Eighty-seven Indiana high school seniors – 44 boys and 43 girls – have been chosen as first-team Academic All-State for 2026 by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association, it was announced Wednesday (March 11).
In addition, 233 more boys and 181 more girls were recognized as honorable mention Academic All-State for 2026, IBCA executive director Marty Johnson said. In total, 501 players received some level of recognition in this year’s IBCA Academic All-State program.
The IBCA Academic All-State program is one where academic prowess and athletic prowess both are considered in the selections. Items such as grade-point average, academic class rank and SAT or ACT scores are considered along with athletic performance in areas such as points per game, rebounds per game and assists per game.
“The quality of these student-athletes shows that success in academics and success in athletics are not separate entities,” Johnson said. “Rather, in many cases, a player’s success in the classroom directly contributes to his or her success on the floor.”
IBCA-member head coaches from schools across the state may nominate their senior student-athletes who meet criteria that include a 3.50 GPA or higher on a 4.0 scale, a class rank in the upper 25 percent of one’s class and either an SAT score of 1100 (on the reading and math sections) or an ACT composite score of 24. Once nominations were received, an IBCA committee reviewed the information and determined awards for first team and honorable mention.
Below is a complete list of area players named Academic All-State by the IBCA:
GIRLS IBCA ACADEMIC ALL-STATE FIRST TEAM
Konley Ault, Bluffton
Joslyn Bricker, Warsaw
Sarah DePew, Garrett
Madison Grossman, Westview
Leah Shappell, Leo
Grace Swank, Central Noble
Anisa Tonkel, Columbia City
GIRLS IBCA ACADEMIC ALL-STATE HONORABLE MENTION
Bre Cory, Westview
Adelaide Elden, Eastside
Peyton Gibson, Prairie Heights
Jaycee Jones, Wabash
Kyra Kiser, Warsaw
Emma McDaniel, Woodlan
Elyse Metz, Concordia
Addison Meyer, Heritage
Addison Moughler, Eastside
Larkin Smith, Norwell
Ava Stafford, Adams Central
Lily Stangland, Blackhawk Christian
Reese Stonebraker, Whitko
Mariah Thullner, Woodlan
Luci Young, Lakewood Park
BOYS IBCA ACADEMIC ALL-STATE FIRST TEAM
Nolan Baker, Eastside
Brody Fisher, Carroll
Kaden Grau, Westview
Drew Johnson, Adams Central
Tytus Lehman, South Adams
Derek McKean, South Adams
Aran Padmalingam, Canterbury
Gradin Swoveland, Jay County
BOYS IBCA ACADEMIC ALL-STATE HONORABLE MENTION
Gabe Armstrong, Garrett
Keyan Arroyo, Lakeland
Mydin Burgher, Warsaw
Grant Campbell, Huntington North
Tommy Caswell, Angola
Levi Cook, Lakeland
Brady Culler, DeKalb
Trey Deckman, Columbia City
Keegan Derry, East Noble
Keegan German, Prairie Heights
Clayton Goodman, Concordia
Jake Hackman, Bellmont
Matthew Holsopple, Fairfield
Ben Kio, Fairfield
Cooper Long, Wabash
Isaac Mast, Fairfield
Brogan McNiece, Homestead
Keegan Merrifield, Lakeland
J.T. Morlan, Bishop Dwenger
Brady Park, Fairfield
K.C. Pieper, Bishop Dwenger
Caden Rice, DeKalb
Kade Sommers, Jay County
Brett Springer, Westview
Trevor Steele, West Noble
Haven Stockamp, Angola
Brady Strater, Prairie Heights
A new award in 2026 is an IBCA Team Academic Award, for which 128 teams qualified. The IBCA firmly believes that academics are an essential component of developing well-rounded basketball players and that outstanding academic achievement deserves recognition.
Inaugural winners of the IBCA Team Academic Award – 29 boys’ teams and 99 girls’ teams – are teams that demonstrate the same commitment to excellence in academics as they do in athletics. To qualify, each team listed had a cumulative team GPA of 3.50 or better when averaging the first-semester GPAs of all players on its 2026 sectional roster.
Below is a complete list of area teams named Academic All-State by the IBCA:
GIRLS IBCA ACADEMIC ALL-STATE TEAMS
Angola
Bluffton
East Noble
Eastside
Concocordia
Huntington North
Leo
Manchester
South Adams
Warsaw
Westview
BOYS IBCA ACADEMIC ALL-STATE TEAMS
DeKalb
Westview
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