KANSAS CITY, Mo - The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) proudly announces the 2026 NAIA Scholar-Athletes for winter sports. Each semester, the NAIA Scholar-Athlete list celebrates student-athletes who excel in both academic and athletic arenas. This honor recognizes student-athletes in each winter sport who have excelled academically, including basketball, bowling, competitive cheer, competitive dance, swimming & diving, and wrestling.
To qualify as an NAIA Scholar-Athlete, students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale, appear on the eligibility certificate for their sport, and have attended their institution for at least one full year. This year, the list features an impressive number of student-athletes who have met these rigorous standards.
Grand View (Iowa) leads all NAIA institutions with an impressive 74 honorees, with balanced representation across sports such as wrestling, basketball, bowling, and competitive cheer. St. Ambrose (Iowa) follows closely with 66 scholar-athletes, driven by especially deep rosters in sports like swimming & diving, basketball, and competitive dance. With 60 students recognized, Cumberlands (Ky.) rounds out the top three, with strong representation in its wrestling and swimming programs.
Women's basketball headlines the scholar-athlete list with 926 honorees. Men's basketball follows with 659. Men's wrestling, competitive cheer, and women's swimming and diving round out the top five, each with over 200 athletes represented (265, 214, and 204, respectively).
The Heart of America Athletic Conference leads all conferences with 401 scholar-athletes. The Great Plains Athletic Conference follows with 367. Boasting 200+ scholar-athletes: Wholverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (252), Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (242), Crossroads League and Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (223).
In Marian's 36 honors, Competitive Cheer led the way with eight honors in total. Both men's and women's bowling received seven honors each, while wrestling recorded six. Women's basketball received five honors, and competitive dance received three.
Competitive Cheer:
Abigail Smith
Brooklyn Bowman
Joselyn Miller
Mackenzie Taylor
Mariana Davis
Megan Hayes
Meilyn Kniola
Skylar Massa
Competitive Dance:
Ava Cothern
Ellie Johnson
Lillian Davis
Women's Bowling:
Lexie Jones
Delaney Rossette
Dolores Bauerle
Hailey Johnson
Joy Dolack
Mary Brooks
Nadiah Rittenhouse
Men's Bowling:
Braydon Book
Caden Lester
Elijah Liming
Kyle Toyias
Nathan Danz
Bobby Stephenson
Ryan Carpenter
Women's Basketball:
Eva Fisher
Kenna Kirby
Kennedy Coleman
Madisyn Bailey
Taylor Double
Wrestling:
Isaac Richardson
Jeff Dunasky Jr.
Logan Richardson
Marlin Williams
Peter Sells
Zach Wilson
The Knights continue action this week with men's tennis taking on No. 8 Cumberlands today at 1 PM, and lacrosse opening their season today against Georgetown College. On Friday, softball opens its season hosting No. 23 Saint Xavier in a DH, while baseball opens its series against Saint Francis on the road. Women's Basketball will also host (RV) Indiana Wesleyan in the Crossroads League Tournament semifinals. Lacrosse wraps up the weekend, taking on No. 3 Cumberlands at 1 PM, while baseball hosts Saint Francis to close out the series on Saturday.
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