ROHNERT PARK, Calif- Two local basketball standouts have signed National Letters of Intent to continue their playing careers with the Sonoma State women's basketball team, it was announced by Head Coach Mark Rigby on Tuesday. Aly Henington and Bronte Sheahan will join the Seawolves in 2010-11.

"We feel very fortunate to get two quality individuals in Aly Henington and Bronte Sheahan,” said Rigby. “The fact that they are both local high school products is a plus."

Henington spent the last two seasons at Santa Rosa Junior College, helping the Bear Cubs to a 26-7 record and an appearance in the State Championship Final Four in March. In addition to her efforts on the court, she also made an impact in the classroom as was recognized by the Big Eight Conference for her academic accomplishments. The 5-foot-10 native of Penngrove prepped at Maria Carrillo High School in nearby Santa Rosa and named to the All-North Bay League First Team and was an All-Empire selection.

"Assistant Coach Annie Roeser and I were both very impressed with Aly when we went and watched her at SRJC," Rigby added. “After meeting her, we were very impressed with her maturity off the court. She's a serious student and committed teammate. Considering the fact we'll only have one senior on next year's team, that's very important for us going forward. Personally, I really like the fact that she played for Coach (Steve) Azevedo at Maria Carrillo and Coach (Lacey) Campbell at SRJC. We feel Aly can come in and contribute right away. She's a very solid feisty defender, competitive and can shoot it from the perimeter. She's good athlete and plays bigger then her height might suggest. I believe she can play a wing and some "4" against the small lineup teams in our conference."

Sheahan, hailing from Ursuline High School in Santa Rosa, was an All-North Bay League First Team selection as a senior this past season and was named to the All-Empire First Team as well. The 5-foot-11 star was also a staple in the classroom and was honored as a Scholar Athlete as a senior this season.

“I feel that Bronte has tremendous potential to mature and improve in the future,” said Rigby. “She had the setback of an ACL injury during her junior season. This past year she worked very hard to return for her senior season and obviously had a successful season. What we are really excited about is her athleticism, competitiveness and work ethic on the court and her terrific personality off of it. I believe she will really fit in with our kids really well.”

Sonoma State finished with a 11-16 record in 2009-10 and will lose two seniors to graduation – Jennifer Russo and Stephanie Barnes.