Staff photo / Neel Madhavan. YSU redshirt sophomore forward Sarah Baker puts up a layup as the Penguins work through drills during their first on-court workout of the summer on Wednesday morning at Zidian Family Arena.

YOUNGSTOWN — Fresh off its first appearance in Indianapolis and a runner-up finish at the Horizon League tournament this spring, the Youngstown State women’s basketball team was back on the court this week.

Just like last year, the Penguins are bringing back a large contingent of returners from this past season. But they also have a handful of newcomers, including three transfers and two freshmen. Wednesday morning was the first time the whole team was back together on the Beeghly Center floor, as YSU began summer workouts.

“There’s a lot of excitement coming off of last year,” head coach Melissa Jackson said. “Then obviously with the returners that we were able to bring back, and then incorporating the new kids, I think there’s just a lot of excitement across the board. To get back on court with everybody was pretty special.

“Our word this year is ‘one,’ and so this was the first time we were together as one. We’re going to continue to take it one day at a time, but I thought it was a really good first day with a lot of energy. We’re talking about instilling our standards, building our habits and it’s great to have returners that can really lead the newcomers along, and I thought everybody did a great job.”

Coming off a historic campaign in Jackson’s second season, maintaining continuity was key for the Penguins during the offseason in order to build off the program’s momentum.

YSU kept almost the entirety of its roster intact heading into last year, and now the Penguins are continuing that trend with seven returners back, including Danielle Cameron, Erica King, Hayden Barrier, Sarah Baker, Paulina Hernandez, Brooke Adkins and Dacia Lewandowski.

“It’s awesome. They look confident. They look a year older now,” Jackson said. “They walk around much more confident than I think they ever have, and that’s been really cool to see. Especially in the weight room, they know how we do things, they know our standards and our habits. I think if you talk to any of them, they just have a sense of confidence about them. It’s good, and I think it’ll radiate on the court to our newbies as well.”

For the newcomers, true freshmen Evelyn McKnight (Copley) and Kaitlyn Turinsky (Bellevue) each joined the program coming off all-state seasons during their senior year of high school.

Then out of the transfer portal, the coaching staff had three spots to fill in recent months, and they brought in senior forward Mia Kalich, redshirt senior point guard Jada Leonard and junior guard Gemma Walker to address the team’s positional needs.

“Whether they’re freshmen or transfers, [it starts with] making sure that they fit our program and our culture, and I think those five really do,” Jackson said. “Obviously they can play, so they wouldn’t be here if they couldn’t. But I think they all are going to play a really big role in this year’s team and how we construct that.”

Kalich was the first to sign with YSU on April 13. The Olmsted Falls native spent her first three years at Division II Seton Hill, and is coming off an All-American season in which she averaged 14.0 points and 12.1 rebounds per game, while leading the country in steals and triple-doubles.

Jada Leonard then signed with the Penguins about a week later on April 20. The Bronx, N.Y. native continues YSU’s recent trend of bringing in transfers from Horizon League rival Cleveland State, where she earned All-Defensive Team honors last year, while averaging 12.0 points, 3.0 assists and 2.9 steals per game.

Rounding out YSU’s list of newcomers is Walker, a western Pennsylvania native that signed in the middle of May and spent her first two seasons at Saint Francis (Pa.), where she averaged 7.6 points and 2.7 rebounds in 25 games during her sophomore season last year.

“They’re three really good people, so talking about culture and bringing good people into our program,” Jackson said of the transfers. “They’re also three individuals that are highly driven and they want to compete and they want to win, and they don’t shy away from that. So when we went through the recruiting process with each and every one of them, they checked a lot of those boxes.”

YSU will continue with lifts and on-court work early next week, before departing for a few days for the team’s annual retreat. Then once the Penguins return to campus, the rest of their summer time together will consist of shooting, skill development, lifting, conditioning and implementation of offensive and defensive principles.

With all the returners and newcomers back on campus together, the process to build chemistry and connection on and off the floor has begun for the Penguins and will continue until the team opens the season in November.

“I feel like all of us automatically clicked as soon as we hung out and saw each other,” Adkins said. “Getting to know each other has really been a big part of our connection on the court. And I thought today, being our first team practice, there was a good connection and a good bond, and I think that’s going to be good going forward.”