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.

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). 
 
Missouri Baptist University had 28 student-athletes named 2026 Winter NAIA Scholar-Athletes.

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