PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The University of Maine at Presque Isle men's basketball program has earned the National Association of Basketball Coaches Team Academic Excellence Award for the 2025–26 academic year, marking the fifth consecutive year the Owls have received the honor.

Seven UMPI student-athletes were also selected to the 2025–26 NABC Honors Court—the most of any North Atlantic Conference program and the most of any college or university in the state of Maine.
The Owls named to the NABC Honors Court are:

·         Stephan Direny — Junior, Brooklyn, New York; Business Administration
·         Tyson Enget — Junior, Powers Lake, North Dakota; Exercise Science
·         Yuki Ishibashi — Junior, Asahi, Japan; Business Administration
·         Akhe McMichael — Senior, St. Petersburg, Florida; Exercise Science
·         Aleix Moreno — Senior, Barcelona, Spain; Business Administration
·         Blake Senal — Junior, Fort Fairfield, Maine; Exercise Science
·         James Yamashita — Senior, Tokyo, Japan; Exercise Science

The NABC Team Academic Excellence Award recognizes men's basketball programs that completed the academic year with a team grade point average of 3.0 or higher. The NABC Honors Court recognizes junior, senior, and graduate student-athletes who finished the academic year with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher. Both awards are presented annually to teams and student-athletes across all levels of college basketball.

"Earning this award for five consecutive years shows that academic success has become part of the identity and culture of our program," said UMPI Head Men's Basketball Coach Dan Kane. "Our players understand that representing UMPI means holding themselves to a high standard both on the court and in the classroom. I am extremely proud of these seven student-athletes and our entire team for the commitment, discipline, and accountability they demonstrate every day."

"College basketball student-athletes do incredible things on the court, but their achievements in the classroom are equally worthy of celebration," said NABC Executive Director Craig Robinson. "Education is one of the NABC's core values, and the hundreds of programs and thousands of athletes represented on these awards reinforce the commitment to academic success that exists across all levels of our sport."

UMPI competes in NCAA Division III as a member of the North Atlantic Conference. During the 2025–26 season, the Owls overcame a 2–10 start by winning nine of their final 11 regular-season games to finish third in the NAC standings.

UMPI defeated Thomas College in the NAC quarterfinals before upsetting second-seeded Husson University on the road in the conference semifinals. The victory advanced the Owls to a NAC championship game for the first time in both program and school history.

Following their impressive second-half turnaround and postseason run, the Owls earned an invitation to the NCAA Division III Eastern College Athletic Conference Tournament for the second consecutive season. UMPI finished the year with an overall record of 15–14 and an 11–7 mark in NAC competition.