MISSOULA — The Montana Lady Griz basketball program was dealt some big news on Monday afternoon as senior Sammy Fatkin is coming back for another year at UM.
The Lady Griz program made the announcement along with a number of other roster updates via social media, saying Fatkin was granted an extension by the NCAA.
Some Lady Griz news: pic.twitter.com/XJryziGimi
— Montana Lady Griz (@MontanaGrizWBB) May 16, 2022
"Obviously she is a talent. We love her on the wing," said UM coach Brian Holsinger in a media release. "She is a big addition in terms of scoring and output on the court. Everybody is excited she is coming back because everyone loves being around her as a person. Anytime someone who everyone loves gets to come back, it's such a positive for your program."
It'll be another chapter to a winding college basketball path for Fatkin. A Snohomish, Washington, native, Fatkin started her career at Arizona before transferring to UM in the 2018-19 season. Fatkin then played a partial season in 2019-20 before leaving the program part-way through the season.
After taking the 2020-21 season off from basketball, Fatkin returned to UM this past season, the first under Holsinger. Fatkin didn't miss a beat and made an immediate impact back in Missoula, and was a go-to scorer for the Lady Griz.
Fatkin was the team's leading scorer until an ankle injury against Idaho State on Feb. 5 derailed her promising season. Fatkin missed nine straight games as she recovered and made her return in the final game of the regular season against Sacramento State on March 4. She also played in UM's Big Sky Conference Tournament quarterfinal game against Northern Arizona.
Fatkin finished the season averaging 12.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. She shot the ball at a 44.1% clip from the field and converted 39.6% of her attempts from beyond the arc.
"My college basketball career has been a unique one and quite the rollercoaster, so I'm grateful for the opportunity," Fatkin said in a media release. "Finding a place with this program and staff has made every hardship worth it."
According to a media release sent out by Montana on Monday, Fatkin will be the only senior from last year's team returning to the program. Former guard Nyah Morris-Nelson signed a pro deal in Australia back in early April, meanwhile according to the release, Sophia Stiles and Abby Anderson are both looking into opportunities to play overseas as well.
Missoula native Kylie Frohlich, the program's fifth senior last year, will continue her athletics career at Montana next year but with the track and field team. Frohlich, who will be a grad student in exercise sciences next year, will throw javelin for Montana next spring in her fifth year of eligibility as a Grizzly. Frohlich competed at the Big Sky Conference outdoor championships over this past weekend where she finished 19th in the javelin.
UM also noted that freshman Lamprini Polymeni, who played in seven games last year, will not be returning to the program.
Fatkin, guard Katerina Tsineke and forward Carmen Gfeller will be Montana's three-player senior class next season.
