Ferda signs to play ball for UM

University of Montana women's basketball coach Robin Selvig announced Monday that Ashley Ferda has signed a letter of intent to play with the Lady Griz beginning with the 2008-09 season.

A 5-6 point guard, Ferda is a three-sport standout at Whitefish High School. The senior Lady Bulldog is a multiple-time all-state selection in basketball, volleyball and track and field.

Ferda has been the Lady Bulldogs' starting point guard since her freshman season. She earned three all-conference awards, received all-state honors as a sophomore and junior and been named academic all-state three times.

A member of the Big Sky Hoops AAU team, Ferda averaged 17.5 points, six rebounds and four assists as a junior to receive Great Falls Tribune Super State accolades.

Ferda started four years on the Lady Bulldog volleyball team that won state titles in 2004, 2005 and 2006 and took second place at this month's Class A state tournament. She was recently named the MVP of the state tournament.

In track and field, Ferda won Class A state championships in the 100-meter hurdles as a sophomore (15.78) and junior (15.54). At last spring's state meet, she was a member of Whitefish's second-place 400-meter relay team and placed third in the javelin (114-1).

"Once I made the decision to play college basketball rather than volleyball, Montana was by far my first choice," Ferda said.

She said she's been attending Lady Griz games since she was in grade school, and she always hoped to play there someday.

"One of the things that amazes me about coach Selvig's program is that he recruits Montana kids and wins Big Sky Conference championships with Montana kids," Ferda said. "He has been coaching basketball since my dad played football there, which shows the dedication and passion he has for the program."

Ferda said the atmosphere at UM also played a big part in her decision.

"The support the Lady Griz receive from their fans makes the atmosphere around the program even more appealing," she said. "I'm really excited for the opportunity to contribute and be a part of such a great and successful program."

"Ashley is an outstanding three-sport athlete," Selvig said. "She's got good basketball skills, but she can also pound it in volleyball and is a state champion in the hurdles. She's strong, athletic, has good quickness, and she's a good scorer. She is someone we recruited as a point guard. She's a great kid and a great student. She's got all the things you look for."