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Skylights ink two standouts

The 2012 recruiting class for Montana State University-Northern women's basketball coach Chris Mouat has grown by two.

Mouat recently announced the signings of a pair of Montana standouts in Fairfield's Kassie Barta and Fairview's Tiffany Kittleson. Barta is a transfer from Miles Community College, while Kittleson is a high school senior.

Barta, a 5-8 guard is originally from the ultra-successful Fairfield High School girls program.

This season, Barta helped lead the MCC Pioneers to a 22-10 overall record and advanced to the second round of the Region IX Tournament in both of her two seasons. She led the team in scoring at 10.9 points per game. She started in 28 of the team's 30 games, and connected on 61 of 171 3-point field goals for 36 percent. She also shot nearly 74 percent from the free-throw line. Barta was also named to COSIDA Academic All-District Team.

"Kassie has improved a ton in her two seasons at Miles Community College," Mouat said. "She comes to us with a lot of familiarity with what we run, and is another shooter who can help us from the perimeter. She has been very successful in Region IX, and we look forward to her future in a Skylight uniform."

Barta, is a 2009 graduate of Fairfield High School, where she was a four-year starter. Her teams won State Class B titles in 2008 and 2009, and they lost only two games during that two-year span. She earned Class B All-State honors as a senior, and was a three-year All-Conference honoree.

"Kassie is a proven winner at every level," Mouat said. "She has really worked to increase her strength over that past couple of years, and it's paid-off. She also does a great job in the classroom, and will be a positive addition to our basketball program and university."

Barta is the daughter of Bruce and Karen Barta. She carries a 3.5 grade point average and plans on majoring in biology at MSU-Northern.

Kittleson, a 5-6 guard, averaged 15 points, 3.8 assists, and 2.5 steals per game this season while being named to the Class C All-State team for the Warriors.

During her career, Kittleson's Fairview teams compiled a 99-7 overall record. They were four-time District and Conference champions, and three-time Divisional champions. She was a member of the 2010 team that won the Class C state title.

"We are very excited about Tiffany.," Mouat said. " She is a great competitor, has good shooting range, and comes from one of the very best programs in Class C basketball over the past few years."

Kittleson was a four-time Academic All-State honoree in basketball, volleyball, and track and field. She has been a two-time All-State pick in track, and earned All-Conference honors in volleyball twice. She was a key member of the 2011 State Class C champions in track and field. She carries a 3.5 grade point average and plans on majoring in community leadership at MSU-Northern.

Tiffany is the daughter of Dan and Patty Kittleson.

"Tiffany has a very solid understanding of the game, and she absolutely knows how to play hard," Mouat said. "Her upside and potential in our program and league are really exciting."

The Skylights now have four players signed for their 2012 recruiting class.

Kittleson

New Montana State University-Northern women's basketball recruit Kassie Barta launches a shot while playing for Miles Community College last winter. Barta, originally from Fairfield, will transfer to Northern.

 

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