ST. PAUL, Minn. - Despite fewer wins than usual in the 2025-26 season, the University of Northwestern Men's Basketball team was still well-represented in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Awards, released Wednesday. In addition to winning the Team Sportsmanship Award for the first time since 2020 (in a tie with Martin Luther), Japheth Nyamari (Anoka, Minn./Anoka) was named First Team All-Conference, while Will Foster (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) received Honorable Mention recognition. AJ Greene (Roseville, Minn./Concordia Academy) was named the team's representative on the All-Sportsmanship Team.

The full UMAC press release can be found here.

Nyamari lands on the First Team for the second time in as many years after a tremendous conclusion to his career in purple. The senior averaged 20.7 points per game in league play (third-best) and averaged a career-high 5.4 rebounds per contest as well. His shooting splits were impressive as well, hitting at a 41.9% clip from three and 81.6% from the line against UMAC opponents. The Anoka native's Mona Lisa was a 40-point outburst vs. UW-Superior on February 4th, where he made a program-record 10 three-pointers. Nyamari scored 30+ points four times in conference play and seven times overall on the season to solidify himself as one of the most prolific scorers in the conference and in Northwestern lore.

Foster made the most of his lone season of collegiate basketball, earning an All-Conference Honrable Mention nod after averaging 12 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. After transferring to UNW following a four-year lacrosse career at Division I Marquette University, the graduate student was instantly named a team captain and shot the lights out in UMAC play, finishing third in three-point percentage (52%) and fourth in field goal percentage (55.5%). The Eden Prairie native also was top-four in assist/turnover ratio at 1.9. Greene earned the team's spot on the All-Sportsmanship squad for his good attitude and leadership as a team captain in his junior season. Northwestern's Team Sportsmanship honor is its first since 2020 and the program's 10th since the award was first distributed in 2012.

2025-26 UMAC Men's Basketball Awards
Player of the Year: Carrington McNeal, North Central
Defensive Player of the Year: Tyler Smith, Crown
Freshman of the Year: Hudsen Jenniges, Bethany Lutheran
Coach of the Year: Jeremy Becker, North Central
Team Sportsmanship: Martin Luther & Northwestern
 
First-team All-Conference

Carrington McNeal	North Central
Carvin Fish	Minnesota Morris
Tyler Smith	Crown
Japeth Nyamari	Northwestern
Kaden Pieper	Minnesota Morris

               
Second-team All-Conference

Max Briggs	Bethany Lutheran
Adam Loberger	Martin Luther
Carmello McNeal	North Central
Anthony Knight	Crown
Jack Brockmann	Bethany Lutheran

 
Honorable Mention All-Conference

Parker Behne	Crown
Remy Wedgeworth-Brown	North Central
Matt Thompson	Minnesota Morris
Will Walter	Bethany Lutheran
Benjamin Pearson	Martin Luther
Will Foster (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie)	Northwestern
Evan Bennett	UW-Superior

 
All-Defensive

Tyler Smith	Crown
Carmello McNeal	North Central
Carrington McNeal	North Central
Jack Brockmann	Bethany Lutheran
Landen Thomer	UW-Superior

 
All-Sportsmanship

Christian Benda	Bethany Lutheran
Levi Royston	Crown
Trey Lauber	Martin Luther
Gustav Gunderson	Minnesota Morris
Josh Hoffman	North Central
AJ Greene (Roseville, Minn./Concordia Academy)	Northwestern
Evan Bennett	UW-Superior