Black Hills State women's basketball, head coach Mark Nore, and assistant coach Hope Bonlander welcomed three student-athlete commits to BHSU on signing day this past Wednesday.
 
The signing class of 2023 includes three true freshmen heading to BHSU next fall.
 
Payton Burda
Shooting guard Payton Burda comes to BHSU from Scottsbluff, Nebraska, where she played high school basketball, volleyball, and competed as a track athlete.
 
"Payton is such a great young lady," said Nore. "There are not many players that can shoot the ball like Payton. She doesn't need much time or space to get her shot off and can do it in with such great pace. We are very excited about Payton's decision to be a Yellow Jacket, such a tremendous person and teammate. We want to welcome her to our Yellow Jacket family."
 
During her freshman campaign, Burda hit 7.8 ppg, 2.3 rpg, and drained 58 buckets from beyond the arch. Burda also played in the Nebraska State Semi Final games for her team during her freshman and sophomore campaigns. She also received a 2020 Western Conference Honorable Mention nod.
 
Her sophomore year was highlighted with more career accolades as she was awarded the 2021 Scottsbluff Basketball Bearcat Award and was named a Nebraska Class B All-State honorable mention. In 2022, Burda received the Bearcat Award for a second time and was once again a Nebraska Class B All-State Honorable Mention. She was named to the 2022 Western Conference First Team and to the 2022 All-Region First Team in that season as well.
 
Burda hopes to major in Education upon her arrival at BHSU with the goal of becoming an elementary school teacher and a coach. She currently sits at a 3.4 GPA and ranks 76^th out of 230 students in her graduating class.
 
Jaylen Ostenson
Up next in the 2023 signing class for women's basketball is Jaylen Ostenson, who hails from Newcastle, Wyoming and played guard for Newcastle High School. She also played for the Ambush North Stars and South Dakota Attack basketball clubs.
 
"Jaylen is such a great addition to our Yellow Jacket basketball family. She is a wonderful young lady that brings a tremendous work ethic to our program. She has great size at the guard position and is a player that can really do it all. She can score at all three levels and really has a knack to score around the basket. We are very excited about Jaylen's decision to be a Yellow Jacket, such a great person and teammate," said Nore.
 
Ostenson recorded 1,214 points and 176 assists during her time at Newcastle, also racking up 500 rebounds and 155 steals. She was a captain in her freshman, sophomore, and junior seasons, with her team made state qualifiers every season.
 
Jaylen leaves a large legacy behind as she reaches closer to departing high school: she is the all-time leading scorer in Newcastle and received All-Conference honors three times in her high school career, also being named to All-State once. In 2022, Ostenson was also named the 3A East Player of the Year for basketball.
 
As a top five student and member of honors society with a 4.0 GPA at Newcastle, Ostenson will be a great classroom asset for BHSU as Ostenson intends to major in Communications. She hopes to one day be a women's college basketball coach.
 
Ostenson is the daughter of Chad and Marti Ostenson and the sister of Cade Ostenson. Her father, Chad, played football for SDSU and both parents competed in rodeo for SDSU. Her brother, Cade, ran track and played both basketball and baseball at Dickinson State.
 
Karissa Smith
Karissa Smith joins BHSU as a 5'8" guard from Freedom, Wisconsin. Smith competed in women's basketball for Appleton North High School as well as the Wisconsin Blaze basketball club.
 
"Karissa is the ultimate teammate," said Nore. "She has such a selfless mentality. We love how she can defend multiple positions and do so many things well. Karissa has a pass first mentality but can also shoot the ball with the best of them. She is an old school type of player, and we are so excited about her and her decision to be a Yellow Jacket."
 
Smith served as a captain for Appleton North's basketball team through all four seasons of her high school career and will be competing in her senior season in the following days. Last season, Smith held 13.1 ppg and was an effective shooter, nailing 73% from the field and 40% from three. She also held 3.5 rebounds/game and 2.3 steals/game.
 
She currently holds a 3.9 GPA which puts her 34^th out of 410 in her graduating class. Karissa was a member of the National Honor Society and was involved in a leadership program at Appleton North. Smith comes to BHSU to pursue a major in exercise science and has an eye on a physical therapy career.