CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa— The Nebraska Wesleyan University Men's Basketball team was picked to finish first in the American Rivers Conference by a the league's coaches, the league office announced Thursday.
Nebraska Wesleyan is the preseason favorite to be the A-R-C regular-season champion in the coaches poll and is followed by Dubuque, Loras, Coe and Central in the top five.
Christian Winn returns for his fourth season at Nebraska Wesleyan. A 2026 A-R-C First Team selection, he played and started all 26 games last year and led the team in assists (81) and ranked second in scoring (13.2 ppg) and third in rebounding (3.9 rpg). Winn reached double figures in scoring in 20 of the 26 games, including four 20-point performances. In his final game of the season in the A-R-C tournament, Winn scored 24 points, had five rebounds and five assists.
Neal Mosser made an immediate impact last season after transferring from Black Hills State. He played in 24 games as the Prairie Wolves' sixth man last season and registered totals of 212 points, 46 rebounds and 31 steals in 462 minutes. Mosser earned honorable mention All-A-R-C honors last year. He led the team in three pointers made with 49, while helping the Prairie Wolves post an 18-8 mark (13-3 A-R-C) and win the American Rivers Conference regular season title.
Nebraska Wesleyan opens the 2026-27 season with a road contest at Westminster on Saturday, Nov. 7. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. Central in Fulton, MO, and the contest will be streamed by Westminster.
A-R-C Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
1. Nebraska Wesleyan University - 44 (3)
2. University of Dubuque - 41 (2)
3. Loras College - 37 (1)
4. Coe College - 34 (1)
5. Central College - 22
6. Buena Vista University - 21
7. Wartburg College - 16
8. Simpson College - 9
