AUSTIN, Texas - Illinois Wesleyan University men’s basketball senior Nick Roper was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America teams released Tuesday, April 15. Roper, the only College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin student-athlete recognized, received Second Team Academic All-America status.
 
With his selection, Roper is the program's 27th Academic All-America selection, increasing IWU's national lead on Kansas and Duke, who have 21 all-time honorees each. He is the first Titan to garner the distinction since Matthew Leritz was voted CSC’s Academic All-America of the Year in 2022.
 
Furthermore, IWU's all-time Academic All-America list now sits at 162, which is top-25 across NCAA Division I, II, and III, as well as top-10 in Division III. Roper joins Kannyn Boyd (women’s volleyball) as the second Titan to receive the distinguished honor this academic year. To view the list of Illinois Wesleyan's all-time awardwinners, click here.
 
A unanimous First Team All-CCIW pick, Roper also reeled in D3hoops.com All-Region 8 recognition. He was pivotal in leading the Titans to a Sweet Sixteen appearance, as he started all 30 games and averaged a team-leading 15.3 points per game alongside 5.6 rebounds per contest. He notched 56 assists, 32 steals, and seven blocks. Roper shot 48.1 percent from the field for the season, 34.1 percent from three-point range, and 72.9 percent at the free throw line. He holds a 3.57 grade point average as a finance major.
 
Roper helped guide the Titans to a 24-6 overall record, which included a 12-4 CCIW mark. IWU finished second in the regular season conference race before claiming the CCIW Tournament title and the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.