MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Senior guard JJ Quinerly of the West Virginia women's basketball has been named a finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, announced Monday afternoon by Naismith Awards.
 
The elite group of names includes just four players from across the country. Quinerly joins the likes of UCLA's Lauren Betts, Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo and USC's JuJu Watkins on the list.
 
All four finalists are invited to attend our 2025 Naismith Awards Announcement ceremony in Tampa on Wednesday, April 2, during the women's basketball final four. There all four finalists will be recognized, and a winner will be crowned. 
 
Fans will have a say in the determining the winner through the Naismith Awards Fan Vote presented by Jersey Mike's. Starting on Tuesday, March 25, fans can visit www.naismithfanvote.com or on X, @MarchMadnessWBB and @naismithtrophy, to cast their ballot for one of these four finalists for the 2025 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year presented by MOLECULE. Voting ends at 12 p.m. ET on April 1 and fans are limited to one vote per day. The fan vote will account for 5% of the total vote.
 
A native of Norfolk, Virginia, Quinerly is the first Mountaineer to be named a finalist for the nation's defensive player of the year. She averages 3.0 steals per game and has recorded 89 steals this season. Both marks are the second-best in the Big 12 Conference and rank No. 13 in the nation. Her 89 steals are 25 off the WVU program single season record of 114.
 
This season, Quinerly has produced 17 games with three or more steals and adds a game-high of eight.
 
Her efforts have helped the Mountaineers to the best scoring defense (55.5) in the conference. Quinerly has spearheaded a defensive attack that averages 13.6 steals, and 23.7 turnovers forced per game. The marks are the best in the Big 12 Conference and the second and third best marks in the nation this season.
 
In 124 collegiate appearances, Quinerly already ranks No. 3 in WVU history with 320 steals, while her 2.6 steals per game ranks fourth.
 
2025 Naismith Women's Basketball Defensive Player of the Year Finalists:
 
Lauren Betts - UCLA
Hannah Hidalgo - Notre Dame
JJ Quinerly - West Virginia
JuJu Watkins - USC