With McKenna Hofschild graduating and leaving Colorado State women’s basketball, it was time for a new leader — someone who had grown with the team. For Hannah Ronsiek, it was her time to shine.

She was known as a key player, and fuel was added to her fire when her sister, Emma Ronsiek, transferred from Creighton to play her last year of collegiate basketball at CSU. After this season, she’s “definitely not done yet.”

After five games, it is evident that this power duo runs the court, making a name for themselves within the Mountain West, with the Ronsiek sisters being a large part of why CSU’s record is 4-1. 

“We just play off of each other so well,” Hannah Ronsiek said. “It’s really nice to know I always have Emma for, like, a spot-up shot or, like, a dump-down. I always know kind of what she’s looking for, and she knows what I’m looking for, so I think that really think that really helps our offense.” 

With each practice, the team is working toward the Mountain West Championship, winning being Hannah Ronsiek’s top goal this season after falling short in the previous one. As Hannah Ronsiek described it, the team had the pieces to win but was not able to execute it. 

Their goals may have come true, as the Rams now hold a secret ingredient: sisterhood.  

“What I’ve learned is they’re both very, very competitive,” coach Ryun Williams said. “They both feed off of each other really well. They’re both really good basketball players, and I think they push each other, and so they kind of coach each other out there on the floor, and they really help our basketball team.”

Together, the Ronsiek sisters have accumulated 146 of 335 total points throughout the season and 18 of 30 3-pointers. Without them, the team would have only 189 points compared to their opponents’ total of 250.

That being said, Williams wanted to reinforce the idea that, yes, the team has two very strong players, but it’s the Rams — not just the Ronsiek sisters.

“We got other really, really good players,” Williams said. “They’re just two of five when they’re out there. And I know everybody’s writing about the sister thing, but they’re just two really good basketball players on a team with a lot of good basketball players.”

Williams also described Hannah Ronsiek as being on a steady incline of progression since she joined the Rams. With Emma Ronsiek there, it is easier to see Hannah Ronsiek shine, but she has always been a reliable player for CSU. 

In her sophomore year, Hannah Ronsiek achieved her first double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds and was a team leader in rebounds, averaging six per contest. 

“Whether Emma’s here or not, Hannah just keeps always making that next step,” Williams said. “And I think it’s fun that she gets to do it with her sister, but Hannah just really puts a lot of time into her game, and it’s all because of what the work that Hannah’s put in is why she is excelling. And I think it’s just cool that Emma gets to witness it.”

The Ronsiek sisters played together in high school, but at the college level, their chemistry on the court continues growing and, with that, their leadership, too.

“Me and (Hannah) are probably going to grow as leaders more than we have in the past,” Emma Ronsiek said. “There’s just some extra weight on our hands, which is nothing that we can handle. We just need to take our competitive nature, and every day, hopefully, that translates over to everybody else.”

Translate it has, as in one of the Rams’ more recent games, true freshmen Brooke Carlson and Kloe Froebe helped lead the team, Froebe through points and offensive rebounds. Marta Leimane was a leader in rebounds against Oregon State, while Sanna Ström sits at third behind the sisters in 3-pointers, scoring four at this point in the season. 

Although Williams has coached the women to success, the court is one of the most important places when it comes to their mindset. Even if Williams gives the players advice, it is up to them to follow through with it, and seeing the Ronsiek sisters stay consistent, the rest of the players know they can, too.

“We bring more of a competitive edge to everybody,” Emma Ronsiek said. “I’ve been playing with more fire this year than I have in the past just because this is my last season of college basketball — last season playing with Hannah.”

To work toward potentially winning the Mountain West Conference, Emma Ronsiek wants the team to hold themselves to the highest standard, as Williams described it as “stack(ing) days on top of each other and to help this team grow just one day at a time.”

Reach Sophie Webb at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @sophgwebb.