TRAFFORD, Pa. -- The Presidents' Athletic Conference announced Thursday afternoon that Washington & Jefferson College junior men's basketball student-athlete Nathan Plotner (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg South) has been selected as the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Men's Scholar Athlete of the Month in February.  

The SAAC Scholar-Athlete of the Month award recognizes upperclass athletes who have earned a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher, compete in a varsity sport, and participate in extracurricular activities on their campuses. By earning selection, Plotner exemplifies the elite standard of W&J, the PAC, and SAAC. 

From Parkersburg, West Virginia, Plotner holds a 3.73 cumulative GPA as an Accounting major and Communication Arts minor. He has earned recognition on the PAC Spring Academic Honor Roll in both 2024 and 2025 while being named to the Dean's List five times.

Additionally, Plotner is the 2025-26 recipient of W&J's prestigious Reardon Award. First presented in 1987, the Reardon Award is presented annually to one male and one female junior student-athlete who exemplify excellence in both academics and athletics. Nominees must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.20, serve as a significant contributor to their team, and demonstrate leadership and community engagement on campus. He will be formally honored in April during the annual Honors Convocation at Washington & Jefferson.

The junior has been on the PAC radar since his first season in 2023-24, when he earned PAC Newcomer of the Week. In the 2024-25 season, he was the PAC Defensive Player of the Year, All-PAC Second Team, PAC All-Tournament Team.

This season, he further established himself as one of the top two-way players in the PAC. By averaging 14.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, and converting 74.1 percent of his field goal attempts this season, Plotner was recognized as the PAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player, being placed on the PAC All-Tournament Team, and being among the five in the nation on the D3hoops.com Team of the Week roster for the second week of December (Dec. 15, 2025-Jan. 4, 2026).

Over his career he has accumulated a total of 961 points, 568 rebounds, 169 blocks, 130 steals and 110 assists in 81 games (55 starts). Throughout February, Plotner was able to lead the Presidents through conference play and to the 2026 PAC Tournament Championship game. In the semifinal game against Franciscan, he recorded 22 points with three blocks and three steals. In the title game against Westminster, he tallied 14 points, eight rebounds and four blocks, helping secure his team a win, and spot in the NCAA tournament. 

Off the court, the basketball standout is a member of the W&J Accounting Society. He has gained professional experience as a tax and audit intern with Suttle & Stalnaker, PLLC in Parkersburg, West Virginia, where he prepared property tax returns, researching tax credits and participating in audit work for clients. In addition, he also serves his community as a camp counselor at Camp Crawdad in Washington, West Virginia, supervising and organizing activities for children ages 5-12.