Emy Wardle, a senior-to-be at Peoria Notre Dame, has officially committed to the Bradley University women's basketball program, choosing the Braves over a slate of scholarship offers that included DePaul, Eastern Kentucky, Northern Illinois, Southern Indiana, Lindenwood, Eastern Illinois, North Alabama and Vermont.
A Family Legacy at Bradley
During her junior campaign she posted averages of 11.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 2.8 steals per game, earning first‑team all‑Big 12 Conference honors, Journal Star All‑Area recognition, Illinois Basketball Coaches Association all‑state first‑team accolades and Illinois Media Class 3A second‑team selections.
The commitment marks a continuation of a family connection to Bradley; Wardle is the youngest daughter of longtime Braves head coach Brian Wardle and will soon be joined on campus by her older sister Mya Wardle for the 2027‑28 season.
Bradley finished the previous season with a 20‑13 overall record and a 13‑7 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference, but the program will enter the 2026‑27 year under new leadership as Chaia Meier succeeds longtime coach Kate Popovec‑Goss, who departed in March to take the head coaching position at Boston College.
Wardle’s decision reflects both the appeal of the university’s athletic environment and the prospect of contributing to a program poised for transition as it prepares for its next chapter under Meier.