

"We are very excited for the future of USCA Women's Basketball and looking forward to coaching all these young women," Batts said. "They are all committed to developing their game and will be relentless in their pursuit to improve every day on and off the court. Their skills and abilities will make an immediate impact on the court and each of them have the makings to be a great teammate. We are looking forward to them representing the Pacers and making our campus and community proud."

Auguste, a 5-9 forward from Stafford, Va., joins the Pacers from Chesapeake College. As a sophomore, she earned all-region first-team accolades after averaging 16.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Auguste shot 48.3 percent from the floor and earned Region 20 academic team honors. A two-time honor roll student, she previously starred at Colonial Forge H.S., where she was an all-region and all-district honoree.

Emelifeonwu, a 6-0 forward from Canberra, Australia, played at Trevecca Nazarene. There, she appeared in 58 games with 23 starts. As a sophomore, she averaged 4.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, while recording 54 blocks and 14 steals. Emelifeonwu connected on 62 field goals during her career, including 13 three-pointers.

Jacoby, a 5-3 guard from Littlestown, Pa., was a two-time all-state selection. She was named Division 3 Player of the Year three times and earned first-team YAIAA honors in each of her final three seasons. As a senior, she averaged 16.5 points, 3.4 steals, and 2.6 assists per game. Jacoby also played AAU for Central PA Elite and excelled in the classroom, earning the YAIAA All-League Academic Award, the E. Jerry Brooks Academic Excellence Award, and the Gail Bauer Outstanding Female Athlete Award.

Kurdija, a 5-9 guard from Gornja Vrba, Croatia, transfers from the University of Vermont. She saw action in 18 games during her junior campaign, connecting on 67 percent of her three-point attempts. Kurdija helped lead her team to back-to-back America East Tournament Championships and was named to the league's academic honor roll. Prior to Vermont, she captained her high school club team WBC Brod na Savi and competed for both the U16 and U20 Croatian National Teams.

Miller, a 5-7 guard from Springfield, Va., comes to the program as a freshman from St. Paul VI Catholic. A McDonald's All-American nominee, she was ranked No. 26 in her class nationally. Miller was also a member of the National Honor Society during her high school career.

Nix, a 5-11 forward from Temple, Ga., was a four-time first-team all-region selection at Temple H.S. A Region Player of the Year as a senior, she poured in over 2,000 points and grabbed over 1,100 rebounds in her career. Nix accounted for 21.7 points and 11.2 boards a contest her senior campaign. She garnered honorable mention all-state accolades. Nix also played AAU for ETA Thunder and Wood Elite. 

Palaska, a 6-2 forward/center from Athens, Greece, arrives at USC Aiken following time at Vermont and Mercer. She appeared in five games at Vermont and logged six rebounds while earning America East Academic Honor Roll recognition. At Mercer, Palaska played in 21 games and scored a season-high three points on multiple occasions. She also tallied four rebounds in a season-high 12-minute outing against Appalachian State.

Premo, a 5-3 redshirt-junior guard from Savannah, Ga., comes to USC Aiken after stints at USC Beaufort and Oglethorpe. She redshirted the 2024-25 season at USCB but previously tallied 10.8 points and 2.3 assists per game as a sophomore. As a freshman at Oglethorpe, Premo chipped in 7.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per contest. She recorded double-digit scoring in multiple games, including a 19-point effort in her second career start.

Stefanaki, a 5-10 guard from Heraklion, Crete, Greece, joins the Pacers after playing at Mercer and Idaho State. She appeared in 19 games for the Bears, recording a season-high five points against Western Carolina. A product of Aristoteleio College, she has extensive international experience, having represented Greece on the national team circuit for seven consecutive years. Stefanaki owns the U-18 national record for three-pointers in a single season and helped her team to a third-place finish in the European Championships (Division B).

Veal, a 6-4 center from Wellington, New Zealand, attended Wellington Girls' College and Napier Girls' High School, and competed with the New Zealand Hoopnation U18 and U20 Select Club teams on tours in Melbourne, Australia. A standout at the Steven Adams High School Invitational Camp, Veal also represented New Zealand at the U19 level in a pre-World Cup tournament featuring China, Serbia, and Latvia.