IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa senior Bennett Stirtz has been named to the USA Today Network Preseason First-Team All-Big Ten team, it was announced Wednesday.

The Liberty, Missouri, native has also been named a preseason fourth team All-American and an All-Big Ten selection by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and a preseason All-Big Ten selection in a media vote by the league office.

Stirtz, who is in his first season as a Hawkeye, was an All-American by three outlets during the 2024-25 season at Drake.  He was also tabbed as the Missouri Valley Conference Larry Bird Player of the Year and Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Year.

He led the MVC in scoring (19.2), steals (2.21) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.86), while ranking second in assists (5.7).  He also led the NCAA in minutes played, averaging 39:22 per game.

Stirtz is joined on the USA Today Network preseason first team by Purdue’s Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn, Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg and UCLA’s Donovan Dent.

Iowa was picked to finish ninth in the USA Today Network’s preseason poll under first-year head coach Ben McCollum. Purdue, Michigan, Illinois, UCLA and Michigan State were the top five teams in the poll.

The Hawkeyes open the 2025-26 season Nov. 4, hosting Robert Morris at 7:30 p.m. (CT) inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.  Season tickets for the 2025-26 campaign are available at hawkeyesports.com/tickets.