Kansas City, Mo. - The freshman, Eli Benning of Friends (Kan.), was a wall on the perimeter last week for the Falcons. Over the course of two games, he posted a dozen steals, capitalizing on miscues from opposing teams, which helped his team go 2-0 on the week.

The Wichita, Kan., native was locked in on defense against (RV) Dordt (Iowa) in the three-point win. He tallied all 12 of his steals in that game, as Benning now leads the KCAC in steals per game, averaging 5.3.

Overall, he reached double figures, adding 14 assists to his dozen steals.

Gared Performance Sports Systems NAIA Men's Basketball Defensive Players of the Week are announced every Tuesday throughout the season, with the final player of the week for the first half of the season being released on December 9. Check out more on the 2025-26 player of the week honors and past winners at naia.org.