TAHLEQUAH – Northeastern State women's basketball head coach Keith Ferguson announced Friday the hiring of Braxtyn Stewart to the staff as an assistant coach.

"We are excited to add Braxtyn to our coaching staff at NSU," said Ferguson.  "She brings a level of excitement and energy that we need to get this program off the ground and going. She has played in the MIAA and for a top-notch program and coach in the KCAC (Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference) during her COVID year."

Stewart comes to Tahlequah following a season at NCAA Division I Mercer in Macon, Ga.  She was part of a Mercer coaching staff that qualified for the Southern Conference postseason and had the league's defensive player of the year. 

A native of Emporia, Kan., Stewart was selected by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) as a member of its 19th class of its "So You Want To Be A Coach" program. 

A five-year letterwinner spending her first four seasons at Newman University (Wichita, Kan.), Stewart made 67 starts and played in 106 games for the Jets.  She was part of a Newman squad that finished runner-up in the Heartland Conference standings and reached its Tournament finals.   Stewart faced Northeastern State four times as a student-athlete when Newman began its MIAA membership in 2019. 

Stewart played her COVID season at Tabor College (Hillsboro, Kan.), where she played 30 games for the Blue Jays.
 
She attended Emporia High School and was a four-year varsity player in basketball, volleyball, softball, and track and field.   As a basketball player, Stewart was a four-year varsity player earning all-area, second-team all-league, and all-state honorable mention in 2015-16.  She made first-team all-league, second-team all-state, and all-area, first-team sports in Kansas.