Sacramento State’s senior forwards Jaydia Martin and Katie Peneueta are preparing for their “last dance” in the Big Sky Conference tournament, a moment that’s been in the making since childhood.

“I think it’s really special, we’ve both had an opportunity to have success in this league,” Peneueta said. “It’s just a big blessing to be able to finish our careers side by side.”

The pair have left a legacy at Sac State and in the Big Sky Conference as a whole. Both have won Big Sky championships, Peneueta in 2023 with Sac State and Martin in 2024 with Eastern Washington.

Peneueta’s name dots the record books for Sac State, as the program leader in 3-point percentage by a wide margin at 44%. She is also in the top six in total 3-point makes and blocks.

In her single season at Sac State, Martin’s been the focal point of their offense, leading the team in scoring while pacing the Big Sky in nearly all offensive statistical categories.

With Starch Madness around the corner, the two are gearing up for what they hope to be a deep run to put the final crown on two decorated collegiate careers, legacies that began intertwined.

“They met each other playing rec soccer at age four,” Jeanne Peneueta, Peneueta’s mom said.

At an end-of-year soccer party, Tanya Martin, Martin’s mom, suggested that Peneueta should join the hotshots team she coached. From that point on, basketball was the focus.

“My mom was coaching us from a young age,” Martin said. “Our families got to know each other and we instantly clicked.”

They started in a hotshots league in Washington before moving to AAU teams, including the “Vancouver Elite,” the team coached by Tanya Martin. The duo were inseparable, traveling across the Pacific Northwest for travel ball before going to different high schools.

The pair began to gain attention from Division I programs as they rose the ranks of Washington high school hoops. Martin committed to Eastern Washington after garnering a three-star prospect ranking from 24/7 Sports, while Peneueta initially committed to the Air Force Academy before her medicals fell through.

In her senior year, Peneueta caught the eye of former Sac State head coach Mark Campbell, who was previously with the vaunted Oregon women’s basketball program.

“The Air Force had denied my medical documents,” Peneueta said. “One of the first people to reach out to me was Mark Campbell. It was a very easy decision, knowing that the success that he and his coaches come from and the opportunities that I had to learn from them at Sac State.”

While they played states apart, the two wouldn’t have to wait long before they faced each other in a college setting for the first time.

“I personally wouldn’t say it was a lot of competition at first,” Peneueta said. “Martin was the freshman of the year. We had similar stats, but ultimately she came out on top.”

After two years of battling in the Big Sky, Peneueta entered the transfer portal after former Sac State head coach Mark Campbell left for TCU. Despite winning the Big Sky, Peneueta moved on to North Carolina State.

For both Peneueta and Martin, 2024 was a year of winning, with Martin’s EWU rolling to a Big Sky championship and Peneueta’s NC State going to the Final Four.

While Peneueta struggled with injuries and inconsistent playing time, not fully factoring into NC State’s rotation, the Wolfpack knocked out Cameron Brink’s Stanford and Rickea Jackson’s Tennessee before losing to South Carolina.

While they found success, both felt they needed a change.

“When I re-entered the portal, Jay called me and asked if I wanted to finish my senior year at Eastern,” Peneueta said. “But I knew right away that I was coming back to Sac State.”

Independently, the two decided they needed a new situation, and Sac State presented itself as the perfect opportunity.

“I wasn’t in the right headspace, I needed something new,” Martin said. “When I saw that KP was in the portal, I thought it’d be a cool opportunity to spend our last season together.”

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The two committed to Sac State in the summer, giving the Hornets two battle-tested players to help lead a youth movement in Sacramento.

“I’m thankful that they chose Sac State to finish their careers,” Sac State head coach Aaron Kallhoff said. “I put a lot of trust in them as leaders.”

As the only two seniors on the roster, Martin and Peneueta are the leaders out on the floor, constantly talking and coaching their teammates in practice and in games.

“I definitely think that being able to play with each other, to talk to each other about things we see on and off the court, that’s very helpful to be able to have that space,” Peneueta said. “To help the younger girls and help everybody else out too.”

At a practice leading up to the Big Sky tournament, the pair were as vocal as the assistant coaches, pulling their younger teammates out of plays to give them insights.

“I’m trying to instill confidence,” Martin said. “That’s something that I’m constantly talking to the girls about. It’s something that I still work on constantly throughout my life, throughout my career, and even now. Basketball is a game of mistakes. You just gotta be able to adjust and move on and take every single opportunity, to take every game as a learning point and a lesson.”

The pair have stepped up under the brightest lights this season, with both having their fair share of regular season heroics throughout the year.

Martin came in clutch in a critical win over Idaho, and Peneueta’s five threes punctuated the squad’s biggest win of the year at Montana State.

After a tumultuous 14-17 regular season, they said they’re ready for their last dance in Boise this weekend.

“Our record does not reflect the talent, skill and potential that our team has,” Peneueta said. “I think we’re just slowly unlocking it, and it’s all coming to fruition now. All of this leads to March.” ​​

The win against the Bobcats proved what the Hornets already knew, in the Big Sky anyone can beat anyone despite their record. The recent win at Montana State, one of the best mid-majors in the country, went a long way to build that confidence.

“Anybody could win on any given day,” Martin said. “I don’t think I’ve been on a team that has every single person invested in their off time and invested in doing the extra work, and we’re finally seeing some of that stuff come up.”

Sac State drew Eastern Washington in the first round of the playoffs, Martin’s former team. ​

The Eagles boast the Big Sky’s most formidable defense, leading the conference with the least points allowed per game. To win, the Hornets will need Peneueta and Martin’s 3-point shooting to stretch out an Eagles’ defense that wants to shut down the paint.

“I feel like we match up well against them, but it’s going to be a dog fight,” Martin said. “It’s going to come down to whoever is tougher. I’m excited for the competition.”

The Hornets have lost to the Eagles twice this season, but faced significant absences due to injury and illness in their prior matchups. Regardless of how their conference tournament run ends, both of their legacies in the Big Sky are secured.

“We really couldn’t have done it without every single teammate that I’ve had along the way,” Peneueta said. “Every single coach, everybody around me, has put me in great positions to be successful.”