KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- In the wake of one of the finest careers in Montana Tech men's basketball history, Hayden Diekhans continues to rake in the awards. 

Monday morning, the NAIA named the Orediggers' star forward to its All-America third team. He becomes the second player in program history to earn multiple All-America honors, joining Brian Watson, who did so in 1998 and 1999. 

Diekhans, a senior from Geraldine, wrapped up his career seventh on Montana Tech's all-time scoring list with 1,523 career points. He led the Orediggers back to the NAIA national tournament for the fifth-consecutive season in the 2025-26 campaign, averaging 13.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game on his way to first-team All-Frontier Conference and All-West Region accolades. 

He led Montana Tech with 1,003 minutes played, 442 points, 233 rebounds, 78 assists, and 42 steals and was the Frontier's defensive player of the week twice. 

Those laurels rounded out an already-impressive collection of collegiate accomplishments. Diekhans was the conference's player of the year and defensive player of the year in 2024-25 en route to second-team All-America accolades. He was the Frontier's defensive player of the year and honorable mention all-conference as a sophomore in 2023-24. 

This season, he and the Orediggers played to a 23-9 record and another national appearance. Eighth-seeded Montana Tech topped Oklahoma City in first-round play before making a second-round exit. 

Diekhans' inclusion on the NAIA All-America team makes it five consecutive years than an Oredigger has claimed the honor.
 

Montana Tech Men's Basketball NAIA All-Americans 

Brian Watson (1998, second team; 1999, first team) 
Sindou Diallo (2022, second team) 
Caleb Bellach (2023, first team) 
Asa Williams (2024, third team) 
Hayden Diekhans (2025, second team; 2026, third team)

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