Bevo Francis Award Website

La Crosse, Wis. – University of Wisconsin-La Crosse junior guard Sam Grieger of Randolph (H.S.) has been named to the 2026 Bevo Francis Award Top 25 Watch List, the organization announced Sunday.

The Bevo Francis Award is presented annually by Small College Basketball to the player who had the finest overall season within small college basketball. Considerations are made for season statistics, individual achievements, awards, personal character and team achievements. All men's basketball players at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III and Division II, National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division I and Division II, United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Division I and Division II, and National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Division I and Division II are eligible for the award. 

Finalists will be announced Saturday, April 4 with the winner being selected on Monday, April 6. 

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). 

Grieger was announced as one of 11 finalists for the 2026 Jostens Trophy on March 12 to recognize the most outstanding men's NCAA Division III Player of the Year.

He earned his second career All-WIAC honor this year after being selected to the first team last season. Currently sixth in NCAA Division III in scoring at 25.7 points per game, Grieger led the WIAC in scoring, free throws made (212) and attempted (248) and assist/turnover ratio (2.5). He also led the league in field goals made (275) and attempted (533). Grieger leads NCAA Division III in field goals made while currently being fourth in attempts and fifth in free throws made and attempted.
 
His 797 points this year breaks the single-season school record of 666 by Mane in 2010-11. The 797 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 31 games this year, Grieger had 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 1,503. Grieger set single-season school records for free throws made (212) and attempted (248) and field goals made (275) and attempted (533) 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.

UWL finished 24-7 this season, recording its second-most victories in school history. The Eagles were 25-6 a year ago. UWL advanced to the 2026 NCAA Division III Sweet 16, falling 83-78 at fifth-ranked the University of Mary Washington (Va.) on March 14. The Eagles advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 with a 79-62 win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (Calif.) on March 7 after a 75-61 victory over Hope College (Mich.) in the first round on March 6.
 
The Eagles earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships after capturing the WIAC Tournament title with an 81-78 victory at UW-Whitewater on February 28. It marked UWL's first conference tournament title in school history.