WICHITA -- First-year head women's basketball coach Jody Adams has announced the addition of three newcomers as Marisah Henderson and Ashley Gladden join Haleigh Lankster in rounding out the incoming class for the 2008-09 season.

"We are very excited to welcome Marisah, Ashley and Haleigh to our program," Adams said. "They are going to add an element of athleticism and excitement to our team that will help us build the foundation and direction we want this program to take."

Henderson, a 5-2 junior point-guard from Kansas City, Kan., comes to Wichita State after spending last season at Arkansas-Ft. Smith following a season at Birmingham Southern. She was an all-conference performer last season at UAFS, helping lead the squad to a 34-2 record and a third-place finish at the 2008 NJCAA Women's Basketball National Tournament. At Birmingham Southern, Henderson was a four-time Big South Conference Freshman of the Week, and was selected to the Big South Conference All-Freshman Team following the 2006-07 season. She ranked 47th nationally in Division I with nearly five assists per game during her season at Birmingham Southern, and still owns the school's single-season assists record with 142.

"I love Marisah's work ethic," Adams said. "Her vision and ability to place the ball in the right hands at the right time will be a huge asset to our team. She is an extremely competitive person, and we are proud of the leadership she has provided thus far within our program."

Gladden, a 5-10 junior forward from Catonsville, Md., joins the Shockers after two seasons at Independence [Kan.] CC, where she was named to the NJCAA Region VI first team as a sophomore. Gladden led her squad with 11 points per game last season, and was a first-team all-Jayhawk East Conference performer. She Finished second on the squad by shooting nearly 48-percent from the field last season, in helping lead Independence to the semifinals of the Region VI Tournament. Gladden also helped lead her team to a share of the Jayhawk Conference East Division title with a 15-3 mark in league play.

"Ashley is a very versatile forward," Adams said. "The quality I like most about her is that she will compete. She has great hands and with hard work will have the ability to contribute a lot to our program."

The duo joins Lankster, a 5-9 freshman guard from Tulsa, Okla., who signed last fall with the Shockers. Lankster helped lead Booker T. Washington High School to the Oklahoma Class 5A state championship as a senior and participated in the Oklahoma Girls' Basketball Coaches Association All-State Game. She averaged more than 10.0 points per game last season and was named all-Region 7 and all-state by the OGBCA.

"Haleigh's strength is she has pure athletic ability," Adams said. "We are excited about the progress we have seen in her overall game. She has a very impressive vertical and will contribute greatly on the boards."