KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Twenty-nine Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College spring student-athletes were recognized by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics as 2026 NAIA Scholar-Athletes, the national office announced.
The NAIA Scholar-Athlete honor recognizes student-athletes who have excelled in the classroom while competing in their respective sports. Spring honorees came from baseball, softball, men's and women's golf, men's and women's track and field, lacrosse, tennis, flag football, beach volleyball and men's volleyball.
To qualify as an NAIA Scholar-Athlete, student-athletes must maintain a minimum cumulative grade-point average 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.
SMWC's honorees represented six spring programs, led by softball with eight selections. Women's track and field followed with seven honorees, while women's golf added six. Men's volleyball placed four student-athletes on the list, while men's golf and men's track and field each had two honorees.
The Pomeroys' 2026 NAIA Spring Scholar-Athletes are listed below:
Softball
Caeden Bennett, senior
Isabelle Waldron, sophomore
Jaicee Jackson, sophomore
Kyar McVey, sophomore
Lanna Martinez, senior
Maddeline Smith, junior
Madelyn Helmkamp, senior
Raegan Manhart, sophomore
Women's Track and Field
Callee Riggle, sophomore
Chloe Field, senior
Clara Westcott, sophomore
Evelyn Morales, graduate student
Gwendolyn Garman, sophomore
Quinlan Teague, senior
Selena Sosa, junior
Women's Golf
Bailey Barker, senior
Brianna Andres, junior
Brooklee Bussing, graduate student
Macie Shirk, senior
Phoebe Henderson, sophomore
Renae Jaeger, junior
Men's Volleyball
Jacob Wisniewski, senior
Michael Olak, senior
Ryan Banister, sophomore
Yammiel Martinez, senior
Men's Golf
Jordan Booth, sophomore
Nolan Mishler, sophomore
Men's Track and Field
Evan Polley, sophomore
Jaryn Patterson, senior
The 2026 spring list included thousands of student-athletes across the NAIA, led by baseball with 1,333 honorees, women's track and field with 1,219, softball with 1,199 and men's track and field with 1,029. Men's golf had 427 selections, women's golf followed with 379, women's tennis had 289, men's tennis had 271, men's volleyball had 237 and beach volleyball had 148.
Dordt University led all NAIA institutions with 125 spring scholar-athletes, while Marian University, Doane University and Concordia University also ranked among the national leaders.
At the conference level, the Heart of America Athletic Conference led the NAIA with 711 selections, followed by the Great Plains Athletic Conference with 683, the Crossroads League with 625 and the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference with 506.
The recognition continues to highlight Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College's commitment to excellence in competition and in the classroom.
