Former Penn State women’s basketball center Gracie Merkle has committed to transfer to Minnesota for her final season of eligibility, she announced Monday.

Merkle announced her decision to enter the transfer portal on April 1, joining a slew of Lady Lions who chose to leave the program following Tanisha Wright’s hiring.

The 6’6″ Kentucky native averaged 19.2 points and 8.2 rebounds in 2025-26, scoring a career-high 39 points against Princeton in November and pulling 20 rebounds against Purdue in February. Merkle also led the nation in field-goal percentage at 72.5%. She currently sits at 1,402 points and 793 rebounds in her career. 

Merkle started her career at Bellarmine before transferring to Penn State ahead of the 2024-2025 season. She medically redshirted the previous year. Merkle entered the portal in April 2025 and had plans to join Maryland, but decided to return to Penn State for her redshirt junior season. Now, the All-Big Ten Third Team honoree will head west to play under head coach Dawn Plitzuweit. 

Minnesota is coming off a strong 24-9 campaign, rolling to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament before falling to eventual champion UCLA. Merkle will be the tallest player on the roster and looks to make a strong impact on both ends of the floor.