KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Friends University senior forward Rayland Garner has been selected to the 2025-26 NAIA Women's Basketball All-America team as a third team pick, the national office announced today (Mar. 30).

Before having her season cut short due to injury, Garner was a two-way force and led the Falcons in points (18.6 ppg), rebounds (7.7 rpg) and steals (2.4 spg).

Perhaps her best game of the season came in a career-high 34-point effort as Garner led the Falcons back from a nine-point deficit with 3:37 left to win 80-75 at (RV) Columbia College on New Year's Eve.

Earlier this season, Garner scored a game-high 28 points in a win over Oklahoma Wesleyan University (Nov. 19) to reach 1,000 career points.

"Rayland is certainly well-deserving of All-American," said Friends women's basketball head coach Dean Jaderston. "She is one of those players who changed the game for the entire team, making everyone on the floor with her better. Her ability to bounce back from adversity and move on to the next play was one of the biggest elements of our success this year. In her four years at Friends she became a force at both ends of the floor and it was fun to see her excel this year. She guarded every position on the floor, allowing us to pressure all over the court. Maybe the most fun to watch was her ability to score at any time."  

Playing in her final collegiate season, Garner played a major role in helping the Falcons reach the NAIA National Championship Tournament for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign along with winning 24 games to equal the program's most victories since that same season.

"I believe her performance against Columbia this year was one of the most amazing individual performances I've seen.  It has been a privilege to see her growth as a player and as a person in her four years at Friends, and she leaves a great legacy for our Falcon Basketball program."