Karina Bystry, who averaged 14.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game for Northern Kentucky last season and was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team, has signed with Butler. Bystry has three years of eligibility remaining beginning with the 2026-27 season. 
 
Bystry, as a freshman, was fifth in the Horizon League in scoring, averaging 14.8 points per game and was fourth in the league in free throw percentage, sinking 81.7 percent of her shots from the charity stripe. Bystry earned Horizon League All-League Second Team honors and was also named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team after garnering Horizon League Freshman of the Week accolades four times during the season. 
 
"Karina is an impressive combo guard who got better and better as the year went on last year and she was only a freshman," said head coach Maria Marchesano. "She has a scorers mentality, deep range and a relentless motor that made her a top target in the portal and we are so excited to have her on our side of the sidelines this year!"

Bystry, a 5-9 guard, played in 32 games and made 28 starts for the Norse in 2025-26 and averaged 30.7 minutes per game, which was the most on the team last season. 
 
The guard shot 36.9 percent from the floor and 32.3 percent from behind the arc during her one season with the Norse. Bystry set the program record for most free throws made since NKU moved to Division I and she finished the season with the most made free throws (147) and attempts (180) of any freshman in Division I women's basketball. Bystry also posted a career-high 35 points against Purdue Fort Wayne last season and scored in double figures 23 games last season. She had a 10-game stretch where she scored 15 or more points in each contest. 
 
The Madisonville, Tennessee native scored 1,700 points in high school at McMinn Central. In her junior season, Bystry averaged 21.0 points per game and shot 45 percent from the field and 38 percent from three.