Northwestern University Athletics
Coach McKeown Announces Signing Class
4/13/2023 4:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Head Coach Joe McKeown announced the signing of Rachel Mutombo Thursday, rounding out a group of three first years who will join the women's basketball program for the 2023-24 season. Mutombo, a forward, will join guard Casey Harter and forward Crystal Wang in the signing class.
"As we reflect on our 2023 recruiting class, we are really excited for our future Wildcats, Casey, Crystal, and Rachel," McKeown said. "They all come from great backgrounds, embrace the student-athlete concept, and fit the needs of our program. All three are unselfish, come from winning programs, and have the drive necessary to come into a program like Northwestern that recently won a Big Ten championship, played in NCAA tournaments, and ranked in the Top 25. Great day to be a Wildcat!"
Harter is a 5'11" guard who joins the 'Cats out of Souderton High School in Souderton, Pa. A four-year varsity player and two-year captain, Harter helped guide Big Red to back-to-back SOL Colonial titles and PIAA 6A playoff bids. The effort led to her selection to the Under Armour Future 60 camp the summer ahead of her senior year. To close out her high school career, Harter averaged 16.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game her senior season, leading to first-team all-region honors. Along the way, she eclipsed 1,000 points, finishing with 1,211 to rank third all-time in Souderton program history. During AAU play, Harter reached a GUAA Elite 8 with the Philadelphia Comets.
McKeown on Harter: "We are really excited for Casey and her two new classmates Rachel Mutombo and Crystal Wang. Casey brings point guard mentality along with size, speed, and three point shooting to the Wildcats. She's an incredible student-athlete and we're looking forward to her future at Northwestern."
Wang will head to Northwestern from Sierra Canyon High School (Chatsworth, Calif.), where she averaged 10.2 points and five rebounds per game en route to second-team golden coast selection during her junior season. The effort helped the team to an Open Division state championship that year. Most recently, the 6'2" forward contributed to a 31-1 season for the Trailblazers, culminating in a Southern Section Open Division championship. Following that success, Sierra Canyon was ranked the No. 1 high school girls basketball team nationally by ESPN.
McKeown on Wang: "Crystal Wang is coming off an outstanding career at Sierra Canyon, one of the top high school programs in the country. That experience has prepared her for coming to Northwestern and the Big Ten and the national schedule that the Wildcats play. Her energy, personality, and commitment to the student-athlete concept is perfect for Northwestern. Her ability to shoot the basketball and her knowledge of the game gives her a skillset that we're really excited about."
Mutombo will join the Wildcats out of Good Counsel in Olney, Md. - the same high school as former Wildcat Lindsey Pulliam. As a junior, the 6'3'' forward averaged ten points and eight rebounds a game to help the Lady Panthers to a 10-2 record. That ranked third in the conference and earned a fifth-place final ranking in the Washington Area. The year culminated in a trip to the postseason tournament semifinals, securing one of the best seasons in school history. It capped off a decorated high school career for Mutombo, who was named MVP her freshman season and received WCAC Honorable Mention her senior year. In AAU play, Mutombo reached the GUAA Finals with the Germantown Lady Panthers in 2022.
McKeown on Mutombo: "We're really excited for Rachel to join the Northwestern family. She brings post play, strength, toughness, rebounding, and has an incredible work ethic. She embraces the student-athlete concept and comes from Good Counsel, an outstanding high school program in the WCAC, one of the top high school leagues in the country."
Mutombo, Wang and Harter will join the 'Cats for their 2023-24 season.
"As we reflect on our 2023 recruiting class, we are really excited for our future Wildcats, Casey, Crystal, and Rachel," McKeown said. "They all come from great backgrounds, embrace the student-athlete concept, and fit the needs of our program. All three are unselfish, come from winning programs, and have the drive necessary to come into a program like Northwestern that recently won a Big Ten championship, played in NCAA tournaments, and ranked in the Top 25. Great day to be a Wildcat!"
Harter is a 5'11" guard who joins the 'Cats out of Souderton High School in Souderton, Pa. A four-year varsity player and two-year captain, Harter helped guide Big Red to back-to-back SOL Colonial titles and PIAA 6A playoff bids. The effort led to her selection to the Under Armour Future 60 camp the summer ahead of her senior year. To close out her high school career, Harter averaged 16.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game her senior season, leading to first-team all-region honors. Along the way, she eclipsed 1,000 points, finishing with 1,211 to rank third all-time in Souderton program history. During AAU play, Harter reached a GUAA Elite 8 with the Philadelphia Comets.
McKeown on Harter: "We are really excited for Casey and her two new classmates Rachel Mutombo and Crystal Wang. Casey brings point guard mentality along with size, speed, and three point shooting to the Wildcats. She's an incredible student-athlete and we're looking forward to her future at Northwestern."
Wang will head to Northwestern from Sierra Canyon High School (Chatsworth, Calif.), where she averaged 10.2 points and five rebounds per game en route to second-team golden coast selection during her junior season. The effort helped the team to an Open Division state championship that year. Most recently, the 6'2" forward contributed to a 31-1 season for the Trailblazers, culminating in a Southern Section Open Division championship. Following that success, Sierra Canyon was ranked the No. 1 high school girls basketball team nationally by ESPN.
McKeown on Wang: "Crystal Wang is coming off an outstanding career at Sierra Canyon, one of the top high school programs in the country. That experience has prepared her for coming to Northwestern and the Big Ten and the national schedule that the Wildcats play. Her energy, personality, and commitment to the student-athlete concept is perfect for Northwestern. Her ability to shoot the basketball and her knowledge of the game gives her a skillset that we're really excited about."
Mutombo will join the Wildcats out of Good Counsel in Olney, Md. - the same high school as former Wildcat Lindsey Pulliam. As a junior, the 6'3'' forward averaged ten points and eight rebounds a game to help the Lady Panthers to a 10-2 record. That ranked third in the conference and earned a fifth-place final ranking in the Washington Area. The year culminated in a trip to the postseason tournament semifinals, securing one of the best seasons in school history. It capped off a decorated high school career for Mutombo, who was named MVP her freshman season and received WCAC Honorable Mention her senior year. In AAU play, Mutombo reached the GUAA Finals with the Germantown Lady Panthers in 2022.
McKeown on Mutombo: "We're really excited for Rachel to join the Northwestern family. She brings post play, strength, toughness, rebounding, and has an incredible work ethic. She embraces the student-athlete concept and comes from Good Counsel, an outstanding high school program in the WCAC, one of the top high school leagues in the country."
Mutombo, Wang and Harter will join the 'Cats for their 2023-24 season.
Women's Basketball - Big Ten Network Desk Segment at Big Ten Media Day (10/8/25)
Wednesday, October 08
Joe McKeown Joins B1G Today (7/14/25)
Thursday, July 17
Women's Basketball - Nebraska Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, March 02
Women's Basketball - 'Cats Furious Comeback Falls Short In 85-79 Loss To No. 21 Maryland (2/20/25)
Friday, February 21
