Amidst preseason praise, Allyson Fertig just wants to keep improving and making Wyoming proud

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) - The Wyoming Women’s Basketball season is just around the corner, and the team is widely expected to be a contender in the Mountain West.

A big reason behind the Cowgirls’ hype is the presence of star center Allyson Fertig. No one on UW has gotten more national attention heading into this year than the Douglas alum, and she’s been working to become an even better version of the dominant player she was last season.

”Just working on my footwork, and just making sure I don’t travel on little mistakes and stuff like that. But [also] being able to work around my defense, and to make those counter moves and stuff,” Fertig said.

Fertig enters her junior campaign as a Preseason All-Mountain West selection and a part of the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Watch List-- adding to her already impressive collection of accolades. The center started her career by winning Mountain West Freshman of the Year, and earned the all-conference nod at the end of last season as well. As a sophomore, Fertig averaged team-highs with 13.3 points per game, 8.7 rebounds per game, two blocks per game, and a 58.6% clip from the field.

Now, her role is set to expand even more. However-- despite all of the expectations placed upon her-- Fertig doesn’t feel any sort of burden. She’s simply focused on winning, growing, and putting on for the Cowboy State.

”It’s not really pressure on me. Like of course I want to perform well, and I want to perform better than I did last year. Because I just feel for my team that I need to keep improving. But the [awards don’t] really mean a lot to me. I do want to make especially our Wyoming fans proud, so I will just continue to improve,” Fertig said.

She will make her highly-anticipated season debut on Nov. 6 when the Cowgirls open up at home against North Dakota.

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