Northern Illinois University women’s basketball head coach Jacey Brooks announced on Tuesday the additions of Juliana Haddad (Espoo, Finland/Eastern Florida State College) and Lexi Kerstein (Riverwoods, Ill./Vermont) for the 2025-26 season.

“I am really excited for the additions of Lexi and Juliana to complete our transfer class,” said Brooks. “With both of them having three years of eligibility, they are both invested into what our vision is for the program and will help lead the way.”

Haddad, a 5-10 forward, comes to NIU after playing 16 games last season at Eastern Florida State College. She had a season-high five rebounds off the bench three times for the Titans. Haddad has played for her home country of Finland twice in international play. She averaged 4.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game at the 2019 FIBA U16 Women’s European Championship and played in the 2022 FIBA U18 Women’s European Championship.

“Juliana is a versatile post player who can impact the game both inside and on the perimeter,” Brooks said. “She can score in the paint, attack off the bounce and stretch the floor with her three-point shooting which makes her a tough matchup for opponents. Her work ethic is contagious and I’m excited for her to bring that mindset to our program.”

Kerstein, a 5-6 guard, has been at Vermont for the last two seasons. She played in seven games in the 2024-25 season for the Catamounts as Vermont won the America East championship. Kerstein scored over 1,500 career points at Deerfield High School and is Deerfield’s all-time leading scorer. As a senior, Kerstein averaged 14.1 points per game in leading the Warriors to a fourth place finish at the 2023 IHSA Class 3A girls basketball tournament. She was named All-Central Suburban League four times with three All-State selections.

“Lext is going to work hard every day and make an impact on both ends of the floor,” said Brooks. “Her ability to shoot the three and defend at a high level gives her the opportunity to compete for playing time right away. The more I got to know her as a person, the more I knew she was someone I wanted to be part of what we’re building here at NIU. She’s a highly motivated young woman and I know she’s going to positively impact her teammates every day.”

Haddad and Kerstein join Nadechka Laccen (San Juan, Puerto Rico/St. Bonaventure), Nevaeh Wingate (Liverpool, N.Y./St. John’s) and Teresa Mbemba (Benguela, Angola/Presbyterian) as newcomers for the upcoming season.