Gila Monsters Esmeralda Enriquez named 2026 DI Women's Player of the Year
Charlotte, NC: After leading Eastern Arizona to its first women's basketball National Championship, Esmeralda Enriquez has been named the 2026 NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball Player of the Year.
Enriquez led the Gila Monsters to the No. 1 ranking this season, and the most memorable season in school history. The sophomore guard transferred from North Idaho College for her sophomore year and made the most of it, averaging a team high 15.7 points per game, along with 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. Enriquez shot 44.8% from behind the arc.
"She was just a game-changer for us, plain and simple. The way she showed up every day, competed, and led by example, it lifted everyone. Winning a national title is incredible, but what she did for this program goes way beyond that," said Eastern Arizona head women's basketball coach Angelica de Paulo.
The Gila Monsters fell in their district championship but received an at-large bid into the national tournament. They were selected as the No. 2 overall seed and faced a tough road to win their first national championship. They would defeat Southwestern Illinois, Southern Idaho (who beat the Gila Monsters in November), Trinity Valley, and New Mexico in the championship game. Enriquez averaged 18.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in the national tournament, including a team-high 16 in the national championship game. These efforts earned her The Tournament's Most Valuable Player Award.
Enriquez has not posted about committing to the four-year level, but according to Enriquez's Twitter account, she currently holds offers from Tennessee, Southern Mississippi, Fordham, Tennessee State, Seattle, Appalachian State, among others.
"There's a difference between a basketball player and a hooper… Esmeralda is a hooper, no question. I'm forever grateful for the opportunity to coach a player like her," said de Paulo.
