Men's Basketball | 3/17/2026 1:25:00 PM
TRAFFORD, Pa. (pacathletics.org) - Highlighted by three players and the Region's Coach of the Year, the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) was well represented on the D3hoops.com Men's All-Region teams.
Gathering First Team All-Region was Franciscan University junior guard Sawyer Butler (Beaver, Pa./Beaver), while Westminster graduate student guard DJ Harrell (Cleveland, Ohio/East Technical) and Grove City College senior guard/forward Mike Christenson (Oakton, Va./Trinity) were Second Team selections.
In addition to Butler's honor, Franciscan head coach Joe Wallace was voted the Region 7 Coach of the Year. He is the first PAC coach to earn this recognition from D3hoops.com in the 25 years the national website has announced All-Region honors.
Butler is the first PAC player to earn First Team All-Region since Geneva College's Lyle Tipton in 2022-23. Butler is also the first Baron to earn PAC Player of the Year after leading the conference in scoring with 21.9 points per game, the highest scoring average by a PAC scoring champion since Tipton in 2022-23 (24.5). Butler also led the conference in steals (67) and free throw percentage at 84.7 (200-236); his 236 free throw attempts ranked fifth in the country. In addition to his nearly 22 points and 2.5 steals, the 6'2" junior also averaged 5.7 rebounds and a team-leading 2.2 assists per game.
Butler's prolific scoring performances featured 13 games with 24 or more points this season. That was highlighted by a 49-point outing in a win at Juniata on Dec. 30th, as well as three other games with 33 or more points.
Also a First Team All-PAC choice, Harrell finished second in the league with a 21.0 points per game average. His .508 field goal percentage ranked fifth in the league while his 3.1 assists per game average was sixth. Harrell's 1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio was third in the conference and his .718 free throw percentage was 10th in the league.
The 6'0" guard scored 20 or more points 12 times this season and reached 30 or more points for times. He scored a season-high 36 points in an 88-82 overtime win against Grove City on Feb. 18 and eight days later, fired in 32 in Westminster's win over Chatham in the semifinal round of the PAC Tournament, as Harrell helped the Titans reach the PAC Tournament Championship game for the first time since winning the title in the spring of 2021.
Christenson averaged 19.4 points to rank third in the PAC this season on his way to earning First Team All-Conference accolades The 6'5" swingman also averaged 6.0 rebounds, a team-leading 2.4 assists and shot .797 from the foul line, which ranked fourth in the PAC.
Christenson finished the year with 12 games of 20 or more points this year. His high was a 31-point showing in that Feb. 18th overtime thriller at Westminster.
Also the PAC Coach of the Year, Wallace's Region Coach of the Year award comes after a year of many firsts for the Baron program. Franciscan went 21-6 overall and 12-4 in the PAC, both high-win totals in Wallace's 10-year tenure with the program. The Barons also reached the PAC Tournament semifinals for the first time with a 66-62 quarterfinal triumph at Allegheny. Franciscan finished the year ranked second in the PAC in scoring defense (70.5) and opponent field goal percentage (42.1) and first in scoring margin (+10.0).