Click here to view previous GLIAC Commissioner's Award recipients
GLIAC – The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) has announced the recipients of the Spring 2024 Commissioner’s Awards.
Included in the standout group is a four-time national champion heptathlete, the Women's Tennis Academic All-American of The Year, a First Team All-American golfer, a four-time conference javelin champion, the GLIAC Baseball Pitcher of the Year and the GLIAC Men's Tennis Player of the Year.
The awards are bestowed after the fall, winter and spring athletic seasons to six female and six male student-athletes of junior, senior or graduate student status that excel both in the classroom and in competition. All grade-point averages are based on a 4.0 scale.
The six female student-athlete recipients are:
• Minnie Bittell, Northern Michigan
• Jenna Fleming, Lake Superior State
• Selena Michko, Purdue Northwest
• Cheyenne Nesbitt, Saginaw Valley State
• Klaudia O'Malley, Grand Valley State
• Anais Ruyssen, Wayne State
The six male student-athlete recipients are:
• Drew Coble, Grand Valley State
• Cedric Drenth, Wayne State
• Karter Fitzpatrick, Wayne State
• Daniel Grey, Wayne State
• Jan Koupil, Ferris State
• Brandon Wirth, Ferris State
Minnie Bittell • Northern Michigan • Lacrosse • Redshirt Senior • Minnetonka, Minn. • 3.62 GPA • Public Relations
Minnie Bittell capped off her extraordinary career with an exceptional final season, leading the GLIAC in all major offensive categories and finishing eighth in the nation in total goals (72) and shots (157), 10th in total points (108) and shots per game (8.35), 11th in goals per game (3.79), and 14th in points per game (5.68) en route to earning her second consecutive GLIAC Commissioner’s Award. One of the best to put on an NMU lacrosse jersey, Minnie finished her collegiate career with 72 games played, 219 goals, 97 assists, 316 points, 488 shots, 373 shots on goal, 11 game-winning goals, 104 ground balls, 46 caused turnovers, and 350 draw controls.
Jenna Fleming • Lake Superior State • Outdoor Track & Field • Senior • Hilton Beach, Ontario • 3.908 GPA • Kinesiology
Jenna Fleming completed what has amounted to a historic career for the LSSU track and field program. She is a three-time All-American honoree and won the GLIAC Championship in women’s javelin in each of her four seasons with the team. This season, she was even able to break her own school record with a throw of 47.59m at the Bucknell Bison Outdoor Classic, and throughout her career, she claimed 1st place in the women’s javelin throw at 20 separate meets. As impressive as Fleming’s career has been at LSSU athletically, she has been just as outstanding academically as well with a cumulative GPA of 3.91. She was the 2024 recipient of the Debra McPherson Outstanding Female Athlete Award as the LSSU athletic department’s top senior female student-athlete, and she was also honored with the Outstanding Kinesiology Sport and Fitness Management Award, the Outstanding Kinesiology Senior Award, and the American Kinesiology Association Outstanding Scholar Award representing LSSU. In addition, she has also served as the president of the Kinesiology Club on campus which has won the Student Government Club of the Year Award, and she sat on the Distinguished Teaching Award selection committee for 2023-24.
Selena Michko • Purdue Northwest • Softball • Graduate Student • Dyer, Ind. • Criminal Justice • 3.50 GPA • Master's in Business and Administration
Selena Michko leaves Purdue Northwest Softball as one of the best athletes to come through the program. Michko departs PNW as a three-time First Team All-GLIAC selection, a three-time D2CCA First Team Midwest All-Region selection, and two-time First Team Midwest All-Region by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) along as two-time D2CCA All-American. She had another amazing year at the plate for the Pride, leading the team and GLIAC in home runs (11), led the team and was fourth in GLIAC in RBIs (40), led team and was third in GLIAC in slugging percentage (.623), second on team in hits (58), second in batting average (.358), second in doubles (8), leads team in OPS (1.049), and second in on base percentage (.442). Michko currently holds the PNW softball record and is tied-seventh all-time for the GLIAC in homeruns with 35. Her 124 career RBIs is a PNW all-time record and she became the first Pride softball player to eclipse 100 RBIs in a career, while also sitting second all-time in career hits with 172. Michko graduated last year with her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice while recently graduating with master’s degree in business and administration. This is her first Spring Commissioners Award for her illustrious career.
