PEORIA, Ill. -- Peoria Notre Dame High School graduate and Illinois Central College product Rachel Merriman has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Bradley and will join the women's basketball team for the 2006-07 school year.

A 5-9 point guard, Merriman helped lead ICC to the National Championship this past year as a sophomore and ranks as the Cougars career assist leader with 523 during her two-year stint at the East Peoria school. A third-team NJCAA All-American she was named MVP of the Regional Tournament was a first-team all-region selection in 2005-06.

"A tremendous competitor, Rachel is a proven winner with great court vision and has a knack for finding the open player," sixth-year head coach Paula Buscher said.

Merriman set NJCAA Tournament records for assists in a game with 15 and dished out 32 assists in the three-day National Tournament finals.

An honorable mention all state selection as a senior at Notre Dame High School, she earned second-team all-area honors and was a first-team all-conference choice in 2004. Merriman also lettered in soccer for the Irish, earning all-state honors in her final prep season.

Merriman is the fifth player to sign a National Letter of Intent, joining 5-10 guard Renee Frericks (Wyoming, Minn./Forest Lake H.S.), 6-1 wing player Jenny Van Kirk (Waconia, Minn./Waconia) and junior college transfers Andrea Barber (Topeka, Kan./Topeka H.S./Barton County Community College), a 5-6 point guard, and 5-11 forward Jasmin Wright (Beale Air Force Base, Calif./Wheatland H.S./Yuba College).