Gophers women’s basketball gets Nebraska transfer Annika Stewart of Wayzata

Former Wayzata star Annika Stewart is coming back to her home state to play her final year of college basketball.

Stewart, who spent four seasons at Nebraska, is using her fifth year of eligibility to play for the Gophers.

“Annika is a versatile post player who has the ability to hep us in may different ways,” Gophers coach Dawn Plitzuweit said in a release. “She scores it down low, defends the interior and shoots it well from the arc.”

The 6-3 Stewart — daughter of current Wayzata High School girls basketball coach Julie Stewart — appeared in 111 games with four starts in four seasons with Nebraska, averaging 5.2 points and 2.4 rebounds. She shot 45.6% overall, 36.0% on three-pointers. As a senior she appeared in 25 games, missing eight because of injury, for a Cornhuskers team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

“I am so excited for the opportunity to come home for my last season of college basketball,’’ said Stewart, who was a first-team Class 4A All-State player as a senior at Wayzata. “I chose to be a Gopher because of how much Coach P and the staff pour into this program.’’

Ajok Madol, a 6-2 forward from Regina, Saskatchewan, who just completed her freshman season with the Gophers, has opted into the portal.

Madol appeared in 15 games with no starts. She averaged 6.2 minutes, 2.1 points and 0.9 rebounds in those 15 games.