COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Utah State Women’s Basketball Adds Mangino To Coaching Staff
LOGAN, UT – There is little down time for Utah State women’s basketball head coach Kayla Ard as she recently added McKenzie Mangino to the coaching staff.
Ard announced the addition on Tuesday, August 2.
“McKenzie fits exactly what we need to finalize the staff dynamics,” Ard said. “She is a hard worker that is passionate about being at Utah State. We are excited to add her to the family and I can’t wait to work alongside her.”
Welcome to the Aggie Family, McKenzie Mangino!
🔗 https://t.co/RFyZayDtbn#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/Q2C1bLuK7o
— USU Women's Hoops (@USUWBasketball) August 2, 2022
Mangino began her coaching career with Santa Rosa Junior College where she served as an assistant coach to both the women’s and men’s program.
After being hired as a graduate assistant at Hawai’i Pacific University in 2017, she was promoted to lead assistant in 2019.
The native of Ukiah, California, Mangino attended Ursuline High School in Santa Rosa. She began her collegiate playing career at Santa Rosa Junior College where she was a part of back-to-back Big 8 Conference Championships, which earned her a scholarship to the University of Hawaii-Hilo. At Hilo, Mangino and her team earned a bid to the PacWest Conference Tournament as a junior and she served as team captain her senior season.
Mangino joins the Aggie program on the heels of an 11-19 season that saw Utah State finish with a 5-13 Mountain West record.
“First and foremost, I want to thank coach Ard for this opportunity that I am extremely excited and grateful for,” Mangino said. “This program is full of passion, competitiveness and commitment. The culture of excellence that coach Ard has built, along with the staff that she has assembled, is something that I am honored to be a part of. I can’t wait to be in Logan and will see you soon Aggie Nation.”
Aggies add transfer guard
Head coach Kayla Ard announced that guard Christina Oliva will join the Aggie basketball program after transferring from Sierra College.
Welcome to the Aggie Family, Cris!
🔗https://t.co/JvRtOEjA23#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/CLKBghRHhU
— USU Women's Hoops (@USUWBasketball) August 1, 2022
“Cris is a naturally athletic, scoring guard,” Ard said. “Her length makes it easy for her to have great court vision and a nice feel for the game. She comes from a great family and fits in our culture perfectly here at Utah State. She is a big-time addition to our roster. We can’t wait to see her wearing No. 10 in an Aggie jersey this upcoming season.”
Oliva was name all-Big 8 Conference first team in her lone season with the Wolverines. She started in all 29 games she appeared in.
The freshman guard led the Wolverines to a 28-3 mark in the 2021-22 season. She led the team with 15.4 points per game, while logging 4.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.4 assists per game.
Oliva scored in double figures 19 times during the year, including a season-high 26 points twice. She grabbed five or more rebounds in 12 games, including a season-best 13 boards at Modesto. Olivia recorded a season-high five assists and five steals against Diablo Valley.
Following the Aggies
Fans can follow USU women’s basketball on Twitter, @USUWBasketball, on Instagram, @USUWBasketball, as well as on Facebook, at /USUWBB. Aggie fans can also follow Utah State Athletics on Twitter, @USUAthletics, on Instagram, @USUAthletics and on Facebook at /USUAthletics.
