NEW ROCHELLE, NY— Iona University women's basketball head coach Angelika Szumilo announced the addition of three student-athletes to the program for the 2025-26 season. Claudia Fiel (Pontevedra, Spain), Johanna Flores (Cananea, Mexico), Wilma Tuomi (Helsinki, Finland) have signed this spring to compete for the Gaels next season. 

CLAUDIA FIEL

Claudia Fiel, a 5-9 guard joins the Maroon & Gold after starting her collegiate career at California Baptist University. Fiel has appeared in 45 collegiate games for the Lancers. She appeared in 19 contests in her rookie season in 2023-24 as the program won the 2024 WAC Regular Season and Tournament titles and made its first NCAA Tournament appearance against two-seed UCLA.

In an elevated role in her second campaign with the Lancers, Fiel appeared in 29 games with 15 starts and averaged 5.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and ranked second on the team with 2.8 assists per game. She totaled four double-digit scoring efforts including a career-high 18 points against Saint Louis (11/26/24) and Southern Utah (1/25/25). Fiel had four or more assists in nine games and dropped a career-high nine assists to go with nine points in a 73-72 win over Tarlton State (1/16/25).

COACH SZUMILO ON FIEL

"We are excited to welcome Claudia Fiel to the Iona Gael family! Originally from Spain, Claudia is a dynamic guard who can create for others, score the ball, and impact the game on both ends. Her Division I experience, and international background give her a strong understanding of how to help run a team and compete at a high level. Claudia's toughness, versatility, and high basketball IQ make her a perfect fit for the culture we are building at Iona, and we're excited to see her take on an important role in our backcourt." 

JOHANNA FLORES

Flores, a 5-10 forward comes to New Rochelle after spending her senior season at the Academy of Central Florida in 2024-25. She averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists as the team competed on The Grind Session circuit. Flores garnered Under the Radar Player of the Year, All-Star and All-Grind Session honors this past season.
 
A native of Cananea, Sonora, Mexico, Flores has represented her country on the international stage in several FIBA competitions. She averaged 6.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game as Mexico earned a seventh-place finish at U18 Women's Americas Championship in Columbia. Flores competed at the Centrobasket U17 Women's Championship in 2023 helping lead Mexico to a runner up finish in Nicaragua. She averaged 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game and earned First Team honors for the tournament. At the Basketball Without Borders Americas 2023 event in Montreal, she earned the BWB Patrick Baumann Sportsmanship Award.

COACH SZUMILO ON FLORES

"We are excited to officially welcome Johanna Flores to the Iona Gael family! Originally from Mexico, Johanna spent her senior year in Orlando, Florida, and is a true hidden gem in this class. She is a versatile point forward with an elite basketball IQ, tremendous anticipation, and a natural ability to make everyone around her better. Her leadership skills, high character, and selfless approach to the game fit perfectly with the culture we are building at Iona. We believe her best basketball is ahead of her, and we can't wait to see her flourish as a Gael."

WILMA TUOMI

Wilma Tuomi, a 5-11 forward, joins the Gaels from Helsinki, Finland. She has played the last three seasons for HBA-Märsky in the Naisten Korisliiga, the highest tier of women's basketball in Finland. In 2024-25, Tuomi made 26 starts and averaged 7.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. She made 27 starts for the team in 2023-24 and averaged 7.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and a team-high 1.5 steals per game.

Tuomi has represented her country on the international stage, playing for the national team in the FIBA U20 Women's Eurobasket in 2024, the FIBA U18 Women's European Championship in 2023 and 2022 along with the FIBA U16 Women's European Challengers event. She averaged 9.9 points, 4.3 rebounds as Finland placed 10^th in the 2023 European championship.

COACH SZUMILO ON TUOMI

"We're excited to welcome Wilma Tuomi to the Iona Gael family! A versatile forward from Finland, Wilma can score at all three levels: attacking the rim, posting up, and knocking down the three. Defensively, her strength and athleticism allow her to guard 1 through 5. She also brings valuable international experience, having represented her country at the youth level for multiple years. Wilma's toughness, versatility, and winning mentality make her a perfect fit for our culture at Iona."