MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State women’s basketball head coach Jeff Mittie has added a standout player to the 2025-26 roster with the signing of Tess Heal.
Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Heal becomes just the second Australian to play in K-State’s program history, following Rebekah Dallinger (2021-24).
The 5-foot-10 guard spent the 2024-25 season at Stanford, where she was the only NCAA Division I player to shoot at least 50% from the field (.503) and 45% from three-point range (.493), with a minimum of two three-point attempts per game and at least 30 games played.
During her season at Stanford, Heal scored 239 points (8.0 ppg), recorded double-digit scoring in 11 games, and posted a season-high 24 points at Wake Forest on January 26. She also tallied 60 rebounds (2.0 rpg), 35 assists (1.2 apg), 14 steals, and eight blocks.
Before joining Stanford, Heal played two seasons at Santa Clara (2022–24), where she was a two-time First Team All-WCC selection, the 2023 WCC Newcomer of the Year, and a member of the 2023 All-Freshman Team. She also earned WCC Player of the Week honors six times and was named WCC Freshman of the Week a record 12 times.
At Santa Clara, she averaged 18.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game, shooting 47.2% from the field over 32.2 minutes per contest. Heal was one of only three players nationwide to average at least 18 points, four rebounds, and four assists while shooting 45% or better (joining Caitlin Clark and Rachael Rose).
She ranks 11th in Santa Clara history in career points (1,225), second in scoring average (18.6), fifth in free throws made (332), second in free throw percentage (.867), and 10th in assists (296).
Internationally, Heal has competed with Australia’s U18 and U19 national teams. At the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup in Madrid, she averaged 7.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists. A year earlier, she helped secure gold at the 2022 FIBA U18 Asian Championship in India, averaging 7.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists.
Domestically, Heal represented Victoria Metro, leading her team to multiple national titles and delivering a standout performance in the 2021 U18 Grand Final with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists.
K-State wrapped up the 2024-25 season with its 19th NCAA Tournament appearance and fourth-ever trip to the Sweet 16. The Wildcats finished with 28 wins—the second-highest total in school history—and tied for the second-most victories across a two-year span (54). The team was ranked throughout the season in both the AP and Coaches polls.
K-State also set single-season program records for total points (2,842), assists (763), and blocks (206), and led the Big 12 in several statistical categories including scoring offense, field goal percentage, three-point percentage, and assist-turnover ratio.
