Raiders Sign Three to Play Basketball

Mallory Cunard (Missouri Valley, Iowa), Larissa Sapp (Volga, S.D.) and Kayla Hovland (Bricelyn, Minn.) have signed letters of intent to continue their basketball careers at Northwestern College next year. Sapp will also run track for the Red Raiders.

Cunard is a 5’9” guard who starred for Missouri Valley High School. The daughter of Kris and Marilyn, Cunard earned all-conference three consecutive years and averaged 16.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game as a senior. She is the career-leader in assists at Missouri Valley and was named to the IBCA all-district, all-region and all-Western Iowa teams. Cunard is a member of the National Honor Society and earned academic all-state honors.

“Mallory is an outstanding person who made a great impact on her high school team,” commented head coach Earl Woudstra. “She is a very unselfish basketball player who has the ability to see the floor and make her teammates around her better. We are excited to have Mallory join us at Northwestern and look forward to seeing the impact that she will have on our basketball program and to the campus community.”

Sapp is a 5’7” guard who lettered three years for the Sioux Valley High School basketball team. She averaged eight points, five rebounds and nearly four assists in leading Sioux Valley to a fourth place finish at the state tournament last year. Sapp earned all-conference honors as a junior and senior and made the all-Register team last year.

“Larissa is a young lady who demonstrates great character, is an outstanding student and a competitive athlete,” commented Woudstra. “She is a very unselfish basketball player who has played a key role in the recent success at Sioux Valley High School. We are excited to have Larissa participate in the basketball program at Northwestern and believe she can have a very positive impact on our campus community.”

A middle-distance and distance runner who lettered four years for Sioux Valley, Sapp qualified for the state meet as a sophomore and junior in both the 3200m relay and medley relay. Sapp won the state championship in the medley relay as a sophomore and finished fourth as a junior and placed third as a member of the 3200m relay as a junior and fifth as a sophomore. Sapp boasts personal bests of: 2.29 in the 3200m relay, 60.8 in the 400m (medley), 61.0 in the 4x400 and 62 in the open 400. She is an Elite 15 nominee as a senior. A member of the National Honor Society, Sapp plans to major in pre-vet or athletic training at Northwestern. She is the daughter of Charles and Ruth. 

“Larissa is an outstanding athlete,” commented head coach Nate Wolf. “She is a hard worker with great potential in track. I look for her to compete well in the 200-800m events.”

Hovland is a 5’7” guard who played for North Iowa High School. She averaged 6.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and two steals per game as a senior. A member of the National Honor Society, Hovland plans to major in nursing at Northwestern. She is the daughter of Bruce and Vivian.

“Kayla is a quality young lady who is a great fit for Northwestern,” commented Woudstra. “We believe she can have a positive experience and make a contribution to the campus community.”