ESPANOLA, New Mexico. - Northern’s women’s basketball team has signed Kaeli Ballain and Dorsheka Lopez to National Letters of Intent, head coach Christina Jost announced today.

“Today is a very exciting day for Northern women’s basketball. Both Kaeli and Sheka will be vital parts in our program’s continued strides towards success. We are so thrilled to have them both here at Northern and are eager to watch them grow and develop as student-athletes here on campus,” added Jost.

Ballain, a 5’7 small forward, was a standout athlete at Hanks High School in El Paso, TX. Her senior season she averaged 10 points per game, 6 rebounds per game and 1.8 steals per game. Kaeli was the 5th leading scorer in Texas 1-5A for the 2010-2011 season and garnered All-District honors.

“Kaeli is the type of student-athlete all coaches want on their squads. She has such a tremendous passion for the game of basketball and is a true competitor. With her great knowledge of the game and unselfish play, Kaeli will help lead our program to new heights. She is a terrific defender and has a nose for the ball off the boards. I’m confident Kaeli will make a huge impact immediately for Northern both on and off the court,” commented Jost.

Kaeli is the daughter of Anthony Ballain and is currently undecided on her major for when she attends Northern in the fall.

Lopez, a 5’5” shooting guard out of El Dorado High School in El Paso, TX, brings speed and athleticism to Northern. At El Dorado High School, she averaged 12 points per game, 4 rebounds per game and 1.5 steals per game, as a senior. She was the 3rd leading scorer in Texas 1-5A for the 2010-2011 season and earned All-District honors.

“We are looking for great things to come with Sheka joining our program here at Northern. She is extremely quick defensively and can find her way to the hoop to score. Sheka possesses a great energy on the court and we’ll be looking to her to stop opponents’ top offensive threats, as well as, energize us defensively throughout the game. Sheka’s energy and enthusiasm is high not only on the court, but off as well. She has such a passion for the game and life and I’m looking forward to seeing the influence and impact that she’ll have on our program and on Northern’s campus as a whole,” stated Jost.

Sheka is the daughter of Anthony and Pamela Lopez and plans to major in Pre-Med when she enters Northern this fall.