Senior guard Ainsley Kiene of Ankeny has verbally committed to play for the women’s basketball team at Midland University, an NAIA program located in Fremont, Neb.
Kiene picked the Warriors after looking at a variety of schools.
“It was a very tough decision,” Kiene said on Monday. “But I love the coaching staff as well as all the players on the team. The town is a perfect size, it is a good distance from home and I felt like I would be supported academically.”
Kiene, a three-year starter, has helped the Hawkettes to a 7-2 record and a No. 3 ranking in Class 5A. She is averaging 10.7 points and a team-high 7.9 rebounds per game.
Kiene is shooting 42.9 percent from 3-point range (18-of-42). She leads the squad with 30 assists.
Kiene was named to the CIML Conference second team as a junior, when she averaged 11.1 points and 6.4 rebounds. She was the team’s best free-throw shooter, making 88.4 percent of her attempts (61-of-69).
Midland is a private Lutheran university that competes primarily in the Great Plains Athletic Conference.
“It honestly just checked all my boxes, and I am super grateful and excited for this opportunity!” Kiene said.