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AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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Officials name senior vice president, chief of staff
By Fiona Riley, Assistant News Editor • March 26, 2024

Women’s basketball nabs two Class of 2025 commits

Women’s basketball expanded its future roster with two Class of 2025 commits in the past two weeks.

Leila Patel, a 5-foot-10 guard from Frisco, Texas, announced her commitment to the program June 24. Michelle Ojo, a 6-foot forward from Virginia Beach, Virginia, verbally committed to the program Saturday.

As a junior at Centennial High School, Patel averaged 13.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game. She helped her team reach the regional quarterfinals and earned a 9-5A first-team nod, according to sports writer Devin Hasson. Patel also earned TGCA Class 5A all-state team and 5A/6A Red All-Star team honors, Hasson reported.

Patel said in a tweet that she is “thrilled” to join the squad and thanked her family and coaches for supporting her on and off the court.

“I am super excited to be part of the Colonial family!” she wrote in the tweet.

Ojo, a junior at Princess Anne, suffered a broken foot in January that kept her out of the lineup for three months, Marty O’Brien from The Virginian-Pilot reported. She returned to the court in her squad’s state semifinal game, contributing to the team’s push for a seventh straight title. The tournament was cut short amid the COVID-19 pandemic, ending Ojo’s season early.

ESPN lists her as a three-star recruit, ranking No. 100 overall and No. 13 within her position.

Ojo thanked God, her family and her coaches in a tweet for their guidance and support throughout her playing career.

“I want to thank God for blessing me with the talent to play the game that I love so much at the collegiate level,” Ojo wrote in the tweet. “Today marks the beginning of a new journey for me.”

The duo are expected to hit the court for the 2021-22 season. The additions help replenish the roster after four players graduated, and redshirt freshman guard Tori Hyduke and sophomore center Kayla Mokwuah transferred from the program at the end of the season.

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