National Wheelchair Basketball Association

2026 NWBA Timothy Nugent Academic All-American Team Application

To receive recognition for your academic achievement, submit the following application by Friday, February 20, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Central time.

The NWBA and Junior Division Executive Committee annually recognize athletes of the Junior Division for their success with their academics. The 2026 awards marks the 29th time the Junior Division has recognized its best student-athletes for their work off the court.

The Timothy J. Nugent High School Academic All-America Teams recognizes athletes in 10th through 12th grades. The Academic All-America Teams are a great opportunity for accomplished Junior Division athletes to showcase their talents off the court

The NWBA Junior Division academic recognitions are in memory of our dedicated and visionary founder, Dr. Timothy J. Nugent. Dr. Nugent had the courage to start the NWBA to provide more opportunities for people with disabilities. Dr. Nugent cared way more about societal wins than court wins. Dr. Nugent realized education was the number one tool to improve a person's place in society. The Junior Division remembers Dr. Nugent by pushing the next generation of leaders toward the power of education.

The Team Captain of the 2026 Timothy J. Nugent High School Academic All-America Team will be the recipient of the Wayne Kunishige Memorial Scholarship Award, receiving a $1,000 scholarship for direct tuition assistance to their college education.

An additional four individuals will join the team captain on the Academic All-America First Team, while another five applicants will be named Second Team Academic All-Americans. Qualifying applicants may be selected for the Honorable Mention Academic All-American Team.

All award recipients will be announced at the 2026 NWBA Junior Division Annual Ceremony & Dance at the 2026 National Junior Wheelchair Basketball Tournament in West Monroe, Louisiana. 

If you have any questions please contact Emily Hoskins at emilyhoskins6@gmail.com OR Lisa Elliston at jrdprez@gmail.com. 

Must have all A’s, B’s and C’s in your last grading period to be eligible. If you have a D or F in your last grading period you are not eligible this year but keep working hard in school and try again next year. 

To be eligible for the recognition the student-athlete must include:  

1. Copy of current cumulative high school transcript.

2. One letter of recommendation from a teacher, coach, mentor or principal that best captures why this student athlete deserves to have this recognition of Academic All-American.  We ask that this person has direct knowledge of the applicant’s academic performance or extracurricular activities.  We also ask that the person writing the letter of recommendation not be related to the applicant.

3. The NWBA recognizes that no student athlete arrives at her or his goals on their own. It takes people behind the scenes that help students reach their academic, athletic, and life goals. This year, the NWBA is asking student athletes to create a project about someone in their corner who is helping them reach those goals. It can be a coach, teacher, teammate, or any other person in the student's life that has made a meaningful impact. The project can be a video, essay, PowerPoint, or any other medium. The NWBA does place emphasis on creativity and projects that can be shared to the wheelchair basketball community online.

4. All video submissions must be posted to YouTube with full access provided.

5. Registered member and complete 2025-2026 Junior Athlete Registration on file with the NWBA.

This included an electronic signature acknowledging the NWBA’s media agreement:  “I hereby agree to be filmed, videotaped and photographed, and to have my name, image, picture, likeness, voice and biographical information otherwise recorded, in any media by the NWBA. I hereby grant NWBA with no financial or other compensation due to me, full right and license to use, and to authorize third parties to use, in all media, the footage for: (1) news and information purposes, (2) promotion of the specific competition(s) in which I compete, (3) promotion of the Sport, and (4) promotion of the NWBA. I hereby certify that the information provided is being done directly by myself for, or if representing a minor as a legal guardian, and that it is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge. I also understand that the false information is ground for denial of membership.”