Six named NAIA Scholar-Athletes for (RV) SSU WBB

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The women's basketball program at Shawnee State has not only been successful on the court -- but off of it, as well.

That was proven in Wednesday morning's release of the NAIA Scholar-Athlete lists -- as a total of six individuals were named as NAIA Scholar-Athlete honorees for the (RV) Shawnee State women's basketball program -- including Lexi Deaver, Cianna Gloster, Emily Maynard, Jariah Steele, Jada Johnson and Sanaya Gregory.

All six individuals are key members of the top-10 of the rotation for the Shawnee State women's basketball program, who holds River States Conference-best marks of 23-4 overall and 14-1 in River States Conference action.

Defensively, Shawnee State currently ranks:

• Ninth in defensive points per game (54.8)
• 15th in steals (12.6)
• 16th in defensive rebounding margin (plus-9.3)

Maynard, who holds a strong 3.91 GPA in accounting, heads up the group -- as Shawnee State's second-leading scorer has passed over 75 credit hours academically already with the Bears.

Johnson, who finished with a undergraduate GPA above 3.8, is Shawnee State's leading scorer and rebounder off of the bench, averaging 7.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per bout. Johnson graduated with her bachelor's degree and is currently pursuing her MBA at Shawnee State.

Steele, a sophomore who is averaging 7.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals while shooting 50.4 percent from the field, has matched her efficient play with efficient work academically, notching a 3.73 GPA while passing over 45 hours of academic credit.

Deaver, who is a sophomore athletically but a junior in academic standing, holds a 3.58 GPA and has passed exactly 80 credit hours -- while Gregory, a master's of business adminstration student after graduating with her bachelor's degree last spring, holds a 3.58 GPA as well. Both guards have been steady producers as Deaver is shooting over 35 percent from three-point range while Gregory is third on the Shawnee State roster in scoring (7.8) and second in both assists (2.6) and steals (1.6).

Last but not least, Cianna Gloster -- who also holds a 3.58 GPA -- joins the list as Gloster, who has averaged a double-double while shooting over 50 percent from the field in both of her campaigns at Shawnee State, has also passed over 110 credit hours and is a psychology major who is closing in on a bachelor's degree of her own. Gloster leads Shawnee State in points (14.8), rebounds (11.3), steals (three) and field goal percentage (54.6) in 2024-25, and has already won five River States Conference Player of the Week honors (four defensive, one offensive) this season.

Along with the above six individuals, three freshmen who aren't eligible for NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors due to not having been at Shawnee State a full calendar year yet -- Laken Williams, Molly Howard, and Jaden Tucker -- all have grade point averages above 3.5. Williams holds an unblemished 4.0 GPA as a criminal justice major while Howard has a 3.92 as an individual who is leaning toward majoring in health sciences. Howard has over 30 hours of academic credit already, so while the Sandy Hook, Ky. native is of freshman standing athletically, Howard is technically a sophomore in academic standing. Tucker, who is currently focusing on general studies, has a 3.58.