KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The NABC announced on Thursday that St. Thomas (TX) coach Anthony Medina has been named the 2026 NABC Division III Coach of the Year, while Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Sam Grieger has been voted as the 2026 NABC Division III Player of the Year.
Medina and Grieger each become the first recipients of these respective NABC honors in their schools’ histories.
Medina has led St. Thomas to a 29-1 record this season and an appearance in the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship quarterfinals – where the Celts will take on Christopher Newport on Thursday. St. Thomas went a perfect 16-0 in SCAC regular season play and won both games in the conference tournament by an average of 24 points. Overall this season, the Celts have outscored opponents by an average of 13.7 points per game while allowing under 40 percent shooting and forcing 16.1 turnovers per game.
Grieger was named the WIAC Player of the Year after leading the conference in scoring at 25.7 points per game. The junior guard reached double-figure scoring in all 31 games this season, scored 25 points or more in 17 contests, and ranked third in the WIAC by averaging 3.5 assists per game. Grieger helped lead UW-La Crosse to 24 wins this season – the second-most in program history – and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament round of 16.
