OSHKOSH, Wis.- UW-Oshkosh women's basketball star Kayce Vaile (Greendale/Greendale) signed a professional contract with the iSecure Swords Thunder, the Dublin-based member of Basketball Ireland's Domino's Women's Division One.
 
"I am so excited and grateful for the opportunity to play for Swords Thunder", stated Vaile. "I cannot wait to get to Ireland and bring what I learned here at UW-Oshkosh to the court in Dublin. I wouldn't be able to do this without the constant support from the community of Oshkosh! Forever a Titan!"
 
Domino's Women's Division One is the second-highest level of professional women's basketball in Ireland. Last season, the Swords Thunder posted an 8-8 record, securing fourth place in the league. Vaile will join the program as the only American on the team. They kick off the 2025-26 season on October 5 against the Cleveland Rockets at the Lisburn Racquets Club.
 
"We could not be prouder of Kayce and who she became during her time with us in Oshkosh", 13th-year head women's basketball coach Brad Fischer said. "She took a challenge from early in her career her to play overseas and turned it into a reality. She has been so consistent and intentional every single day to give our program everything she had. This opportunity is a direct result of her dedication and determination, and we're proud to see her take this next step in her basketball career. I know she'll give everything she has to her new club in Ireland."
 
This season, Vaile led UW-Oshkosh with 11.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game while shooting a team best 52.2 percent from the field. She also blocked a team high 38 shots. She recorded 10 double-doubles across 32 starts including three straight from January 11-18. Vaile scored at least ten points 21 times including a season high 22 points at UW-Platteville on January 29. She also pulled down a season best 16 rebounds twice this year: against UW-Whitewater on February 5 and against UW-Eau Claire on February 19.
 
Vaile's five-year career with the Titans was headlined by 1,094 career points, which ranks 17th in program history. She also ranks third with 824 points, third with 120 blocked shots, fifth with 91 games started, and is tied for most in program history with 119 games played.
 
Vaile collected her third All-WIAC honor earlier this season and added a WIAC All-Defensive Team nod, D3hoops.com All-Region 9 status for the second straight year, her second Women's Basketball Coaches Association All-America Honorable Mention award, and a D3hoops.com All-America Fourth Team selection. The five-time WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll selection also earned her second College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honor.
 
On the court, UW-Oshkosh posted an overall record of 27-5 with an 11-3 mark in WIAC play. The Titans won their second straight and 16th WIAC regular season championship in program history before advancing to the semifinal round of the NCAA Division III Championship for the first time since 1996. The Titans won the Oshkosh Regional with victories over Calvin University (Mich.) and Bethel University (Minn.) before taking the Bloomington, Illinois sectional trophy by defeating host Illinois Wesleyan University and Baldwin Wallace University (Ohio). Oshkosh faced Smith College (Mass.) in the Final Four. The 20-win season is the 12th under Fischer and every full-length season since 2012-13 has seen UW-Oshkosh collect at least 20 wins. He is one of just two head coaches in conference history to accomplish the feat, joining former UW-Platteville men's basketball head coach Bo Ryan, who led the Pioneers to at least 20 wins every season from 1988-99.
 
The Titans committed just 10.6 turnovers per game, the fewest in NCAA Division III and ranked 13th with 49.7 points allowed per game. They held additional WIAC bests in scoring margin (+14.4), field goal percentage defense (35.7), three-point percentage (33.6), three-point percentage defense (26.3), blocks per game (4.0), bench points per game (24.8), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.06), fouls committed per game (13.0), and winning percentage (84.4).
 
Vaile is the second Titan to play professionally after a storied career under Fischer. Leah Porath played for the Dutch Vrouwen Basketball League's Martini Sparks in 2022-23 following five seasons in Oshkosh between 2017-18 and 2021-22. Porath played 17 games that season, averaging 14.8 points in 32.6 minutes per game. She shot 47.4 percent (73-of-154) from the field including 28.7 percent (29-of-101) and 75 percent (18-of-24) from the line while adding 7.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.5 steals her game.