Cowgirls land three, including Douglas grad

LARAMIE – Cowgirl Basketball Head Coach Gerald Mattinson has announced the signings of three student-athletes to the 2021-22 recruiting class Wednesday. Tess Barnes, a 6’2” forward from Gisborne, Australia, Allyson Fertig, a 6’4” center from Glendo, Wyoming and Emily Mellema, a 5’11” point guard from Lynden, Washington will be joining Wyoming next fall.

“All three of the incoming recruiting class have won at a high rate, from high school state championships (Wyoming, Washington) to school championships (Australia). They have all played a high level of competitive basketball in AAU and Australian Championships and have been extremely well-coached,” said Mattinson.

Below is more information on each signee.

Tess Barnes | 6’2” | Guard/Forward | Gisborne, Australia
High School: Barnes played on multiple tournament and Australian National Teams during her prep career. She played for three seasons with the Maribyrnong College US Tour team, where she helped lead Maribyrnong to the gold medal in 2017 and 2018 at the Australian School Championships. Barnes also played multiple years with the 18 and under School Sport Victorian All State Team, which competed in the Australian National Tournament and placed second, twice. In 2020, Barnes played with the under 20 Victoria White All State and helped lead them to the bronze medal.

Throughout her high school career, Barnes helped lead numerous other club teams to tournament titles, including being named the MVP of the Ballarat Tournament while playing with the Sunbury Jets. In 2019, Barnes was named to the All-Tournament Team along with Victorian after she scored a game-high 18 points in the grand final while shooting over 50 percent from the floor.

“Tess is a position-less player that can play multiple positions within our offensive and defensive systems,” said Mattinson. “With Tess’ ball handling, passing and shooting skills we will have the ability to play her at multiple positions and look to get a favorable offensive matchup. Offensively she can score at all three levels from the perimeter, as well as score on the block. Defensively, Tess can guard multiple positions with her length and athleticism.”

Allyson Fertig | 6’4” | Center | Glendo, Wyoming
High School: Was a highly-decorated student-athlete in basketball, track and field and volleyball while at Douglas High School. Fertig has been both a three-time All-State and All-Conference performer during her high school career and a team captain. Helped lead Douglas track to multiple regional championships and state titles.

In addition to her athletic accolades, Fertig is also an excellent student as she is a four-year member of the school’s honor roll and has been in the National Honor Society each of the last two academic years.

“Allyson was a priority recruit for us since she became a recruit-able student-athlete,” Mattinson said. “Allyson is a very good low-post scorer that fits our style of play very well. She has improved her overall game every year we’ve watched her, by adding multiple post moves, becoming a very effective and unselfish passer, as well as adding a mid-range jump shot. Allyson’s physical gifts will certainly cause problems for our opponents defensively.”

Emily Mellema | 5’11” | Point Guard | Lynden, Washington
High School: Mellema was named First Team All-State following her junior season at Lynden Christian. In addition to her all-state honor, Mellema was also named to the All-Tournament Team at the State Tournament and was a First Team All-Northwest Conference selection. She was also named Honorable Mention All-State in 2019.

Mellema has helped lead the Lynx to two state titles during her career and a runner-up finish, as well as three Bi-District titles and a pair of regional championships. Over the past three seasons, Mellema and the Lynx have combined for a record of 79-5. In addition to her basketball prowess, Mellema also competes in soccer at Lynden Christian.

“Emily is a pure point guard that has all of the skills that we look for,” said Mattinson. “She is a very unselfish and gifted passer and is equally as dangerous of a scorer. Emily’s ball-handling abilities and athleticism allow her to play fast in the full court and put pressure on the defense. Her basketball IQ and passing ability allows her to run an offense and make plays for her teammates in the half court. She has the ability offensively to score at all three levels with good range at the arc, a quick pull up jumper and scores with either hand around the rim.”