RedStorm's Grinstead earns Second Team All-American nod

Rio Grande/NAIA Sports Information
     KANSAS CITY, Mo. - University of Rio Grande senior guard/forward Marlee Grinstead has been named to the 2025-26 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Women's Basketball All-American Second Team.
     Grinstead led the RedStorm to a 31-win season, a Top 10 ranking for much of the year and a trip to the NAIA National Championship Tournament.
     The Albany, Ohio native, who surpassed the 1,000-point mark for her career during the 2025-26 season, led Rio Grande in scoring at 18.0 points per game. She also averaged 4.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.3 steals per game.
     Grinstead shot 53.6 percent from floor overall (214-for-399) and 85.1 percent from the free throw line (160-for-188) en route to earning First Team All-River States Conference honors, as well as being named the league's Player of the Year.
     Last week, Grinstead was named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) NAIA All-American First Team.
     "Marlee epitomizes the resilience and mental toughness required over a four-year period to achieve the success she's attained," said former Rio Grande head coach David Smalley, who announced his retirement after the conclusion of the season. "She's a winner in the classroom and on the court. She's humble and one of the most intelligent, fierce and skilled players that I've ever had the privilege to coach."
     The All-America First Team included sophomore guard Micah Hart of Bethel (Tenn.); graduate senior forward Whitney Hay of Campbellsville (Ky.); Dakota State (S.D.) senior forward Tabor Teel; Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) junior guard Avery Broughton; senior guard Macy Sievers and junior guard Gracie Schoonhoven of Dordt (Iowa); Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) sophomores Lily Key and Jamie Satterly; Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) sophomore forward Meadow Tisdale; Marian (Ind.) senior forward Abbey McNally; sophomore guard Paige Wasson of Rocky Mountain (Mont.); and sophomore forward Cali Gregory of Saint Francis (Ind.).
     Joining Grinstead on the Second Team was junior guard Kendall Locke from Bethel (Kan.); sophomore forward Mikee Buchanan from Bethel (Tenn.); Corban (Ore.) sophomore guard Jersey Huerta; Dakota Wesleyan junior forward Emma Yost; sophomore guard Daisy Gale of Georgetown (Ky.); senior guard Taylor Covington of Indiana Tech; junior guard/forward Deniya Thornton from Loyola (La.); graduate senior guard Selma Markisic from LSU Shreveport (La.); junior center Kameron Green of MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.); junior guard Tatum Schmerbach of Oregon Tech; and Peru State (Ned.) junior center Kylie Diaz.
     Sievers was named Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. She delivered a standout season for Dordt, serving as a steady and productive presence in the starting lineup in every game while consistently logging heavy minutes.
     Sievers emerged as one of the team's most reliable scorers, eclipsing the 20-point mark 13 times, including season highs of 27 against Dakota Wesleyan and 26 versus Northwestern (Iowa), and closing the year strong with multiple big performances in postseason play, posting three triple-doubles while in Sioux City.
     Marian's Suntana Anderson earned Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Knights to their first Red Banner since 2017 in her second season as head coach.
     Under her leadership, the Knights piled up wins across conference and national competition, regularly overwhelming opponents with balanced offensive production and disciplined defense, as shown by numerous victories by 20 points or more and multiple games scoring 100-plus points.