GLIAC – The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) has announced the recipients of the Fall 2024 Commissioner’s Awards.
Included in the standout group are two Division II football national champions, two NCAA Midwest Region volleyball champions, the NCAA's all-time, all-division leader in volleyball triple doubles, a cross country All-American, two GLIAC champion women's soccer players and Roosevelt's first-ever Commissioner's Award honoree.
Northern Michigan's Brooke Pietila and Ferris State's Sefa Saipaia were the award's top vote getters for the fall.
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:
• Leah Bylut, Ferris State
• Chelsie Freeman, Ferris State
• Jordyn Gates, Grand Valley State
• Kayla Giroux, Wayne State
• Hannah Kastamo, Northern Michigan
• Brooke Pietila, Northern Michigan
The six male student-athlete recipients are:
• Koby Fraaza, Grand Valley State
• Gabriel Koenig, Roosevelt
• Sam Lange, Michigan Tech
• Mitchell MIddleton, Ferris State
• John Rayba, Wayne State
• Sefa Saipaia, Ferris State
Leah Bylut • Ferris State • Volleyball • Senior • Palos Heights, Ill. • 3.70 GPA • Actuarial Science
Ferris State University senior libero Leah Bylut concluded her career as one of the school’s all-time bests at the libero position, helping lead FSU to the 2024 NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Championship and a Division II Elite Eight appearance. Bylut started all 35 matches as the squad’s top libero and played in all 120 sets for FSU, which was ranked number one in the country and finished with a memorable 34-1 overall record. The senior standout garnered All-GLIAC accolades for the fourth year in a row and was also named to the 2024 NCAA D2 Midwest Region All-Tournament Team. She claimed College Sports Communicators Academic All-District recognition and concluded her career as one of the school’s all-time leaders in total digs. Bylut earned GLIAC Commissioner’s Award recognition for the second year in a row and guided FSU to both the league’s regular season and tournament championships this past fall.
Chelsie Freeman • Ferris State • Volleyball • Senior • Amarillo, Texas • 3.82 GPA • Psychology
Ferris State University senior middle hitter Chelsie Freeman led the Bulldogs to the 2024 NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Championship and a Division II Elite Eight appearance during a historic campaign. Freeman tallied 250 kills to go with a team-high 108 total blocks in addition to 85 digs and 26 service aces while playing all 120 sets on the season and starting all 35 matches during a memorable 34-1 campaign. She claimed Division II Conference Commissioners Association All-America honors and was an AVCA All-Midwest Region honoree along with an All-GLIAC choice. The standout performer posted an impressive .365 hitting percentage and helped lead the Bulldogs to both the GLIAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships this past fall.
Jordyn Gates • Grand Valley State • Volleyball • Senior • Grand Rapids, Mich. • 3.64 GPA • Communications
GVSU senior setter Jordyn Gates was selected as a recipient of the GLIAC Commissioner’s Award for the fall season. The senior became the first Laker in program history to be a three-time AVCA All-American, earning third-team status this season. The First-Team All-GLIAC selection, Gates led GVSU with 729 assists, adding 308 digs, and 253 kills, becoming the first player in program history to surpass 2,000 assists, 1,000 digs, and 1,000 kills. On top of the that, Gates had 76 blocks, 23 service aces, and hit a .275 clip. Gates posted 11 triple-doubles to lead Division II and ended her career as the NCAA’s career leader in triple-doubles with 39. In addition to her 11 triple- doubles, Gates recorded an additional nine double-doubles. She helped lead GVSU to a 28-4 record and a spot in the Midwest Regional semifinals. A CSC Academic All-American, Gates graduated with her degree in Communications with a 3.64 GPA.
Kayla Giroux • Wayne State • Volleyball • Junior • Flat Rock, Mich. • 3.988 GPA • Global Supply Chain Management
Wayne State University junior middle blocker Kayla Giroux has become the first Warrior volleyball standout to be selected as a GLIAC Commissioner's Award recipient. Earlier this month, Giroux was honored as a College Sports Communicators (CSC) Second Team Academic All-American, the first Academic All-American in program history. During the 2024 season, Giroux paced the GLIAC and ranked ninth nationally in hitting percentage (.404) while churning out 370 kills, good for fourth in the league and 72nd in Division II. Giroux was the only middle blocker among the GLIAC's top five kill leaders, the other four being outside hitters. That .404 hitting percentage is the best in program history crushing her old school record of .3538 that she set last season. Among the country's leaders, she was also 39th in points per set (4.36), 64th in total blocks (112), 66th in kills per set (3.59) and 70th in blocks per set (1.09). Giroux had more total blocks than all but two players in the conference, including 20 solo blocks, 92 block assists and 1.09 blocks per set (fourth). All in all, she set a new career high for kills, kills per set, total attacks (727), hitting percentage, assists (13), service aces (13), digs (60), solo blocks, block assists, total blocks, points (449) and points per set. Academically, the Accounting major has earned a spot on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll (term GPA 3.5+) all five semesters, including her fourth term with a 4.00 this past fall. She maintains a 3.988 cumulative grade-point average after 91 hours. The three-time First Team All-GLIAC selection was the 2022 GLIAC Freshman of the Year as well as the AVCA Midwest Freshman of the Year.
