So when she first hit the gym following her two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Baltimore last winter, the subsequent returns were not the least bit shocking.

“I air-balled probably my first three shots in practice,” Woolston recalled. “It was bad because the game’s just so fast, and I was not ready for that. My mind was not in that frame yet.”

When Woolston’s mind is in what she refers to as the right frame, she’s proven the ability to flat out blister the nets.

The 6-foot junior guard was named the as the state of Utah’s top player when starring for Lone Peak during both the 2022 and 2023 seasons before setting all sorts of high marks for BYU upon entering the programs for the 2023-24 season. Among those marks were a freshman record in 3-point percentage (.466 percent), second all-time in 3-point field goals made (81) and in free throw percentage (.836) and third in 3-pointers made per game (2.53.)

So yeah, hoisting up any air-ball at any time could definitely prove a shock to her well-established system.

But the mission rust wasn’t the only thing hindering Woolston. Dating back to her Lone Peak days, she’s endured what has only recently been identified as compartment syndrome, the same malady that BYU running back Sione Moa experienced in his leg that forced him to sit for almost the entirety of the 2025 football season.

“It’s been like a six-year process trying to figure out what was wrong with my arm, and then one day our personal trainer was just like, ‘Let’s try compartment syndrome. Let’s test for that,'” Woolston related back on September 16 when addressing the media. “And so we did, and there was really high pressure in this area of my arm. So I got surgery about a month ago to just release the pressure in there, and then I was out for three weeks before (resuming) shooting for like two weeks (now), but it’s still limited. I’m trying to not overdo it while it’s still in the process of healing.”

Well, whatever Woolston has been through was completely obscured during the BYU basketball team’s recent ‘Marriott Madness,’ where both the women’s and men’s teams are officially introduced to the attending Cougar faithful. During the even she teamed up with BYU freshman and former 5-star recruit Bruce Branch to win the shooting contest showing the top form she displayed during her freshman season at BYU prior to her mission service.

And that’s extremely good news for the coming season.

The Cougars return a bevy of returning talent, led by standout Delaney Gibb and plenty of returning talent, which includes sophomore guards Sydney Benally and Olivia Hamlin and junior forward Brinley Cannon, among several others. All of them are excited for Woolston’s addition and feel she’ll fit right into the team’s system.

“She is just such a hard worker. She’s just locked in, and focused,” Cannon said of Woolston, whom she refers to as ‘Wooley.’ “You know that she is going to set goals for herself and put in the work to achieve th(ose goals.) … Coming off a mission like that … that’s a mountain to climb, and that’s just hard in itself. So there’s no one better (with her) work ethic and the focus, and like she said, trusting the process.”

As for what Woolston brings to the floor, the shooting is the obvious component, although she’s focusing on other aspects to her overall game with the season set to tip off later this month.

“I’m hoping that I’ll just be able to help the team in any way that I can,” Woolston said. “Being able to play hard on the defensive end — that’s one of the main things. If you play defense, then you’ll be able to hit the court … So those are my two main focuses right now: getting quicker on the defensive side, and then being able to hit open shots and set up my teammates.”

So will Woolston pick up right where she left off prior to her mission service? If the Marriott Madness display, along with a superior work ethic and dedication observed by Cannon and the rest of her teammates are any indications, she should be adding considerably to the Cougar’s overall success this season.