March 5, 2026

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 of the winter sports 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.

A total of 659 student-athletes were named the NAIA prestigious academic award, with 46 men’s basketball student-athletes from the Frontier Conference.   Dickinson State (N.D.) and Rocky Mountain (Mont.) each lead the league with seven recipients. 

All 12 league members recorded at least one NAIA Men’s Basketball scholar athlete.

Below is the list of NAIA Men’s Basketball Scholar Athletes from the Frontier Conference:

Bellevue (Neb.) (2)

• Connor Mohr – sophomore
• Liam Thompson – senior

Bismarck State (N.D.) (1)

• William Ware – junior

Caroll (Mont.) (6)

• Aidan R McGarvin – senior
• Isaac Round – sophomore
• Josiah R Cuaresma – junior
• Kaden Cox – sophomore
• Kellen Harrison – sophomore
• Lorence Dela Cruz – senior

Dakota State (S.D.) (5)

• Brayden Pankonen – junior
• Lukas Morgan – sophomore
• Nolan Segner – sophomore
• Taine Mitchell – graduate student
• Tyler Beckwith – sophomore

Dickinson State (N.D.) (7)

• Aidan O’Brien – sophomore
• Britton Cranston – junior
• Drew Cassidy Stewart – junior
• Griffyn Doughty – sophomore
• Jacob Daniel – graduate student
• Jake Shobe – sophomore
• Raimu Oyama – sophomore

Mayville State (N.D.) (2)

• Hanna Abed – senior
• Silas Arvizu – junior

MSU-Northern (5)

• Cinque Maxwell – junior
• Jackson Nordboe – sophomore
• Jeffrey Tjelde – sophomore
• Leon Sayers IV – senior
• Leonel Sewell – senior

Montana Tech (1)

• Connor Michaud – senior

Rocky Mountain (Mont.) (7)

• Ata Gultekin – junior
• Cameron Quinnell – junior
• Carter McCoy – senior
• Drew Bowman – sophomore
• Jacob Bilodeau – senior
• Kade Erickson – junior
• Royce Robinson – junior

Montana Western (3)

• Jacob Ankeny – senior
• Quincy Taylor – senior
• William Carlson – sophomore

Providence (Mont.) (6)

• Brady Bantz – sophomore
• Brendan Redhead – junior
• Brent R Maldonado – junior
• Jacob L Buchignani – senior
• Quinn Swanson – junior
• Ryland Kilts – sophomore

Valley City State (N.D.) (1)

• Sam Kobbervig – junior