University of Northern Iowa Athletics
Hornseth selected to MVC Men’s Basketball’s Most Improved Team
3/3/2026 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Panther forward averaged 11.3 points during sophomore season.
ST. LOUIS --- UNI men's basketball forward Will Hornseth on Tuesday was named to the Missouri Valley Conference's (MVC) Most Improved Team for the 2025-26 season, as voted on by the league's newspaper beat writers and a panel of media voters.
The award is the first conference honor for the De Pere, Wisconsin native. Hornseth also joined most improved team captain Jaquan Johnson (Bradley), as well as Rolyns Aligbe (Southern Illinois), Justus McNair (Valparaiso) and Drew Scharnowski (Belmont) on this year's squad. The MVC also announced the members of its All-Bench Team on Tuesday as well.
A sophomore standout for the Panthers, Hornseth appeared in and started 30 games during the regular season averaging a career-high 11.3 points after posting five points a game as a true freshman a year ago. He has also pulled down 4.6 rebounds per game while recording 17 blocked shots and 16 steals this year.
An efficient shooter, Hornseth is shooting 61.6% from the field this season, currently on pace for the fifth-best single-season mark in UNI history. His career shooting clip of .636 ranks first in program history for athletes with at least 100 made field goals.
Entering the postseason, Hornseth has scored in double figures in 21 games, including ten or more points in each of his last 12 outings. He notably surpassed the 500 career point mark in Northern Iowa's regular season finale on Sunday at Drake.
Hornseth and the Panthers open postseason play on Thursday night as sixth-seeded UNI takes on 11-seed Evansville in the opening round of the 2026 State Farm MVC Men's Basketball Tournament (commonly known as Arch Madness) at Enterprise Center in St. Louis. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. CT with live coverage available on the MVC TV Network/ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network.
2026 MVC MOST IMPROVED TEAM
- Jaquan Johnson (Bradley) *
- Will Hornseth (UNI)
- Rolyns Aligbe (Southern Illinois)
- Justus McNair (Valparaiso)
- Drew Scharnowski (Belmont)
2026 MVC ALL-BENCH TEAM
- Roman Domon (Murray State)
- Justus McNair (Valparaiso)
- Brigham Rogers (Belmont)
- Jack Smiley (Belmont)
- Montana Wheeler (Bradley)
** Denotes team captain
UNI men's basketball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Men's Basketball), X (@UNImbb) and on Instagram (@uni_basketball). Schedule and roster information, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
