KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association announced its Newcomer Academic Awards for the 2025-26 sports seasons.

These awards include the Academic Excellence award recipients, Scholar-Athletes, and Academic Honor Roll members for all MIAA freshman and first-year transfers who competed in an NCAA Division II season during the 2025-26 academic year. 
 
A total of 1,337 MIAA newcomers were named to the Association's 2025-26 Academic Honor Roll. There were also 91 first-year student-athletes named MIAA Scholar-Athletes and 145 who earned the league's prestigious Academic Excellence Award. To be considered for the MIAA's Newcomer Academic Awards, true freshmen and first-year transfer student-athletes must have just completed two semesters, excluding summer terms, at their current MIAA institution in the 2025-26 academic year. 
 
The Association's prestigious Academic Excellence Award was awarded to 145 MIAA freshmen and first-year transfers. An MIAA Academic Excellence Award recipient must have a 4.00 GPA with at least two terms of grades reported at the certifying member institution, excluding summer terms. To see the full list of MIAA newcomers who received the Academic Excellence Award in the 2025-26 sports seasons, click here. (9 Lopers qualified)
 
Ninety-one newcomers in the MIAA achieved Scholar-Athlete status in the 2025-26 academic year. To qualify as a Scholar-Athlete, an individual must have a grade point average of at least 3.50 with two terms of grades reported at the certifying member institution, excluding summer terms. Outside of the classroom, the newcomer must have also received All-MIAA honors to complete the Scholar-Athlete recognition. To view the 91 total freshman and first-year transfers who were crowned MIAA Scholar-Athletes, click here. (6 Lopers qualified)

One-thousand and 337 MIAA newcomers were named to the 2025-26 Academic Honor Roll. To be recognized on the Academic Honor Roll, a student-athlete must have a grade point average of 3.00 with at least two terms completed at the certifying member institution, excluding summer terms. To view the complete list of freshman and first-year transfers who made it on the MIAA Academic Honor Roll, click here. (88 Lopers qualified)