Cheyenne Nesbitt • Saginaw Valley State • Outdoor Track & Field • Senior • Bay City, Mich. • 4.0 GPA • Elementary Education
Cheyenne Nesbitt made history at the 2024 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships as she claimed her fourth consecutive National Title in the heptathlon after setting a new SVSU record with a final score of 6002. She is the first woman in NCAA history, in any division, to win four consecutive heptathlon championships, and she is just one of six NCAA Division II women's athletes to win four straight national championships in their respective event. The 6002-point total ranks second all-time in NCAA Division II. The GLIAC Women's Field Athlete of the Year is the third woman in D2 to break the 6000-point mark. In addition, Nesbitt set a new Cardinal record in the 100m hurdles (13.09) and the high jump (1.78m) on the first day. She earned three All-America honors in the heptathlon, high jump, and 4x100 relay, setting new school records in all three events. In addition, Nesbitt earned her second-consecutive Women's Field Athlete of the Year Award by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
Klaudia O'Malley • Grand Valley State • Outdoor Track & Field • Senior • McBain, Mich. • 3.8 GPA • Occupational Therapy
Junior Klaudia O’Malley finished out her 2023-2024 with a third place finish in the 1500m at the 2024 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Nationals. O’Malley earned 10th place in the 5000m at the Outdoor Track & Field Nationals, earning herself two All-America Honors. Additionally, she was apart of the fourth place finishing National team who recorded 39.5 points overall. This season, O’Malley earned first place in the 800m and 5000m at the 2024 Outdoor GLIAC Championships, recording a new personal-best time of 2:09.57 in the 800m. The Lakers brought in their 24 th consecutive Outdoor GLIAC Championship title this year, recording a team score of 245.5 points. O’Malley currently ranks third overall in Grand Valley State history in the 1500m and 5000m, after recording a personal-best time of 15:51.30 in the 5000m at the Bryan Clay Invitational this year. Additionally, O’Malley ranks seventh overall in Grand Valley State history in the 800m. O’Malley completed the Outdoor Track & Field season as a 2x All-American and 3x All Region honoree. In the classroom, she obtained a 3.8 cumulative GPA as she majored in occupational therapy. Recently, O’Malley earned the GLIAC Academic Excellence honor.
Anais Ruyssen • Wayne State • Tennis • Redshirt Junior • Nantes, France • 3.782 GPA • Management
In addition to being a 2024 CSC (formerly CoSIDA) First Team Academic All-American, Anais Ruyssen became just the third Wayne State student-athlete in the 72-year history of the CSC Academic All-America program to be voted Academic All-American of the Year. The 2023 CSC Third Team Academic All-American is also a two-time GLIAC Player of the Year (2022 & 2024) and back-to-back recipient of a GLIAC Commissioner's Award. This season, she led No. 16 Wayne State (21-6 overall, 7-0 GLIAC) to the NCAA Championship quarterfinals (second straight season), NCAA Midwest Regional crown, GLIAC Tournament title and GLIAC Regular-Season Championship. A three-time First Team All-GLIAC honoree, Ruyssen put together a 20-9 No. 1 singles record and 26-13 No. 1 doubles ledger for the Warriors when paired with Marta Komar this season. Ruyssen finished her 2023-24 campaign ranked No. 3 in the region for singles and No. 30 nationally according to the ITA. Doubles wise, her and Komar were slotted first in the Midwest and 18th in the country.
Drew Coble • Grand Valley State • Golf • Senior • Lake Orion, Mich. • 3.76 GPA • Communications
In his fifth year in Allendale, GVSU senior golfer Drew Coble put together the best season of his career. Coble earned the first All-American honor of his career, earning First-Team honors from PING and the GCAA. This year, Coble was named the GLIAC Golfer of the Year, as well as PING All-Region. In his 13 tournaments, Coble notched three wins, and five additional top-10 finishes. The Lake Orion native was one of five finalists for the Jack Nicklaus Division II Player of the Year award. Coble is the eighth player in program history to be named All-American, earning the program's 10th total All-American honor. A graduate student in Communications, Coble posted a 3.76 GPA.
