BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Navy senior guard Austin Benigni was named 2025-26 Patriot League Men’s Basketball Player of the Year, while senior center Aidan Kehoe received the Defensive Player of the Year honor when postseason accolades, presented by PenFed Credit Union, were announced by the League office.
The Midshipmen’s Benigni earned Patriot League Men’s Basketball Player of the Year honors after finishing second in the League in scoring (18.1 ppg), fourth in assists (4.4) and first in 3-point field-goal percentage (45.7). The senior guard helped Navy go 17-1 in League play and claim the regular-season title. He is the second Midshipman to claim Patriot League Player of the Year honors.
Kehoe captured the Patriot League Men’s Basketball Defensive Player of the Year, after leading the Patriot League and ranking sixth in NCAA Division I in rebounding (11.0). He also leads the country and broke the League’s single-season record in field-goal percentage (73.6). The senior center ranked second in the nation in double-doubles (18) and led a Navy squad that ranked fifth in the nation in scoring defense (63.6).
Navy, led by first-year head coach Jon Perry, earned the Patriot League Men’s Basketball Coaching Staff of the Year. Perry and staff guided the Mids to a 17-1 League record and their first outright regular-season League title since 1997.
Colgate first-year forward Andrew Alekseyenko was named Patriot League Men’s Basketball Rookie of the Year. Alekseyenko is the sixth Raider to earn rookie of the year accolades. He averaged 14.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
Boston University placed a League-high three student-athletes on the three All-Patriot League Teams. American, Colgate, Lehigh, Loyola Maryland and Navy each had two representatives. Army West Point, Bucknell and Lafayette had one honoree. Two of the 16 All-League selections are multi-year honorees, with Benigni receiving recognition for the third straight year. Colgate junior guard Jalen Cox earned First-Team All-Patriot League after making the third team in 2025.
The Patriot League major awards and All-League teams are presented by PenFed Credit Union. They were voted on by Patriot League men’s basketball head coaches, who could not vote for their student-athletes or themselves.
2025-26 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball Player of the Year
Austin Benigni, Navy, Sr., G, The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands Christian Academy
2025-26 Stats: 31 GP, 18.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.4 apg, 1.2 spg, 42.6 FG%, 45.7 3FG%, 88,2 FT%
*Benigni, a three-time All-Patriot League selection and two-time first-team honoree, ranked second in the League in scoring (18.1), fourth in assists (4.4) and second in free-throw percentage (.882) while shooting 45.7% from 3-point range to help Navy capture its first outright regular-season title since 1997.
*In League play, Benigni finished second in scoring (19.4) to help Navy to a 17-1 League mark.
*The senior guard is 11th in Patriot League history in scoring (1,873), 17th in assists (470) and third in career free-throw percentage (86.2), joining 2020 Patriot League Player of the Year Sa’eed Nelson of American as the only League players to eclipse 1,800 points and 400 assists.
2025-26 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball Defensive Player of the Year
Aidan Kehoe, Navy, Sr., C, Montvale, N.J./Pascack Hills
2025-26 Stats: 31 GP, 15.4 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.1 bpg, 1.1 spg, 73.6 FG%
*Kehoe ranked sixth in NCAA DI with 11.0 rebounds per game, the seventh best single-season mark in Patriot League history, while finishing second in the nation with 18 double-doubles.
*The senior center led a Mids’ team that ranked fifth in NCAA DI in scoring defense (63.3) and led the League in field-goal percentage defense (40.0)
*He set a Patriot League single-season record with a 73.6 field-goal percentage, leading the nation in the category, while also ranking fourth in the League in blocks per game (1.13).
2025-26 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball Rookie of the Year
Andrew Alekseyenko, Colgate, Fy., F, Brookline, Mass./The Rivers School
2025-26 Stats: 31 GP, 14.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.5 apg, 49.7 FG%, 38.3 3FG%, 79.5 FT%
*Alekseyenko started all 31 games, finishing second among rookies in scoring (14.6), and first in rebounding (6.7) to help Colgate finish third in the League standings.
*The five-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week averaged 14.4 points in 18 League contests, while posting rookie-bests of 7.8 rebounds per game and 41.7% from 3-point range.
*The Brookline, Mass. native scored in double figures in his last 16 games of the season and ranked third in the League with four double-doubles.
