Kenny Brooks secured another addition to the Kentucky women’s basketball roster on May 18 with the commitment of 19-year-old Swedish center Elsa Vadfors.

Vadfors, who currently plays for Uppsala Basket, a Swedish professional basketball club, stands 6-foot-5 and brings added height to the frontcourt alongside 6-foot-5 Clara Strack and 6-foot-4 Teonni Key.

Her size and length immediately bolster the post for the Wildcats after losing 6-foot-7 center Clara Silva to the transfer portal after the season ended.

“I’m so happy to announce that I’ve committed to the University of Kentucky! Thank you to Coach Brooks and the entire Kentucky coaching staff for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. Go Wildcats!” Vadfors posted on X.

As a member of Sweden’s 2024 FIBA Under-18 Women’s EuroBasket team, she averaged 1.7 points and 2.8 rebounds over six games. Though there is limited film available on her, Vadfors is known for her defensive instincts, rebounding ability and interior presence.

She arrives in Lexington with full NCAA eligibility and a high developmental ceiling, giving Brooks another long-term piece to build around.

With the roster nearly finalized, it is expected that Brooks will not make additional additions ahead of the 2025–26 season, leaving Vadfors and Strack as the team’s primary centers.

After suffering a brutal sweep to No. 9 Vanderbilt this past weekend, the Wildcats will look ahead to the SEC Tournament, one they must succeed in if they want to guarantee a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

The No. 13 seeded Wildcats will take on the No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners on Tuesday, May 20, a team they recently swept in Lexington. The game will take place 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Alabama and Missouri matchup, which is slated for 10:30 a.m. ET.

After receiving the lowest seed in the conference tourney of the Nick Mingione era, Kentucky will have to scratch and claw its way forward, proving it is better than what the 13-17 conference record indicates.

Not only will the Wildcats lean on Tyler Bell, who nearly hit .500 in the series against Vanderbilt and scored five runs, but will need, no require, a complete team effort in order to make a run.

Kentucky has held a multiple-run leads in nine of its 17 conference losses, and has led in 90% of conference games at one point. The Wildcats’ early-game performances scream a near 40-win season, but failure to close games out is a clear indication to why they sit at just 29 wins.

It is a problem that needs solving now, especially when this year’s conference tournament is single elimination. You lose, you’re done.

Kentucky is certainly not a lock, although is slated to be a No. 3 seed in the national tournament by multiple publications, and an early exit in Hoover, Alabama will certainly not help its case. 

UT Ryan Schwartz and LHP Cole Hentschel, who were listed on the injury report before the second game of the Vanderbilt series, remain out for Kentucky’s tournament opener.

After suffering a 5-1 loss against the Clemson Tigers on Sunday, May 18, Kentucky softball left the field, marking an end to the season.

The Wildcats went 31-28 this year, only winning seven out of their 24 conference matchups. However, the team still made history, reaching their 16th consecutive NCAA tournament under head coach Rachel Lawson.

Lawson’s group is one of 12 programs in the country to be selected to the tournament every single season since 2009, many of which are their SEC peers.

Kentucky did everything it could to make its first Super Regional appearance since 2021. After dropping a game to Northwestern on Friday, May 16 the Wildcats bounced back with two dominant wins the next day, defeating USC Upstate 11-0 and exerting revenge on Northwestern after an 8-3 win.

Seniors McKenzie Bump, Hallie Mitchell and Alexia Lacatena played their final game in the blue and white, but leave knowing they left their mark. As a collective, they leave the program with countless victories to their name, over 100 to be precise.

After the loss, the team sent out one final message: “See you in February, #BBN!”