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Notre Dame women's basketball signs second front court player of transfer portal cycle

IMG_9992by: Tyler Horka04/16/25tbhorka
sanchez
Kansas State forward Gisela Sanchez (30) pulls down a rebound during NCAA women's basketball game against Iowa, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Joseph Cress/For the Register / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Notre Dame secured a second transfer portal signing of this cycle on Wednesday, five days after the Fighting Irish got their first one in Malaya Cowles from Wake Forest. This addition is on her way to South Bend by way of Kansas State.

Barcelona, Spain, native Gisela Sanchez will make Notre Dame her third collegiate home since arriving in the NCAA ranks in 2021-22. Talia Goodman of On3 first reported Sanchez’s signing. Blue & Gold confirmed it with a source thereafter.

Sanchez started her career at Arizona. She was only there for one season. She spent the last two at Kansas State. As a fifth-year senior, she’ll finish her college career with the Irish.

Sanchez played in 27 games without any starts for the Wildcats last season. She averaged 15.4 minutes and put up 4.2 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. She played 20 total minutes across two games for KSU in the NCAA Tournament last month but she did not score any points on 4 shot attempts. She recorded 7 total rebounds, 4 turnovers, 1 block and 1 assist.

Sanchez had similar statistics to the ones she registered last season in 2023-24, but she played a little more of a significant role that year. She made 33 appearances with 6 starts. In 15.9 minutes per game, she scored 5.5 points and grabbed 3.8 rebounds per matchup. That was coming off a knee injury that held her out of the entire 2022-23 season.

Sanchez is a multiple-time member of the Spanish FIBA Euro Championships teams. Notre Dame has a long history of rostering players with international experience. Sanchez fits right in on that front.

Sanchez and Cowles bring Notre Dame’s 2025-26 scholarship count to six players. They were necessary adds to a roster that lost centers Kylee Watson and Kate Koval to the transfer portal. The Irish also bid farewell to forwards Maddy Westbeld, Liatu King and Liza Karlen. Westbeld and King are headed to the WNBA after being selected in Monday night’s draft.

The signings of Sanchez and Cowles should just be the beginning for a team that’s in need of reconstructing the entire makeup of a team going from a season that ended in the Sweet 16 for the fourth consecutive year into one that would be lucky to end up there again considering all that was lost.

Stay glued to BlueandGold.com for the latest updates on Notre Dame’s 2025-26 outlook.

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