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Ayanna Dublin Tatiana Streun 2021

Women's Basketball Athletic Communications

Graduate Transfers Ayanna Dublin, Tatiana Streun Ready for One Last Season

Hatter Newcomers Are Program's First Sixth-Year Seniors

Stetson women's basketball newcomers Ayanna Dublin and Tatiana Streun are not your typical rookies. In fact, they are not even your typical seniors.  Both players will be 23 years old when they take the court on opening night, and each will turn 24 during the season.
 
"I never thought I would still be in school, playing college basketball, at 24," Dublin said.
 
The two graduate transfers, or "Grannies" as their teammates affectionately call them, are on "year six" of their NCAA clock. Each started college back in the fall of 2016: Dublin at Northeastern University in Boston, and Streun at Portland State University in Portland, Ore.  Each competed for four seasons, including the "free" COVID year of 2020-21, and each also received one medical redshirt season.  Both players decided to take advantage of the extra year of eligibility to pursue a Master's Degree.
 
Actually, make that a second Master's. 
 
Dublin, who has a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics and Informational Design, is close to completing a Master's from Northeastern in Sports Leadership with a concentration in professional sports.  Streun earned two Bachelor's Degrees from Portland State - one in Marketing and one in Finance - and recently completed a Master's level certificate in Aviation Finance from Embry-Riddle University. 
 
The life-long benefit of getting a second Master's was extremely appealing to both players. The only question was where.
 
"My priority was finding a school that had a good MBA program that I could finish in a timely manner," Streun said. "When I talked to coach Bria and the staff, they knew what they were talking about. I told them I wanted to do an MBA, and they were on top of everything. It showed their priorities."
 
Dublin was also seeking a strong MBA program that could be completed in a timely fashion.  She took a virtual tour of campus and liked what she saw.  She was also impressed by the success of the women's basketball program over the past decade.
 
"All those accolades stood out to me," Dublin said.  "When I got on the phone with Coach Bria and her staff, the conversation just flowed nicely. That was a big plus."
 
Stetson's flexible MBA program, which allows students to complete the degree requirements in just over a year, was a perfect fit for both.  And who could turn down the beautiful Florida weather?
 
"I was open to going anywhere, but I wanted it to be somewhere sunny," Streun said.

So Dublin said good-bye to the Northeast and Streun said farewell to the Pacific Northwest and both made their way to DeLand.  Despite coming from opposite ends of the country, the similarities between Dublin and Streun are striking:

Redshirt seasons:  Dublin missed her entire sophomore season after injuring her hand in preseason practice.  Streun missed her entire junior season with a torn ACL. As disappointing as missing a full season was for each, they now see it as a blessing in disguise.     

"At the time, you don't know why it happened, but If I didn't get injured, I wouldn't have had the COVID year, and then I wouldn't be here this year," Streun said.

City girls go small town: Dublin is a native of Brooklyn and went to school in Boston.  Streun hails from Seattle and went to school in Portland.  After living in major metropolitan areas their whole lives, both say they are enjoying DeLand's small-town atmosphere and the traditional campus environment at Stetson.

Crashing the boards:  As post players, Dublin and Streun are looking to bolster the Hatters front court and provide some much needed rebounding this season.  This past spring, Dublin averaged 6.4 boards at Northeastern and Streun averaged 6.5 rebounds at Portland State.  Combined, they have collected more than 1000 rebounds in their careers. 

Making an impact: Head coach Lynn Bria says Dublin and Streun's maturity level and leadership skills have had the biggest impact on the team to date. 

"They have added so much to our team in such a short amount of time," Bria said.  "They just get it. They understand what this is about. The process, the hard work, the commitment level, the sacrifice.  They impact our team significantly both on and off the floor. They are high level in every regard, and it's been great for us.  The only downside is that we only have them for one year."

Bria says Dublin and Streun, along with Jamiya Turner and Mali Morgan-Elliott, have been named captains for the 2021-22 season.
 
Friendly competition:  Both Dublin and Streun have been hard at work learning the pivot position in Stetson's motion offense.  In addition, during 5-on-5 drills in practice, the pair are frequently matched up against each other at the 5 spot.  Some of those battles have been intense. 

"When they are out here, they get after it, and I love it," Bria said.  "I absolutely love it."
 
"Coach likes to call it a drag out dog fight," Dublin said. "But afterwards, we are always getting lunch together, always doing something. We just know it's business in here. We all want that banner."
 
Going out on top: Northeastern did not make the NCAA Tournament during Dublin's tenure. Portland State did go to the NCAAs after winning the Big Sky Championship in 2018-19, but that was Streun's redshirt season.  Both players would like nothing more than to go dancing in their final season at Stetson. 

"We each have one more year," Streun said.  "We have been doing this for a while.  We don't let the little things get to us. (The coaches) said we need someone to come in and bring the energy and the heart, and that's what I'm here to do. This my last year playing so I'm going to do everything I can to make it to the NCAA Tournament. Let's create some upsets."
 
The Hatters will open the 2021-22 season at home on November 9 against Johnson University – Florida. Tip-off at the Edmunds Center is set for 5 p.m.  Season tickets, flex packs and individual game tickets are on sale and can be purchased online at GoHatters.com/tix, at the Edmunds Center ticket office, or by calling (386) 738-HATS (4287).

 
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Players Mentioned

Jamiya Turner

#4 Jamiya Turner

G
5' 9"
Junior
Ayanna Dublin

#12 Ayanna Dublin

F
5' 10"
Graduate Student
Mali Morgan-Elliott

#14 Mali Morgan-Elliott

F
5' 11"
Junior
Tatiana Streun

#24 Tatiana Streun

F
6' 0"
Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

Jamiya Turner

#4 Jamiya Turner

5' 9"
Junior
G
Ayanna Dublin

#12 Ayanna Dublin

5' 10"
Graduate Student
F
Mali Morgan-Elliott

#14 Mali Morgan-Elliott

5' 11"
Junior
F
Tatiana Streun

#24 Tatiana Streun

6' 0"
Graduate Student
F