2025-26 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball Coaching Staff of the Year
Navy Midshipmen – Head Coach: Jon Perry; Assistant Coaches – Zack Curran, Brett Barron, Jordan Lyons, Chase Coleman, Scott Wagers
*First-year head coach Jon Perry and staff led the Midshipmen to its first outright regular-season title since 1997, while matching the 2022-23 Colgate Raiders with a 17-1 League record, the best mark since the Patriot League expanded to 10 teams in 2013-14.
*The Mids earned a vote in the AP Top 25 Poll and placed No. 22 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major To 25.
*Navy led the Patriot League and ranked fifth in NCAA DI in scoring defense (63.3), 30th in scoring margin (+11.5), eighth in 3-point percentage defense (29.1) and 21st in field-goal percentage defense (40.0). The Mids’ 25 wins ties Jon Perry for third most among first-year head coaches this season.
2025-26 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball Major Awards and All-League Teams
Player of the Year – Austin Benigni, Navy, Sr., G
Defensive Player of the Year – Aidan Kehoe, Navy, Sr., C
Rookie of the Year – Andrew Alekseyenko, Colgate, Fy., F
Coaching Staff of the Year – Navy (Head Coach: Jon Perry)
First-Team All-Patriot League
Michael McNair, Boston University, Jr., G
Jalen Cox, Colgate, Jr., G
Nasir Whitlock, Lehigh, Jr., G
Austin Benigni, Navy, Sr., G
Aidan Kehoe, Navy, Sr., C
Second-Team All-Patriot League
Ben Defty, Boston University, So., F
Amon Dörries, Bucknell, Fr., F/C
Andrew Alekseyenko, Colgate, Fy., F
Hank Alvey, Lehigh, So., C
Braeden Speed, Loyola Maryland, So., G
Third-Team All-Patriot League *
Greg Jones, American, Jr., F
Madden Collins, American, Fr., G
Ryan Curry, Army West Point, Jr., G
Chance Gladden, Boston University, Fr., G
Caleb Williams, Lafayette, So., G
Emmett Adair, Loyola Maryland, Fr., F
Patriot League All-Defensive Team
Greg Jones, American, Jr., G
Ben Defty, Boston University, So., F
Jalen Cox, Colgate, Jr., G
Donovan Draper, Navy, Sr., F
Aidan Kehoe, Navy, Sr., C
Patriot League All-Rookie Team
Madden Collins, American, Fr., G
Chance Gladden, Boston University, Fr., G
Amon Dörries, Bucknell, Fr., F/C
Andrew Alekseyenko, Colgate, Fy., F
Emmett Adair, Loyola Maryland, Fr., F
*Additional student-athlete selected to the third team due to ties in voting
2025-26 All-Patriot League Teams
Benigni, Kehoe and Cox were joined on the All-Patriot League First Team by Lehigh junior guard Nasir Whitlock (20.8 ppg), who led the League and ranked 20th in NCAA DI in scoring, finishing among the national leaders with eight 30-point performances. Boston University junior guard Michael McNair (17.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg) ranked sixth in the nation, shooting 45.1% from 3-point range.
Colgate’s Alekseyenko was joined on the All-Patriot League Second Team by fellow rookie Amon Dörries of Bucknell, who averaged 16.1 points per game. Boston University sophomore forward Ben Defty (14.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.7 bpg), Lehigh sophomore center Hank Alvey (14.6 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.8 bpg) and Loyola Maryland sophomore guard Braeden Speed (15.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.6 apg) round out the second team.
American junior guard Greg Jones (12.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg), a 2025 All-Tournament and Defensive Team honoree, is joined by freshman teammate Madden Collins (13.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg). Lafayette sophomore guard Caleb Williams (15.6 ppg, 3.2 apg) earned a spot on the third team after claiming All-Rookie honors last season. Boston University freshman guard Chance Gladden (14.0 ppg, 4.8 apg) and Loyola Maryland freshman forward Emmett Adair (14.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg) completed the third team.
Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year Aidan Kehoe highlights a Defensive Team that features three multi-year honorees. Jones, Cox and Navy senior forward Donovan Draper (9.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 2.1 spg) made the Patriot League All-Defensive Team the second time. Jones and Cox earned spots on the 2025 defensive team. Draper, the League’s steals leader, made the team in 2024. Boston University’s Defty also claimed a spot on the squad.
Colgate’s Alekseyenko, the Patriot League Rookie of the Year, is joined on the All-Rookie Team by four All-League honorees. Bucknell’s Dörries joined Alekseyenko on the All-Patriot League Second Team. American’s Collins, Boston University’s Gladden and Loyola Maryland’s Adair were all third-team selections.
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.