MINNEAPOLIS --- New Jersey City University freshman point guard Damaris Rodriguez has been named to the D3hoops.com National Team of the Week in just the third week of her collegiate career, after a two-game effort helped the Gothic Knights sweep William Paterson University. She is the third freshman in the history of NJCU men's or women's basketball to be named to the National Team of the Week. 
 
Rodriguez is the ninth NJCU woman ever named to the National Team of the Week. With nine total selections on the women's side, NJCU now has the second most individual selections by any women's program in the country.
 
The award is for the fifth week of the NCAA Division III season — the third in which NJCU is competing. It's the third award this week for Rodriguez, who was previously named as the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) Division II/III co-Player of the Week and the New Jersey Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week for the second time in three weeks.
 
Rodriguez is the first Gothic Knight woman to be named to the National Team of the Week since Marajiah Bacon in week 12 of the 2018-19 season. It is the 24th all-time selection between the women's and men's programs in school history.
 
Rodriguez has led the Gothic Knights to a 6-0 record overall and in the NJAC — the best start to a season in the 51-year history of the program and their longest winning streak at any point in a season since the 1980-81/1981-82 campaigns.
 
Rodriguez, one of the most highly-touted recruits in school history, has been perhaps the most impactful player in the league as only a rookie. She averaged 15.0 points, 5.5 assists, 5.0 steals and 3.0 rebounds per game with an incredible 2.8 assist/turnover ratio as NJCU swept a season series from William Paterson University over the weekend for the first time since the 2001-02 season.
 
In a 69-49 win over the Pioneers on February 19 — the most lopsided win ever for NJCU over WPU — Rodriguez posted a near triple-double. NJCU led by as many as 25 points in the win. Rodriguez, vying for the sixth triple-double in school history and the first for a freshman, finished with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point distance, a career-high nine assists, seven steals and only one turnover in 37 minutes. She had 11 points, six assists and six steals by halftime to help stake NJCU to an insurmountable 40-17 lead.
 
In six games, Rodriguez is averaging 16.8 points, 4.8 assists, 3.7 steals, 3.3 rebounds and a 1.5 assist/turnover ratio in 38.1 minutes per game. She is shooting a sizzling 59.3 percent from three-point range on the season on 16-of-27, adding 46.3 percent from the field (38-82) and 81.8 percent from the foul line (9-of-11). She has collected 101 points, scoring in double figures in all six outings, with a high of 23.
 
She is among the NJAC leaders in eight categories. She leads the NJAC in three-point percentage and steals, and ranks second in assists and minutes, fourth in field goal percentage and three-pointers made per game (2.7), fifth in assist/turnover ratio and sixth in points. She would rank third in free-throw percentage if she had reached the minimum attempts.
 
Through February 22, she ranks No. 8 in the country in three-point percentage, 10th in minutes per game (38.06), 16th in steals per game, 28th in three-pointers per game and 32nd in assists per game.
 
THE HISTORY LESSON:
The D3hoops.com National Team of the Week is in its 24th season of recognizing the top performance at each of the five positions from the previous week. 
 
Rodriguez is the ninth different woman in NJCU history to be named to the National Team of the Week in the program's history; the Gothic Knights have won the award 14 total times, with three women winning more than one, highlighted by Latrese McNair, a four-time winner. The Gothic Knight men have had nine different players win the award a total of 10 times.
 
NJCU's 14 selections are the most by any women's program in the history of the NJAC as are the combined 24 selections between both programs. NJCU is one of only nine schools in Division III history with double figures in selections for both its men's and women's programs; Bridgewater (Va.), Christopher Newport, Hardin-Simmons, Howard Payne, Rochester, UW-Stevens Point, Washington U and Wheaton are the others.
 
NJCU's 24 total selections between the men's and women's programs are ninth most in the country behind Washington U. (39), Wheaton, Ill. (35), Thomas More (33), Lebanon Valley (27), Bridgewater, Va. (26), Cortland (25), New York University (25) and UW-Stevens Point (25) and equal with Howard Payne (24). 
 
Furthermore, NJCU's 18 different individuals selected between the men and women are the third most of any school in Division III behind Washington (23) and Wheaton (Ill.) (19) and equal with Emory (18).