Jenica Lewis – the top-ranked player in Iowa for the 2026 class – is taking her talents out of the state for college.
The Johnston guard announced her commitment to Notre Dame on Nov. 6, with the decision coming shortly after Lewis took her final official visit of the recruitment cycle over the Oct. 25 weekend.
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Ranked a 5-star recruit and the No. 22 player in the nation by 247Sports Composite – with a 4-star, No. 24 ranking from ESPN – Lewis chose the Fighting Irish over nearly four dozen other programs. She held 48 Division I offers and narrowed that list down to her top five of Iowa, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Oregon and TCU in early August.
The 5-foot-10 athlete brings plenty of championship experience to the Fighting Irish, with two state titles and a runner-up finish in her three seasons of high school basketball. She boasts a 76-2 overall record during her time at Johnston, and Lewis emerged as a key leader during the undefeated 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Johnston’s Jenica Lewis (10) shoots over Dowling Catholic’s Ellie Olson (5) on Friday, March 7, 2025, at Wells Fargo Arena.
Lewis helped the Dragons to the championship game in her freshman season with 12.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.1 steals per game. She averaged 12.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.3 steals per game as a sophomore. Last season, she increased all those averages, with 18 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 3.5 steals en route to another championship.
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Lewis is the fourth player to commit to Niele Ivey’s 2026 recruiting class, which was already ranked No. 1 in the nation before her commitment. Lewis joins a trio of four-star forwards in Jacy Abii (Texas), Bella Ragone (Georgia) and Amari Byles (Texas) – all three of whom are ranked in the top 25 nationwide by 247Sports Composite.
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Johnston star Jenica Lewis commits to Notre Dame women’s basketball
