The Rockhurst University men's basketball program has been recognized for its outstanding performance in the classroom, earning the 2025-26 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Team Academic Excellence Award released Wednesday (July 15). In addition, nine Hawks were named to the 2025-26 NABC Honors Court, recognizing their individual academic achievements.

The NABC Team Academic Excellence Award honors men's basketball programs that posted a cumulative team grade point average of 3.0 or higher during the 2025-26 academic year. Rockhurst was one of eight teams in the GLVC who received this award. The NABC Honors Court recognizes junior, senior and graduate student student-athletes who maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.

Rockhurst's team success in the classroom was led by nine student-athletes who earned Honors Court recognition while representing a wide range of academic disciplines across campus.

Senior Davit Abuladze was recognized while majoring in Corporate Accounting and Finance. Graduate student Jack Scott earned Honors Court honors while pursuing his MBA, while fellow graduate student Landon Eiland was also recognized in the University's MBA program. Senior Jaden Flournoy was honored for his academic work as a Kinesiology major, and senior Jaylen Wesley earned recognition while studying Health Science. Junior Massi Malterer was recognized as a Sport Management major, while junior Peyton Newbern earned the honor as a Computer Science major. Junior Spencer Engle, an Electrical Engineering major, and senior Tyler DeGroote, a Mechanical Engineering major, rounded out Rockhurst's list of honorees.

The Hawks commitment to academic excellence helped Rockhurst earn national recognition as one of more than 400 programs across all NCAA divisions to receive the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award. More than 2,300 student-athletes nationwide were selected to the 2025-26 NABC Honors Court.