KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Head Coach Kate Achter has announced the signing of three players to the Western Michigan women's basketball program on National Signing Day.
The Broncos add three guards to their 2026 class on National Signing Day on Wednesday afternoon. WMU will welcome two state products and a player from the Chicagoland area to its roster for the 2026-27 season.
Ava Rodriguez | G | 5-4 | Dexter, Mich. | Father Gabriel Richard HS
Ava Rodriguez and her twin sister Vanessa Rodriguez will join the Broncos in the fall after helping Father Gabriel Richard to three straight Catholic High School League titles. Last season, Ava averaged 11.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 2.2 steals a game for the Fighting Irish. In her junior season, Ava was a key player in FGR's run to the Division 2 Region 14 Final after the Fighting Irish had their best season in program history in 2023-24 to the Division 2 Championship game.
At the end of last season, Ava was named to the MLive Dream Team's Second Team and the CHSL All-Catholic Team. Ava was also recognized for her work off the court as a Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan (BCAM) Academic All-State. Ava is the daughter of Julio and Christa Rodriguez and along with her twin sister has three older siblings and two younger siblings. Ava currently plans to major in nursing at WMU.
Vanessa Rodriguez | G | 5-5 | Dexter, Mich. | Father Gabriel Richard HS
Vanessa completes the dynamic Rodriguez duo joining the Brown and Gold in the fall. Vanessa had a big junior season, averaging 14.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.8 steals a game. Along with also helping FGR to the Regional Final last season, Vanessa became just the second player in program history to score 1,000 points. Vanessa hit the memorable milestone on Feb. 18, 2025, after leading the Fighting Irish with 22 points in a win over Chelsea HS.
Vanessa is well decorated for back-to-back memorable seasons, being named the 2025 Prep Hoops Junior Player of the Year and the Ann Arbor MLive Player of the Year in both 2025 and 2024. Vanessa has also been named to the CHSL All-Catholic First Team, the AP Division 2 All-State First Team, the Detroit News Division 2 All-State First Team, the Detroit Free Press Division 2 All-State First Team, and the BCAM Division 2 Best team. Vanessa was also recognized like her sister for her off the court work as a BCAM Academic All-State recipient.
Vanessa is also the daughter of Julio and Christa Rodriguez and along with her twin sister has three older siblings and two younger siblings. Vanessa plans to major in nursing at Western Michigan. Ava and Vanessa become the first sister pair on the Broncos since the 2018-19 roster with the Walker sisters (sophomore Jordan and redshirt senior Jazmyn). The Rodriguez twins are also the first set of twins on WMU's roster in over a decade since the Giden twins played for the program from 2008-2012.
Casey Vyverman | G | 5-10 | Mundelein, Ill. | Mundelein HS
Coming to Kalamazoo from just north of Chicago is 5-10 guard Casey Vyverman. For the past three years Vyverman has been a three-year varsity guard for the Mundelein Mustangs. In her junior season for the Mustangs, Vyverman averaged 17.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks as they made the 4A Huntley Regional Semifinals. Over the past three years, Vyverman has been a key part in Mundelein's rebuild as the program achieved its first winning season in over a decade during her junior campaign.
Vyverman was recognized for her work on the court as an IBCA All-State Honorable Mention, North Suburban All-Conference First Team, the Chicago Tribune News-Sun All-Area First Team, and the Daily Herald All-Area Team. She was also recognized for her work in the classroom as a North Suburban All-Conference Academic Team member. Vyverman is the daughter of Scott and Tammy Vyverman and has an older brother, Nicolas. Vyverman will be the second member of her family to play collegiate sports as her mom ran track at Illinois State. She plans to major in exercise science at Western Michigan.
