YOUNG HARRIS, Ga. | Three members of the Young Harris College men's basketball team earned All-Conference Carolinas recognition following the 2025-26 regular season as Justin Payne was named Second Team All-Conference, Carl Cleveland earned First Team All-Conference honors (POTY) and Cameron Bleshoy was selected to the Conference Carolinas All-Defensive Team (DPOTY).

Payne headlines the Mountain Lions' all-conference selections after a breakout sophomore campaign. The Athens, Georgia native averaged 17.8 points per game, ranking among the top scorers in Conference Carolinas, while adding 3.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per contest. Payne finished the regular season with 497 total points while shooting .429 from the field and .376 from three-point range with 73 made three-pointers. He also converted 96-of-108 free throw attempts for an impressive .889 free throw percentage. Payne recorded a season-high 38 points in a road victory at King on January 21 and produced multiple 20-point performances throughout the season while emerging as one of the conference's most dangerous perimeter scorers.

Cleveland was selected to the Conference Carolinas First Team after putting together one of the most dominant seasons in NCAA Division II. The senior forward led Conference Carolinas and ranked second nationally with 26.4 points per game while also averaging 8.5 rebounds per contest. Cleveland recorded 14 double-doubles during the season, ranking second in the conference and ninth in the nation, while posting 20 games with at least 20 points, including 10 games with 30 or more and two 40-point performances. Cleveland was also named Conference Carolinas Player of the Year and earned two Conference Carolinas Player of the Week honors in addition to being selected D2SIDA/NABC National Player of the Week on January 6.

Bleshoy anchored the Mountain Lions defensively and earned a spot on the Conference Carolinas All-Defensive Team. The senior from Marietta, Georgia finished the regular season with 275 total rebounds, ranking second in Conference Carolinas and ninth in NCAA Division II, while averaging 9.8 rebounds per game which ranks second in the league and 15th nationally. Bleshoy recorded 15 games with double-digit rebounds, including a season-high 20-rebound performance against Belmont Abbey. He also totaled 28 blocks on the season, ranking third in Conference Carolinas, and averaged 1.00 blocks per game. Bleshoy was recognized for his defensive dominance throughout the season, earning Conference Carolinas Defensive Player of the Week honors five times.

Together, the trio played a major role in leading the Mountain Lions through one of the program's strongest seasons in the NCAA Division II era and helped position Young Harris for postseason play in the Conference Carolinas Championship.