Senior guard Jordan Harrison of the West Virginia women’s basketball team was named a finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award, according to a March 25 announcement by Naismith Awards.
The recognition places Harrison among an elite group of four players from across the country. She joins Lauren Betts from UCLA, Hannah Hidalgo from Notre Dame, and Sarah Strong from UCONN as finalists. All four are invited to attend the 2026 Naismith Awards Announcement ceremony in Phoenix on April 1 at 5:30 pm Eastern Time, where one will be named winner.
Harrison is only the second player in West Virginia program history to reach this stage as a finalist for national defensive honors. This marks consecutive seasons with a Mountaineer on the list; JJ Quinerly was a finalist last year.
A native of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Harrison has made significant contributions on defense throughout the season. She averages 3.2 steals per game and has tallied 110 steals so far—both figures lead the Big 12 Conference and rank among the top nationally at No. 12 and No. 9 respectively. Her single-season steal total is second all-time in school history.
Harrison’s defensive play has helped propel West Virginia to having the conference’s second-best scoring defense at an average of just over 58 points allowed per game. The team also leads in steals (11.1 per game) and turnovers forced (21.8 per game), which stand as some of best marks both within their conference and nationally this season.
Looking ahead, all eyes will be on Phoenix as these four athletes are honored during next week’s ceremony.
