Minnesota transfer forward
Kayla Mershon (MERR-shawn) has been granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA and Big Ten, head coach
Lindsay Whalen announced Tuesday.
The Minnetonka, Minn., native joined the Maroon and Gold this spring after playing two seasons at the University of Nebraska. Mershon will be able to play for the Gophers right away, starting with Wednesday's contest against Indiana, and will have two years of on-court eligibility.
Mershon played in all 60 games with 15 starts in her two seasons with the Huskers. She averaged 2.4 points and 2.8 rebounds in 14.6 minutes of action per contest while shooting 35.8 percent from the floor and 30.0 percent on 3-pointers.
As a sophomore, Mershon averaged 1.6 points and 2.5 rebounds while playing in all 30 games with one start. She scored a season-high five points in a win over Illinois on Feb. 22, while on Feb. 19 at Ohio State she grabbed a career-high nine rebounds and tied a career high with two steals. Mershon started the final 14 games of her freshman campaign and averaged 3.2 points and 3.0 rebounds on the season.
Playing her prep career at Minnetonka High School, Mershon was a four-time first-team All-Lake Conference honoree and was ranked the No. 14 wing nationally by ESPN. After helping lead the Skippers to a state title in 2016 by averaging a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds per contest, she recorded 12.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.2 steals per game as a senior.
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