Kansas City, Mo. – Zoe Kennedy of Clarke (Iowa) has been named the NAIA Women’s Basketball Offensive Player of the Week, and Jes Mertens of Mayville State (N.D.) has been named the NAIA Women's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week. The duo was selected based on their performances from December 30 - January 5 and were chosen out of a pool of conference/Continental Athletic Conference (Independents)/unaffiliated group nominees.

Players of the Week are announced on Tuesdays on naia.org, Instagram, and X throughout the regular season.

X - @NAIA
Instagram - @PlayNAIA

NAIA Women's Basketball Offensive Player of the Week 

Zoe Kennedy, Clarke (Iowa) – SO – Guard

• Averaged 19.0 points in a pair of wins
• Had the program's first triple-double since 2017-18 in a victory over Peru State (Neb.)
• Handed out 16 assists and grabbed 10 rebounds in the win over Peru State
• Aided Clarke to wins over Park (Mo.) and Peru State

NAIA Women's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week

Jes Mertens, Mayville State (N.D.) – SR – Guard

• Had 24 steals as she aided Mayville State to a perfect 3-0 week
• Had 27 defensive rebounds in the three-game span
• Had a career-high 15 defensive boards in a win over Jamestown (N.D.)
• Led Mayville State to wins over Midland (Neb.), Dickinson State (N.D.), and Jamestown

For a full archive of the 2024-25 NAIA Women's Basketball Players of the Week, click HERE