Men's Basketball

UW-La Crosse's Grieger Named Finalist for Jostens Award

**Release and graphic courtesy of UW-La Crosse Sports Information

SALEM, Va.--University of Wisconsin-La Crosse junior guard Sam Grieger has been named one of 11 finalists for the 2026 Jostens Trophy, the organization announced Thursday (March 12).

The Jostens Trophy honors, one for men's basketball and one for women's basketball, are national awards created by the Rotary Club of Salem and sponsored by Jostens, Inc., to recognize the most outstanding men's and women's Division III basketball players of the year. The awards focus on three major criteria: basketball ability, academic prowess, and service to one's surrounding communities. The Jostens Trophy models the Rotary International motto of "Service Above Self" by recognizing those who truly fit the ideal of a well-rounded Division III student-athlete. The 2026 season marks the 28th time the Jostens Trophy honors will be awarded.

Grieger was named the 2025-26 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Player of the Year while being selected to the all-conference first team. He is the seventh player in school history to be named the WIAC Player of the Year, joining Eric Haug (1974-75), John Mielke (1980-81), Joe Werner (2006-07), Tony Mane (2010-11), Jared Staege (2015-16) and Wyatt Cook (2020-21). Mane was named a finalist for the 2011 Jostens Award.
 
Grieger earned his second career All-WIAC honor after being selected to the first team last season. Currently sixth in NCAA Division III in scoring at 25.8 points per game, Grieger leads the WIAC in scoring, free throws made (206) and attempted (241) and assist/turnover ratio (2.5). He also leads the league in field goals made (267) and attempted (515). Grieger leads NCAA Division III in field goals made while currently being fourth in attempts and fifth in free throws made and attempted.
 
His 774 points this year breaks the single-season school record of 666 by Mane in 2010-11. The 774 points ranks fourth in single-season conference history. Grieger scored a school record 46 points at UW-Oshkosh on January 7, breaking Eric Dudek's single-game record of 43 versus UW-Whitewater on February 22, 1995.
 
Scoring in double figures in all 30 games this year, Grieger has at least 25 points in 17 contests. He became the 19th player in UWL history to eclipse 1,000 career points this year and currently ranks sixth with 1,480. Grieger has set single-season school records for free throws made (206) and attempted (241) and field goals attempted (515) while ranking second in field goals made (267) this year.
 
He is third in the WIAC in assists per game (3.5) and free throw shooting (85.5%), tied for seventh in steals (1.2) and eighth in field goal shooting (51.8 %). Grieger is also averaging 5.0 rebounds per game.
 
Grieger has been named the WIAC Athlete of the Week five times this season and earned three tournament Most Valuable Player awards. He averaged 31.5 points, 3.0 assists and 2.5 rebounds in helping lead UWL to the title at the TowneBank Tipoff Tournament at Virginia Wesleyan University. He finished with 36 points, including the game-winning tip-in, in the Eagles' victory over then 17th-ranked Hampden-Sydney College (Va.) on November 7. Grieger had 27 points and four assists in the tournament championship game versus then 14th-ranked Virginia Wesleyan on November 8.

Grieger was named the MVP of the Wheaton College (Ill.) Lee Pfund Classic, averaging 22.5 points, 6.0 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in two games as UWL earned the tournament title. He had 15 points, six rebounds and six steals in a victory over Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Ind.) on November 21 and finished with 30 points, six assists and three rebounds in a win over Wheaton (Ill.) in the championship game on November 22.

Earning his third MVP of the season at the Nicolet National Bank Holiday Tournament at St. Norbert College (Wis.), Grieger averaged 19.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals with UWL winning the crown. He finished with 17 points, five steals, four rebounds and three assists in a victory over North Central University (Minn.) on December 29, followed by 22 points, four rebounds and four assists in a win over St. Norbert (Wis.) on December 30.

Grieger is joined as a finalist with Chris Bryant (Hardin-Simmons University, Texas); Brady Burman (Sarah Lawrence College, N.Y.); Mason Dopirak (MSOE, Wis.); Mason Funk (Illinois Wesleyan University); Scott Gyimesi (Tufts University, Mass.); Chase Morgan (Maryville College, Tenn.); Kevin Nowoswiat (Franklin & Marshall College, Pa.); Ben Pearce (Emory University, Ga.); Jack Plesser (Union College, N.Y.) and Soren Richardson (Wheaton College, Ill.).

The Rotary Club of Salem is responsible for the initial review of the nominees, which it conducts over a two-week period. The Club's Jostens Trophy Committee objectively reviews the nominees and uses a numerical system to pare down the pools to an initial list of 22 finalists -- 11 for the men's award and 11 for the women's trophy. The finalists will now be reviewed by the Jostens Trophy National Selection Committee. The committee is composed of men and women from across the country. The committee features current and former athletic administrators and head coaches, past Jostens Trophy recipients, and select members of the Division III media. The committee will spend the next week-plus reviewing the nominees with the aim of announcing the two winners the week following both national championship events.

# # # # #