One of the worst kept secrets in the Cascade Collegiate Conference: Bushnell University Athletics is synonymous with "Academic Excellence."

Bushnell University continues to be a destination small school for "Tri-Athletes", those student-athletes that want to receive a top-notch education, serve the Lord, and compete with all of those aspects receiving equal footing and equal emphasis in the athletic department. The academic piece of the puzzle once again had a number of incredible highlights once again during the 2025-2026 year.

PRESIDENT'S SCHOLASTIC AWARD
Highest among the achievements were the efforts of graduating senior baseball player Jacob Courtney, who was named the winner of Bushnell's President's Scholastic Award. The award is given each year to the graduating senior who attained the highest cumulative GPA with the most credits completed at Bushnell. Courtney earned a perfect 4.0 in Biology to become the ninth athlete to win the award in it's 40-year history, and the fourth since 2023. Courtney was also one of 17 Beacons to graduate with Summa Cum Laude honors, holding a GPA of 3.90 or higher. 

In addition, Bushnell athletes were recognized throughout multiple end-of-year award ceremonies from various schools and departments on campus. Within the School of Bible, Theology, and Ministry, baseball player Blake Stavros was named the winner of the Siefke Potential for Preaching Scholarship while his teammate Ethan Unruh was named the winner of the Zondervan Theology Award. From the School of Arts and Sciences, the Outstanding Speaker Award went to women's soccer player Ana Augusto, the Outstanding Exercise Science Graduate Award went to track & field athlete David Johnson, and the Outstanding Psychology Major award was given to women's soccer player Lorelai Murphy. For the School of Business, Leadership and Technology, cross country runner Logan Gant was named the Frank Paliotta Outstanding Accounting Student while teammate Sayer Pescosolido was named the Graduate of the Year.

CCC SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Men's Soccer senior Caleb Premo was named the 2026 Cascade Collegiate Conference Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, as voted on by the CCC Athletic Directors. Premo concluded a strong athletic and academic career at Bushnell University, completing his studies with a 3.99 GPA. The Bushnell Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year was also named the Bushnell School of Education Graduate of the Year as well as the winner of their Outstanding Teacher Leadership Award. Throughout his career he was a three-time Academic All-CCC selection, a three-time NAIA Scholar Athlete, and a two-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selection.

In February, Caleb was selected to present his original literary research at the 2025 Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Associate Conference in San Francisco. His paper, "Making Monsters Out of Mercy: Grapes of Wrath and the 'Monstering' of Altruism," was accepted into a competitive main-session panel on American literature from 1865 to 1945. He presented alongside a professor emeritus, a senior lecturer, and an assistant professor, an uncommon distinction for an undergraduate scholar. He was one of just four selected to present in a main-session panel.

CASCADE CONFERENCE PRESIDENTS' CUP
Announced last week, Bushnell continued a long eleven-year tradition by being recognized with the Cascade Collegiate Conference Presidents' Cup Academic Excellence designation, as the only school in the CCC to achieve the award in every year it has been given. This year the Beacons tied for second among full member schools in the Cascade Conference with a 3.48 GPA, with 71% of eligible student-athletes earning Academic All-Conference. 

NAIA SCHOLAR-TEAMS
An award which will not officially be announced until September, all 16 of Bushnell's NAIA teams finished out the year with GPA's of at least a 3.0 to earn NAIA Scholar-Team honors. combining for a department GPA of 3.30. Among those are seven teams (women's basketball, men's golf, women's golf, beach volleyball, indoor volleyball, women's cross country, and women's outdoor track & field) to post a GPA of at least 3.5.
 
ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE
In order to earn Academic All-CCC honors, students must be at least a sophomore and in their second year at Bushnell, with a 3.2 GPA or higher. The Beacons broke the century mark for the fourth year in a row with a new record of 131 Academic All-CCC honorees. Over 71% of eligible student-athletes met the mark for the Beacons this year.
 
NAIA SCHOLAR-ATHLETES
The program works similarly to the conference level, with eligibility for sophomores and higher, only with a 3.5 minimum GPA. For the Beacons, another record was set, crossing the century mark for the first time with 117 athletes selected.
 
CSC ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA PROGRAM
The College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America program recognizes athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The All-District Awards, which hold a set of qualification standards including game-play minimums and GPA requirements are bestowed each year with a record 52 Beacons selected for 2025-2026. The elite Academic All-America awards are reserved for the highest of academic and athletic achievement and represent the highest national academic award available to student-athletes. Bushnell was honored to have two selections this season: Men's soccer junior Omar Barajas and baseball graduate student Nate Stevens. 

CHI ALPHA SIGMA
Awarded at the Iggy Awards on April 30, induction into Chi Alpha Sigma, the national scholar athlete honor society, is bestowed upon student-athletes who complete at least three years as a varsity athlete at Bushnell and graduate with a GPA of 3.8 or higher. Those inducted this year were Leah Agost, Shane Becker, Jacob Courtney, Montanah Love, Lorelai Murphy, Kate Palelek, Sayer Pescosolido, Caleb Premo, Walter Reustle, Caleb Richter, Blake Stavros, and Ty Weiskind. 

Top-Ten Stories of 2025-2026
#10 - Men's Basketball Shocks SOU in CCC Quarterfinals
#9 - Diamond Sluggers Come in Clutch
#8 - Putting the "Student" in Student-Athlete
#7 - Record Breaking Season for Track & Field
#6 - Women's Soccer Sets Wins Record
#5 - Beach Volleyball Reaches New Heights
#4 - July 8
#3 - July 10
#2 - July 13
#1 - July 15