SEATTLE – The Seattle Pacific Falcons are adding some sharpshooters to their women's basketball program for the upcoming season … and they're smart sharpshooters, too.
 
SPU has announced the signing of four players who will join the team in time for the upcoming 2024-25 season.
 
Coming aboard will be freshman 5-foot-10 wing Grace Mertes from Boise, Idaho; freshman 5-11 guard / forward Phoenix Sharp from Las Vegas, redshirt junior 6-1 forward Madison Rubino from nearby Snohomish, and grad student 5-11 wing Peyton Bergevin from Walla Walla.
 
They will join nine returning Falcons from a team that reached the postseason last year in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament.
 
 
PEYTON BERGEVIN
Grad student
5-11 / Wing
Walla Walla, Wash.
Walla Walla High School / Linfield University
 
About Peyton: Played 59 games with two starts in her three seasons at Linfield. (Redshirted in 2021-22.)  Averaged 2.8 points and 1.5 rebounds. Scored a career-high 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting on Feb. 13 against George Fox. At Walla Walla High School, was an eight-time letterwinner with swimming in the fall, basketball in the winter, and softball in the spring. Was a top-20 scorer in the Mid-Columbia Conference, and was the team leader in minutes, 3-point percentage, assists, and steals.
 
Reason she chose SPU:  "In high school, I attended a basketball camp at SPU and really enjoyed the camp and the coaches. The GNAC is a league I have always wanted to play in and I followed it very closely while I was growing up. After completing my four-year degree at Linfield, I needed to transfer to get my master's, and I also wanted to continue my athletic career with two years of eligibility remaining."
 
Mike Simonson says: "She has a lot of collegiate experience, and she can really shoot the 3. She's a high-IQ player and she's excited for this next chapter."
 
Fun fact: Basketball is not her only sport. She also played soccer and softball, and was on the Walla Walla swim team for one year. She races in demolition derbies at her hometown county fair.
 
 
GRACE MERTES
Freshman
5-10 / Wing
Boise, Idaho
Timberline High School
 
About Grace: Helped Timberline win the 2022 Idaho Class 5A state championship. Served as a team captain. Was an All-State honorable mention selection.
 
Reason she chose SPU: "I loved the team and the coaches and I knew that I would have a good experience here because of them."
 
Mike Simonson says:  "She's a tremendous athlete. She is somebody who can string (3-pointers) in bunches if she can shoot them from deep. She has a pretty stroke and reminds me of all the elite shooters that you might see."
 
Fun fact: Enjoys painting.
 
 
MADISON RUBINO
Redshirt junior
6-1 / Forward
Snohomish, Wash.
Glacier Peak High School / Idaho / Cal Poly Humboldt
 
About Madison: Played her freshman year at Idaho in 2021-22, averaging 1.1 points and 1.0 rebounds in 19 games. Was named the team's Most Improved Player. Did not play in 2022-23. Transferred to Cal Poly Humboldt for 2023-24, starting 21 of the 26 games she played and averaging 7.2 points on .447 shooting from the field and 5.7 rebounds per game. At Glacier Peak High School,  was four-time All-Wesco selection, including 1st team in 2021. Helped Glacier Peak win three conference championships.
 
Reason she chose SPU:  "This is a great school for my major (physiology), making it a good stepping stone for graduate school. Everybody has been so friendly and welcoming, and I can tell the team has a great culture. Seattle is also close to home (Snohomish), so friends and family have more opportunities to watch a game."
 
Mike Simonson says:  "She is a tremendous rebounder, she plays physical, and she's athletic. She's fast up and down the floor and has a nose for the ball. She gets high-percentage shots at the rim. Part of that is just her rebounding, but she also has just a relentless ability to drive and slip to the basket and get close catches at the rim. She can also shoot from a distance."
 
Fun fact: Rubino is a triplet. She would like to try scuba diving and sky diving, and would like the opportunity to be on "Survivor."
 
 
PHOENIX SHARP
Freshman
5-11 / Guard – Forward
Las Vegas, Nevada
Awaken Christian High School
 
About Phoenix: As a senior last season, was 1st team All-Conference and All-State, was the team MVP and was the school's Female Athlete of the Year. She scored 1,150 points in three seasons. Set Nevada state Class 2A career records for most free throws made, most rebounds, and most blocked shots. Also set single-season record for most blocked shots in 2023 and 2024.
 
Reason she chose SPU:  "I was genuinely captivated by the beauty of the campus. I have strong ties to Washington, and have family members residing there."
 
Mike Simonson says;  "She can play multiple positions. I like to say she's a guard in a post player's body, meaning that she's tall, she's got some strength, but she has a lot of guard skills. She can shoot the 3, she can pass the ball, she has a great feel and a high IQ for the game, and she's a really hard worker."
 
Fun fact: Started playing basketball a a 3-year-old at the local YMCA.