General 2/24/2026 7:30:00 PM Clayton Messerle, Assistant Athletic Director

Sixteen Warriors Secure NAIA Scholar-Athlete Status for 2026 Winter Season

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Office announced the entire list of Scholar-Athletes for the 2026 winter sport season, where sixteen Warriors were honored among the nation's most accomplished student-athletes in the classroom via their academic success. Varsity sports eligible for the NAIA winter season include men's and women's basketball, men's and women's bowling, competitive cheer, competitive dance, men's and women's swimming, and men's and women's wrestling.

To view the NAIA's release on their 2026 Winter Scholar-Athletes, click HERE.

"It's always a joy to see our student-athletes recognized for their hard work in the classroom," expressed Corban assistant athletic director and director of athletic communications Clayton Messerle. "Our winter varsity teams have consistently raised the bar within their own sports as well as in their GPAs with each passing season, and we're extremely proud to have them represent Corban University on an annual basis."

To qualify as an NAIA Daktronics 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 respective sport, and have attended their institution for at least one full year. This winter term, the list features an impressive number of student-athletes who have met these rigorous standards from all across the United States with 3,143 total honorees.

Corban University represented 16 of the 138 Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) full-time member student-athletes honored this season for just over 11% of the Pacific Northwest, which ranks fourth among full-time members and trails only the three CCC members (Eastern Oregon University, Southern Oregon University, and Lewis-Clark State College) who sponsor more than three eligible winter sports. Tied with the Navy and Gold is The College of Idaho (16), while Oregon Tech (13), Bushnell University (11), Walla Walla University (6), and The Evergreen State College (5) all trail the Warriors.

All three of the Warrior winter sports eligible for nomination received at least four honorees, with women's basketball claiming the top number of scholar-athletes with eight in total. Both the men's basketball and wrestling squads had four scholar-athletes honored apiece.

All sixteen of the Corban winter sport scholar-athletes can be found below within their respective programs and their current academic standing.

Men's Basketball (4): graduate student Carter Knox, sophomore Elias McKinnis, senior Nikola Milosevic, and graduate student Brady Rasmussen.

Men's Wrestling (4): senior Bo Davis, senior Ethan Graham, sophomore Armando Nicacio, and junior Isaiah Twait.

Women's Basketball (8): senior Jenna Albrecht, senior Lizzy Bennett, junior Kylie Ihrig, senior Mandie Jensen, sophomore Nina Peterson, sophomore Claire Smith, junior Tayla Yost, and graduate student Tori Younker.