Cedric Drenth • Wayne State • Tennis • Junior • Sulzbach, Germany • 3.978 GPA • Finance
Cedric Drenth, named All-GLIAC in each of his three seasons (two First Team distinctions), was slotted sixth in the region in singles and 15th in Division II by the ITA. The 2023 GLIAC Player of the Year dropped just four of his 31 singles results in 2023-24 and already ranks third in WSU history for singles triumphs with 82 at 82-25 (.766 winning percentage). Doubles wise, he's right behind Grey in second at 97-30. Drenth's academic prowess extends to being an ITA All-Academic Scholar-Athlete (x2), the GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team (x2) and the D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award (2022-23). Not to mention, he was named a 2024 CSC (formerly CoSIDA) First Team Academic All-American as well as the 2022-23 WSU Male Student-Athlete of the Year.
Karter Fitzpatrick • Wayne State • Baseball • Redshirt Senior • Monroe, Mich. • 3.731 GPA • Civil Engineering
Karter Fitzpatrick, the WSU baseball program's all-time leader in pitching victories (31-9 career record) and starts (46), just earned this honor and postseason All-Region distinction for the third time in as many seasons. In the school's record book, the two-time GLIAC Pitcher of the Year (2023 and 2024) also ranks second in innings pitched (293), third in strikeouts (270) and fifth in winning percentage (.775). This spring alone Fitzpatrick struck out 102 batters, first in the GLIAC and tied-for-ninth in the country, while going 8-3 in 13 appearances. The WSU ace carried a 3.90 ERA, a mark that was 3.19 prior to his league tournament start, with a batting average against of just .221, his lowest mark since 7.1 frames as a freshman in 2020. In the final home start of his career on May 4 against Purdue Northwest, Fitzpatrick tossed a seven-inning perfect game on only 64 pitches with seven of the 21 outs coming by way of strikeout.
Daniel Grey • Wayne State • Tennis • Senior • Wiesbaden, Germany • 3.934 GPA • Neuroscience
Daniel Grey, a back-to-back recipient of this award and four-time All-GLIAC performer (three-time First Team honoree) achieved a final ITA singles ranking of No. 3 in the Midwest Region and No. 4 in the country. In his final campaign as a Warrior, the 2024 CSC (formerly CoSIDA) First Team Academic All-American and GLIAC Player of the Year, went 22-8 in singles play to move up to second on the program's career wins chart at 86-29 (.748 winning percentage). Doubles wise, at No. 1 in the nation, he and Cedric Drenth teamed up to go 33-10 this season giving Grey a career mark of 104-36, the most doubles victories in program history. Adding on to his academic accomplishments, Grey is also a three-time ITA All-Academic Scholar-Athlete, three-time member of the GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team and two-time D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award beneficiary.
Jan Koupil • Ferris State • Tennis • Senior • Stockholm, Sweden • 4.0 GPA • Data Science & Analytics
Ferris State University's Jan Koupil was honored as a 2024 College Sports Communicators Academic All-America First Team selection. Koupil, who helped lead the Bulldogs to the 2024 GLIAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships, also claimed All-GLIAC First Team honors this spring. He posted a 17-12 overall doubles record during the 2023-24 campaign and went 16-7 in singles action while playing at or near the top of the FSU lineup. Koupil was ranked in the top 12 nationally in doubles play and advanced to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Cup National Small College Championships last fall. The two-time GLIAC Commissioner's Award honoree earned first-team all-conference honors in doubles play and second-team mention in singles action this year. He also claimed GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team honors for the fourth year in a row. His performance this campaign helped the Bulldogs reach the NCAA Tournament for the 27th time in school history, including the ninth year in a row.
Brandon Wirth • Ferris State • Outdoor Track & Field • Senior • Reed City, Mich. • 3.94 GPA • Sports Communication
Ferris State University's Brandon Wirth wrapped up a standout collegiate career, earning the GLIAC Commissioner's Award for the second time this spring. As a graduate student this past year, Wirth placed fourth overall in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the GLIAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships and ranks among the school's all-time top 10 leaders in the event. He also placed 12th in the mile at the GLIAC Indoor Championships and finished among the top 50 runners at last fall's GLIAC Cross Country Championships. Additionally, he earned GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team recognition for the fourth year in a row. Along with being a standout collegiate student-athlete, Wirth has also been highly-active on campus and in the community, currently serving on the graduate level as a student in the FSU Athletics Department. The College Sports Communicators Postgraduate Scholarship winner earned two Michigan Association of Broadcasters Awards this spring for his "Behind The Bulldogs" weekly podcast, which was tabbed the state's best.
