Kyle Mangas (24) was named the 2020-21 Crossroads League Male Athlete-of-the-Year for the third-consecutive time. InkFreeNews file photo by Mike Deak.

Press Release

AVON, OHIO — For the third time in as many years, the Crossroads League has named Indiana Wesleyan’s Kyle Mangas as its Male Student-Athlete of the Year. Mangas is the first three-time winner of the award since it was started in 2011-2012.

Mangas continued to put up eye-popping numbers during his senior campaign with the Wildcats, setting career-highs with 29.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. Mangas also shot a career-best 60.3 percent from the floor and an 84.9-percent clip from the charity stripe, while hitting 39.0 percent of his looks from three-point range. Mangas closed the season with an IWU single-season program record of 974 points and as the Crossroads League’s second all-time leading scorer with 3,453 career points.

The NAIA’s top performer led the nation in scoring average, finished second with 169 assists, sixth with 62 steals, 14th with 76 made trifectas and 17th with 244 rebounds. Those statistics led to Mangas being heralded as the NAIA Player of the Year for a second-straight time, the Crossroads League Player of the Year for a third-straight season and a First-Team All-American for the fourth time in as many chances.

The top honors extended to the classroom for Mangas as well, where he was named the CoSIDA NAIA Men’s Basketball Academic All-American of the Year, marking his second-straight Academic All-American award.

“We are extremely proud of the way Kyle represented the ‘I am Third’ pursuit of putting God first, others second and self third,” stated IWU head men’s basketball coach Greg Tonagel. “He is a model to all student-athletes on what it looks like to compete for Christ.”

Indiana Wesleyan went 30-3 overall and 15-1 in Crossroads League play throughout the 2020-2021 season on the play of Mangas, winning the CL’s regular season crown for a fourth-straight time.

During his record-setting four-year career at IWU, Mangas set the program’s career scoring record and helped the Wildcats to a 120-20 overall record with four league titles and one NAIA National Championship.

The Crossroads League Male Student-Athlete of the Year award is nominated and voted on by the 10 Athletic Directors from the Crossroads League and announced each summer.

Crossroads League Male Student-Athlete of the Year Recipients

2020-2021 – Kyle Mangas, Indiana Wesleyan (basketball)

2019-2020 – Kyle Mangas, Indiana Wesleyan (basketball)

2018-2019 – Kyle Mangas, Indiana Wesleyan (basketball)

2017-2018 – Erik Escobedo, Bethel (track and field)

2016-2017 – Lane Mahurin, Indiana Wesleyan (basketball)

2015-2016 – Austin Fox, Saint Francis (basketball)

2014-2015 – Matt Schauss, Bethel (basketball)

2013-2014 – Riley Swanson, Mount Vernon Nazarene (baseball)

2012-2013 – Brady Klotz, Bethel (golf)

2011-2012 – Caleb Kennedy, Huntington (basketball)