ISU coach Bill Fennelly didn’t expect the news that his sophomore forward, Bryanna Fernstrom, asked for her release from Iowa State on Monday morning.

Fernstrom texted Fennelly on Sunday night, saying she wanted to meet Monday morning. In that meeting, Fernstrom offered no explanation for her departure. Fennelly opened his Monday press conference with the news.

“[I’m] definitely surprised,” Fennelly said. “Second semester starts today, and we have about eight weeks left in the season. It’s a surprise, but there’s a lot of things that young people do today that don’t surprise me anymore.”

Even though Fernstrom’s exit comes at about the halfway point of the season, Fennelly’s focus won’t be deterred from his next game against Texas Tech. The Cyclones will have a week to rest and prepare before they travel to Lubbock, Texas, on Sunday.

“My focus is on the kids who want to be here,” Fennelly said. “If you don’t want to be here, we will release you, and there’s university policies that dictate when you can go and where you go and stuff like that. But no, it was a very short meeting. She asked for it. We will grant it.”

Fernstrom averaged 20.7 minutes this season and 19.0 minutes in Big 12 play. Freshman forward Meredith Burkhall drew the start against Kansas on Saturday while Fernstrom sat on the bench. Now with Fernstrom gone, Fennelly will turn more heavily to Burkhall and backup forward Claire Ricketts.

The team has already dealt with injuries this season while playing with a lack of depth. But, Fennelly said Fernstrom’s departure won’t hurt much.

“It doesn’t change anything for me,” Fennelly said. “We have kids in the program that love playing at Iowa State and love playing hard. When TeeTee [Starks] got hurt, we had to come up with 22 minutes. Claire [Ricketts] and Meredith [Burkhall] will play a little bit more. We’ll have to get more creative. For me, it’s always been the same.”

Fernstrom was part of the 2014 recruiting class that saw current Cyclones Emily Durr and Ricketts join the team. Three of the five recruits from that class, Nakiah Bell, Blaire Thomas and Fernstrom, have left the team in the last year.

But that doesn’t seem to take the Cyclones off track. With the heart of the Big 12 schedule right around the corner, it’s all engines forward.

“We have to keep moving forward,” said guard Jadda Buckley. “The Big 12 doesn’t stop.”