September 15, 2026

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Dakota State University continued its record-setting success in the classroom as all NAIA-sponsored athletic programs were recognized as 2025-26 NAIA Scholar-Teams, announced by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Tuesday as part of its annual National Awards Day.

Dakota State nominated all 13 of its NAIA-sponsored teams for the national academic honor after each program recorded a team grade point average of 3.0 or higher during the 2025-26 academic year.  It marked the second straight year that all DSU's NAIA-sponsors received the Scholar Team award from the national office, increasing the total of 13 sports programs (previous record 12 NAIA sponsored sports programs in 2024-25).

The Trojans' NAIA-sponsored programs include baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, football, men's and women's indoor track & field, men's and women's outdoor track & field, softball, women's soccer, and women's volleyball.

The academic recognition comes after a record-breaking year in the classroom for Dakota State Athletics. A total of 458 Trojan student-athletes competing on varsity, junior varsity, and developmental teams combined for a school-record cumulative GPA of 3.36.

It marked the first time in Dakota State Athletics history that every sponsored sport finished the academic year with at least a 3.0 team GPA.

The Trojans have increased their department-wide GPA in each of the past three academic years. DSU posted a 3.124 GPA in 2023-24 before improving to 3.249 in 2024-25 and a record 3.36 in 2025-26.

The Scholar-Team recognition adds to an impressive list of academic accomplishments for the Trojans during the 2025-26 season. Dakota State produced 105 NAIA Scholar-Athletes, including 61 men and 44 women, and collected 204 Frontier Conference Academic All-Conference honors.

The NAIA Scholar-Team program recognizes outstanding achievement in the classroom by member institutions' athletic teams. The 2025-26 recipients were unveiled during NAIA's National Awards Day on Sept. 15.

Below is the complete list of the 2025-26 NAIA Scholar Teams:
 

Sport	GPA
Baseball	3.27
Men's Basketball	3.33
Women's Basketball	3.63
Men's Cross Country	3.71
Women's Cross Country	3.86
Football	3.18
Men's Indoor Track & Field	3.40
Women's Indoor Track & Field	3.71
Men's Outdoor Track & Field	3.35
Women's Outdoor Track & Field	3.72
Softball	3.54
Volleyball	3.76
Women's Soccer	3.25