RIVERDALE, NY - With the start of the 2026-27 season just 10 days away, Manhattan University Women's Basketball Head Coach
Heather Vulin has officially announced the three captains for this year's squad, as of Friday morning.
Preseason All-Metro Third Team selection
Kristina Juric will join newcomers
Amanda Baumgarte and
Olivia Grgicevich Lassey to be bestowed such an honor.
"We are all very excited to have Kiki, Amanda, and Olivia as our captains for this upcoming season. They all have demonstrated great leadership, commitment, and investment in our program and in their teammates. I've been very impressed with how they have handled leading our team with so many new additions," remarked Vulin.
Juric comes off a 2025-26 season where she ranked second across the Metro in field goal percentage (.515) prior to missing ten games due to injury. She started in 17 of her 21 appearances for the Green and White, averaging 8.5 points on a nightly basis. Her best performance came on Kids Day, putting up 22 points on 10-for-13 shooting while adding nine rebounds and four blocks in a 68-59 win over Mount St. Mary's.
Joining a long list of international transfers in Vulin's recent history is Baumgarte from Rita, Latvia. As a sophomore last season at Western Wyoming CC, she was named All-Region 9 North as she finished the year with third-highest total for assists in program history with 110. Vulin has previously stated that Baumgarte's ability to be an "elite facilitator" points to her unselfishness and making everyone around her better. Baumgarte also brings crucial international playing experience to the team, earning a spot on the 3x3 national team for Latvia at the U18 World Cup.
Rounding out the list is New Zealand-born Grgicevich Lassey, adding to the tally of international transfers. During her last two seasons at Collin College in Plano, Texas, she led her program to a 44-18 record, a type of consistent success that Vulin says speaks to her impact on the floor. Grgicevich Lassey started all 58 games for the Cougars while averaging nine points on a 44% shooting percentage. On the defensive end, she averaged nearly two steals a game while pulling down over four rebounds each night. Her breakout performance came in January of 2025, when a career-high 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting led her team to a win over Temple College. Vulin reiterates that her international experience along with a strong defensive mindset and do-it-all approach fit in perfectly with the program standards at Manhattan.
Vulin along with her team captains will open up the season inside Draddy Gymnasium on Monday, November 2 at 7 p.m., facing off against Division II Pace.
