BATON ROUGE – LSU has announced the addition of 6-5 sophomore Kate Koval to its roster for the upcoming season.
“Having recruited Kate out of High School, we are very aligned in our vision for her personal development and the impact she can have on our program,” Coach Kim Mulkey said. “Tiger fans will love the skill, physicality and passion that Kate will bring with her to Baton Rouge!”
Koval had a successful ACC All-Freshman season at Notre Dame, playing a key role in the Irish reaching the Sweet 16. She averaged 5.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. Koval led Notre Dame with 55 blocks throughout the season; she recorded six games with 4+ blocks.
Koval was the USBWA National Freshman of the Week on November 18 after a quick start to her college career. Through the first three games of her career, Koval had 40 points, 33 rebounds, 8 assists and 15 blocks. According to OptaSTATS, the last D1 freshman (male or female) to reach those numbers in any three-game span is Kentucky’s Anthony Davis. After recording her first double-double in her third game with 14 points and 16 rebounds against James Madison, Koval went for 11 points and 19 rebounds against Lafayette.
The Kyiv, Ukraine native came to the United States in 2021, going on to become the No. 5 overall player and the top-rated post player in the Class of 2024 as a forward at Long Island Lutheran in Brookville, New York. Koval played in the McDonald’s All-America game, the SLAM All-America game, the Jordan Brand Classic and the Nike Hoop Summit. She was the 2023-24 New York Gatorade Player of the Year. She has also competed at the international level in the 2023 3×3 U18 World Cup and in the U18 and U16 European Championships.