NAPERVILLE — Illinois Wesleyan’s Mason Funk and Wheaton’s Soren Richardson have been named finalists for the 2026 Jostens Trophy, placing two College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) student-athletes among the 11 finalists for the national award. 
 
Presented annually by the Rotary Club of Salem, Va., and sponsored by Jostens, Inc., the honor recognizes the most outstanding NCAA Division III men’s basketball student-athletes for their accomplishments in basketball, academics and community service.
 
Funk, a junior from Normal, Ill., has helped lead Illinois Wesleyan to the NCAA Division III Sweet Sixteen for the second consecutive season. A First Team All-CCIW selection, he is averaging 15.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while ranking eighth in Division III with 71 blocked shots. Funk also became the first student-athlete in more than 15 years to lead the CCIW in both blocked shots and steals during the same season.
 
In the classroom, Funk carries a 3.95 grade-point average as a biology/pre-med major and has earned Academic All-CCIW recognition. His service work includes founding the “Tiny Titans” program, which brings student-athletes into local elementary schools to read with children, in addition to volunteer involvement with St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and the Special Olympics.
 
Richardson, a junior from Wheaton, Ill., was also named First Team All-CCIW after turning in another standout season for the Thunder. He led the conference in scoring during league play at 23.0 points per game and is averaging 22.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists overall while shooting 48.4 percent from the field. Richardson has totaled 1,457 career points, which ranks 26th in program history at Wheaton.
 
Away from the court, Richardson maintains a 3.72 grade-point average as a Christian Formation & Ministry major. His selection as a finalist marks the 14th time a Wheaton student-athlete has reached the finalist stage for the Jostens Trophy, the most of any institution since the award was established in 1998.
 
The finalists were selected from an initial national pool by the Rotary Club of Salem and will now advance to review by a national selection committee. The men’s and women’s Jostens Trophy recipients are expected to be announced in early April following the conclusion of the NCAA Division III Basketball Championships.