Wayne State signs trio for this fall

Compiled by MiCHO Staff

Wayne State has announced the signings of three student-athletes to National Letters of Intent to enroll at WSU this fall.

Gina Buquet, Julie Hébert and Jenaya Townsend will join the Warriors when the 2009-10 season begins in late September.

Buquet, a forward originally from Lafayette, La., played three years for the Ohio Flames of the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League. She finished second in the league in scoring with 45 points and led the league with 25 assists in 2008-09, helping the Flames to a 15-2-3 record and a second-place finish. After winning the 2009 Mid-Am District Championships, her team competed in the USA Hockey 19U Nationals, where Buquet won the Easton Skills Competition. She totaled 30 points over her first two seasons with the team, and served as team captain. Buquet was a four-sport athlete in high school who competed in ice hockey, roller hockey, softball, and basketball. She is due to graduate from Lakewood (Ohio) High School in June.

"I love Gina's feistiness, her speed and tenacity, and her competitive drive," said WSU head coach Jim Fetter. "She has good hands and is very athletic."

A forward and native of Sudbury, Ont., Hébert spent the last two seasons in the Provincial Women's Hockey League, most recently with the Aurora Jr. Panthers. She led the 2008-09 squad in scoring with 34 points including 19 goals and helped her team make the PWHL playoffs. Hébert spent the 2007-08 season with the Durham Jr. Lightning, totaling 11 goals and 16 assists. She is set to graduate from Ecole Secondaire Champlain in June, where she earned all-league and MVP honors in both ice hockey and track and field.

"Julie possesses great size but can skate as well. She is a strong player who competes hard, battles, and can finish," said Fetter. "She also has a great work ethic."

Townsend, a defenseman from Sherwood Park, Alta., totaled 12 goals and 18 assists during the 2008-09 season for the Sherwood Park Kings, leading all defensemen in the Alberta Major Midget Female Hockey League in scoring and finishing in a tie for 12th overall. She helped the Kings finish with a 22-6-4 record, first place in the AMMFHL North Division and was named to the AMMFHL North Division All-Star Team this year. Townsend was selected for Hockey Alberta's U18 Provincial Team for the 2008 National Women's Under-18 Championship and had one assist in four games. She is due to graduate from Vimy Ridge Academy in June.

"Jenaya is a big, strong defenseman who can move the puck well and has great vision on the ice," said Fetter. "She is a confident player."

These three future Warriors will join winter signees Lauren Coxon and Julie Ingratta this fall and help fill the void left by the team's eight departing seniors.