COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's basketball head coach Misty Wilson has announced Ellen Silva to the program.  Silva joins the Mountain Lions after playing the past three seasons at University of Alaska Fairbanks.
 
"Ellen is a perfect fit for our program," commented Wilson. "Ellen plays with relentless energy and passion on the basketball court. She actively pursues rebounds, and has an offensive skill set that we believe will serve her well in our system. Additionally, Ellen's mobility and versatility defensively really stood out to us. I look forward to coaching Ellen and believe that she will be a tremendous addition to our program on and off the floor."
 
Silva, who will be graduating this spring from UAF with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, averaged nine points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 assists per game while playing nearly 32 minutes a contest.  Named to the 2023 Canadian Tip-Off Preseason Tournament Team and the 2023 Mount McKinley Bank Classic All-Tournament Team, Silva and the Nanooks defeated rival University of Alaska Anchorage for the first time in 16 years.  This past season, the 6-foot-1 forward started 26-of-27 games, registering 221 points, 212 rebounds, 35 assists, 25 blocks and 17 steals.
 
A 2019 product of West Valley High School, Silva tallied 15.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game in her last two seasons.  She earned basketball all-conference honors three times and was named volleyball all-conference twice.  A two-time tournament MVP at the Elk's Classic and Ice Jam tournaments, Silva garnered all-state basketball honors twice and was named all-state as a volleyball player once.  She guided the Wolfpack to three MAC conference basketball championship titles while earning four volleyball MAC championships.
 
Silva will join newcomers Ellie Reynolds and Gia Bradley on the program next year.  The Mountain Lions will open the 2024-25 season on Nov. 8-9 at home against Midwestern State University and Cameron University.