Colorado State University Athletics
Ready for the Lights
3/19/2026 2:35:00 PM | Women's Basketball
CSU reflects ahead of first round of NCAA Tournament
NORMAN, Okla. — Though it's a platitude, it still works.
"Embrace every single moment, yeah the stage is a little bigger, but go have fun with this," coach Ryun Williams said. "The lights are a little brighter, but this is why you practice. This is why you train. This is why you were in the gym at 5:30 in the morning in June, because you wanted the heat of these bright lights. So no regrets, that's going to be the message. Cut it loose. Go for it. Play to win. All of those silly cliché coaching things."
It's the kind of message which echoes through arenas every March. Simple. Familiar. Easy to overlook. And yet, at this point in the season, it feels essential.
Because beneath the spectacle of March Madness — the packed stands, the national spotlight, the urgency of survive-and-advance — are the quieter moments which built it all. Early mornings in empty gyms. Film sessions after tough losses. Practices where the score is still 0-0, but the foundation is already being laid.
For Colorado State, the path here hasn't been accidental. It's been deliberate, layered, and at times, difficult.
"I would say that this is one of the most competitive and relentless teams I've been on in my whole career," Hannah Ronsiek said. "There's a lot of ebbs and flows in a season, but we came together when it mattered. We used those hard times, learned from them, and grew from them. So I'm super grateful for even the lows."
Caught in the whirlwind of a Mountain West Tournament title, Selection Sunday, and travel to Norman, Okla., it would be easy to focus only on what's next. But this team has made a habit of looking back — not to dwell, but to understand.
A perspective like that doesn't come easy. It's earned through adversity. through games where shots don't fall, through road environments that test composure, through stretches where progress feels incremental at best.
And yet, the numbers tell their own story. The Rams sit at 27-7, riding a nine-game win streak into the NCAA Tournament. They've proven themselves away from home, collecting statement wins against teams like Gonzaga and Oregon State. More importantly, they've proven something internally: resilience isn't just a talking point, but an identity.
"This group, really all year long, has just continued to get better," Williams said. "Some increments may be a little bigger than others, but they've accepted every challenge that's been put in front of them. That's what I've appreciated. No matter the environment, they've been ready."
It traces back to those early days — the June practices Williams referenced. The ones without cameras, crowds or stakes beyond improvement.In many ways, those moments mirror the tournament itself: a fresh start, a blank slate, an opportunity to define what comes next.
But what makes this run feel different — what gives it weight — is the presence of experience.
In an era where roster turnover is common, Ronsiek, along with fellow seniors Marta Leimane and Jadyn Fife, chose continuity. Four years in the same program. Four years of growth, setbacks, adjustments and belief in what CSU basketball means.
"I stayed here four years for this moment," Ronsiek said. "To get that championship… I'm just so happy and grateful I was able to do it with these girls my senior year. My most important year."
Their impact goes beyond statistics. It shows up in poise during high-pressure moments, in leadership during difficult stretches and in the steady reassurance that a season's narrative is never written in a single game.
For Williams, one moment in particular captured that journey.
"The neatest thing for me in Vegas was just seeing the joy on their faces," he said. "They knew they really accomplished something, and they knew where they were going. For seniors to go out that way is special."
It's special because it isn't guaranteed. Seasons rarely unfold cleanly. There are always dips, doubts and defining moments which could swing either way. What separates teams isn't avoiding those moments — it's how they respond to them.
"I think we're a very motivated group and I think our chemistry is really there," Kloe Froebe said. "So, never count us out. We've come back a lot and we don't give up. And so I think that that's what's great about this team is we're all so competitive and we want to win."
Now, as the lights grow brighter and the stage grows bigger, the message remains unchanged. It's still simple. Still familiar. Still easy to dismiss — until understanding everything behind it.
Embrace every moment.
Because long before the crowd, before the tournament, before the wins which defined a tournament season, there was a gym in June. And a team learning, even then, how to handle the heat of the lights they had yet to see.
Now they're here. Ready for whatever may happen.
