CLEVELAND – Announced by the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association on Wednesday, three Lipscomb University basketball student-athletes, Jacob Ognacevic, Will Pruitt and Bella Vinson were honored as DI-AAA ADA Scholar-Athletes.

This is the 23rd season that the DI-AAA ADA has presented a Scholar-Athlete Team. 

Basketball players from all Division I-AAA ADA member institutions are eligible for these prestigious annual awards. Each of the nominees is required to maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.20 (4.00 scale) in undergraduate study and have been a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletics credentials. Nominees must have participated in at least 50% of the team's games listed on the nomination form. To be eligible for nomination to the Scholar-Athlete Team, individuals must have reached junior academic standing at their respective institution (ineligible athletics transfers are not eligible).

Ognacevic, a senior from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, returned to the Bison lineup in 2025 after missing the previous season due to injury and he did not disappoint. He was selected as the Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year and Scholar Athlete of the Year. Along with a First Team All-ASUN selection, he was able to help a Lipscomb program win its first ASUN Championship since 2018 and the second in program history.

• Leads the ASUN with 20 points per game, playing and starting in all 35 games
• Averaging 20.9 points per game in ASUN play 
• Ranks 10th in the nation in points per game 
• Has scored 701 points, ranking 2nd in the nation in the category
• Has 10 double-doubles on the season, with seven coming in ASUN play 
• Averaging 8.0 rebounds per game, ranking third in the ASUN and averaging 8.3 RPG in ASUN play
• Has 279 rebounds on the season, ranking 41st in the country in the category
• Leads the ASUN with 6.07 defensive rebounds per game
• Shot 57.5% on the season, 2nd in the ASUN and 28th in the nation
• Shot 60.8% in ASUN play
• Ranks 2nd in the nation in total field goals with 242
• Shot 40.2% from beyond the arc and 49.1% from three in ASUN play
• Ranks 24th in the nation in effective field goal percentage and 15th in the country in true shooting percentage
• Fifth in the ASUN in Free Throw Percentage (80%)
• 22nd in the nation in total free throws (168) and 29th in free throw attempts (210)
• Added 48 assists, 10 steals and 14 blocks
• Preseason All-ASUN
• Three-time ASUN Player of the Week and five-time Tennessee Sports Writers Association Player of the Week 
• Earned Certificate in Business Leadership

Pruitt, a graduate student from Mount Juliet, Tennessee, earned Second Team All-ASUN and ASUN All-Academic laurels in 2025. Additionally, he was named to the All-Tournament Team. 

• Averaging 13.1 points per game, second on the Lipscomb squad and averaging 14.0 PPG in ASUN play while starting in all 35 games
• One of two ASUN athletes with a triple-double this season
• 10th in the ASUN with 457 total points on the season
• Pulling down 4.8 rebounds per game, eighth in the ASUN and 6.4 RPG in ASUN play
• Ninth in the ASUN with 205 total rebounds
• Eighth in the ASUN with 4.8 defensive rebounds per game
• Shooting 46.1% from the field overall and 48.9% in ASUN play
• Ranks Second in the ASUN with a 81.3% free throw percentage
• Has 93 assists on the season, averaging 2.3 per game
• Added 29 steals and 11 blocks on the season 
• Studying for a Certificate in Business Leadership

Vinson, a senior from Manchester, Tennessee, was a First Team selection this past season and earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team. In the classroom, she was named to the Academic All-District Team by the College Sports Communicators and was named to the ASUN All-Academic Team. 

• Leading the team in scoring with 14.7 per game, she was fifth in the league, and her 15.9 points per game in league play was good for fourth-best
• Shot 51% from the field, 55th-best in Division I and third in the ASUN
• Shot 55% from the field in ASUN games, one of two players to shoot over 50% in league games
• Knocked down 37% from 3-point range
• Shot 86% from the firee throw line
• Added 6.4 rebounds to pace the team
• Averaging 1.6 steals per game, tied for most on the team and fifth-most in the league
• Recently graduated with a degree in exercise science

About Division I-AAA ADA: Now in its 24th year, the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association's mission is to enhance initiatives common to its Division I-AAA membership (Division I institutions that do not sponsor football), in particular, aspects related to their flagship basketball programs. For more information on the Division I-AAA ADA, please visit www.div1aaa-ada.com. The Division I-AAA ADA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 60th year. For more information on NACDA and the 19 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.