Two Sundells, two different sports, same city.
As NFL fans await next week’s draft in Green Bay, WNBA fans tuned in for Monday night’s draft in New York. UConn star and national champion Paige Bueckers predictably went No. 1 overall to the Dallas Wings, while the Seattle Storm selected Cameroonian-born French center Dominique Malonga with the second overall pick. Two rounds later, the Storm took Kansas State guard Serena Sundell at No. 26 overall. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because she’s the sister of Seahawks offensive lineman Jalen Sundell.
Serena and Jalen are both Maryville, Missouri natives and attended Maryville High School. While Jalen played his college football at North Dakota State, Serena was four-year player with the Kansas State Wildcats. She was a two-time All-Big 12 First-team selection and led the NCAA in assists with 7.3 per game. Serena was instrumental in Kansas State reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2002, most notably recording 14 assists in KSU’s second round win over Kentucky.
Hopefully Serena can be a key part of the Storm as they embark on life after trading longtime star and two-time WNBA champion Jewell Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces.
Meanwhile, one of the few bright spots on the Seahawks offensive line was the emergence of undrafted free agent rookie Jalen Sundell. It’s quite possible that Sundell could be Seattle’s starting center in 2025. At the very least he is someone with the positional versatility to remain a part of Seattle’s plans on the offensive line moving forward.
You love to see cool stories like this! The Storm’s season opener is May 17 against the Phoenix Mercury.
