Bennett Stirtz is running out of room for his awards after earning national recognition

From Division II to mid-major to Division I, Bennett Stirtz continues to impress at every level.

After following Ben McCollum from Northwest Missouri State to Drake to Iowa, Stirtz has always been his go-to guy as he ups his game when the competition increases.

Stirtz was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player and Newcomer of the Year during his lone season at Drake in 2024-2025, but some people were doubting he could make the transition to the Big Ten.

Stirtz has silenced all of those doubts, and not only has he proven he should have been a Division I player all along, but he is racking up the accolades in his final season in college basketball.

The AP named Stirtz and All-American Honorable Mention selection

After earning First-Team (media) and Second-Team (coaches) All-Big Ten selections, Stirtz earned national recognition from the Associated Press (AP).

Stirtz earned an All-American Honorable Mention selection, his first All-American selection this season.

While he arguably should have earned a higher distinction, earning All-American status is not something everyone can claim.

Stirtz is leading the Hawkeyes in points (20.0), assists (4.5), steals (1.5), and minutes (37.5) per game this season, and his 1,237 total minutes are 300 more than the next closest player.

Leading the team in most statistical categories is nothing new for Stirtz, after doing the same thing at Drake last season and Northwest Missouri State the year before that.

Stirtz hates sitting on the bench and will do whatever is necessary for the team to win, as evidenced by how he stuffs the stat sheet.

Iowa has needed him to do a little bit of everything this year, and he is now being nationally recognized for all his accomplishments this season.