Hannah Kastamo • Northern Michigan • Soccer • Junior • Hartland, Mich. • 3.87 GPA • Nursing
Her first time receiving this prestigious award, Hannah Kastamo caps off a special 2024 season by earning her first GLIAC Commissioner’s Award. An All-GLIAC Honorable Mention her sophomore season as a forward, Kastamo was converted to a defender as a junior and was named the GLIAC Defender of the Year. Kastamo earned a plethora of accolades, including two All-America honors, United Soccer Coaches First Team All-Region, D2CCA First-Team All-Region, All-GLIAC First Team, GLIAC All-Tournament Team, and CSC Academic All-District honors. During the 2024 GLIAC Regular season, Kastamo scored two game-winning goals and ranked fifth in total goals (5) and sixth in points (13) as a defender in the conference.
Brooke Pietila • Northern Michigan • Soccer • Senior • Brighton, Mich. • 4.0 GPA • Sports Science
Brooke Pietila, one of the best players in Northern Michigan program history, has been honored with a GLIAC Commissioner’s Award for the second straight season. Along with the Commissioner’s Award honor, the GLIAC Offensive Player of the Year capped off her record-setting final season as a Wildcat with three All-America honors, a United Soccer Coaches First Team All-Region selection, D2CCA First-Team All-Region selection, All-GLIAC First Team honor, a member of the GLIAC All-Tournament Team, and CSC Academic All-District accolades. As she finished her career at NMU, Pietila became the program leader in career assists (30), multi-assist games (5), and career games played (97) and started (95). During the 2024 GLIAC regular season, Pietila led the conference in goals (8), assists (6), game-winning goals (3), andn points (22).
Koby Fraaza • Grand Valley State • Cross Country • Senior • Richland, Mich. • 3.924 GPA • Biomedical Sciences, Microbiology
Grand Valley State senior Koby Fraaza has been named a recipient of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Commissioner’s Award for the 2024 fall season. This is the second time the cross country and track and field student-athlete has received the award, as he was honored during the 2023 cross country season, as well. The four-time All-American has excelled in cross country this season. His second place finish (8k, 24:07.7) at the GLIAC Championships granted him First Team All-GLIAC honors and helped the men’s squad record a perfect team score for the third time in GLIAC history, and just the second in GVSU history. His success didn’t stop there; he was a key part of leading the Laker men to their 22nd consecutive Midwest Region Championship, finishing third with All-Region honors. He also tabbed a personal-best 10k time at the NCAA DII Championships, recording a 27th place finish at 30:15.0. Fraaza’s excellence continues in the classroom. The Biomedical Sciences and Microbiology student has earned a spot on the Dean’s List every semester he has been enrolled. A nine-time GLIAC Academic Excellence award recipient, the senior possesses a cumulative GPA of 3.924, which includes the 4.00 GPA he earned in Fall 2024.
Gabriel Koenig • Roosevelt • Soccer • Senior • Fuerth, Germany • 3.94 GPA • Marketing
Gabriel Koenig is more than deserving to be the first Roosevelt student-athlete to earn a GLIAC Commissioner Award. The senior from Germany was the linchpin on the Lakers’ back line this season, helping navigate Roosevelt to a share of the GLIAC regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. The first-team All-GLIAC defender played all but four minutes for the Lakers this season as a team captain and was a big reason Roosevelt kept five clean sheets over the final eight matches of the season. Koenig tied his career high with two goals and five points as well in his final season with the program. Off the field, Koenig holds a 3.94 grade point average and was voted a second-team Academic All-American by the College Sports Communicators in December. The two-time Academic All-District performer has been named to the Dean's List all seven semesters at Roosevelt while majoring in marketing, and is a member of the Roosevelt University Investment Club and the National Society of Leadership.
Sam Lange • Michigan Tech • Cross Country • Senior • Washington, Ill. • 3.98 GPA • Mechanical Engineering
Michigan Tech senior cross country student-athlete Sam Lange received his first GLIAC Commissioner’s Award. A native of Washington, Illinois, achieved the award following a successful campaign on the grass, leading the Michigan Tech men’s cross country team in five races this season, including all three postseason races, seeing Lange place sixth at the GLIAC Cross Country Championships (First Team All-GLIAC), 12th at the NCAA Midwest Regional (All-Region) and 83rd at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. His low-stick performance at the regional meet helped the Huskies place third overall for an automatic qualifier for the National Championship. Lange also earned GLIAC Athlete of the Week twice during the cross country season. In the classroom, Lange finished the fall semester with a 4.0 and holds a cumulative GPA of 3.98.
Mitchell Middleton • Ferris State • Football • Junior • Middlevile, Mich. • 3.90 GPA • Mechanical Engineering Technology
Ferris State University junior kicker Mitchell Middleton played a key role in helping the Bulldogs claim their third NCAA Division II Football National Championship in the past four seasons this campaign. Middleton finished the year as one of the squad’s top two scorers with 107 total points, converting 86 PAT’s and seven made field goals as Ferris State posted a 14-1 overall record and also won the GLIAC Championship. The junior standout made 88% of his field goals this year and 91% of his point-after kicks, including a school-record 12-of-12 showing in a record-breaking 84-7 road win at American International. Middleton claimed College Sports Communicators Academic All-America accolades and was an All-GLIAC choice. He also served as the team’s primary kickoff man and punted 14 times for 666 yards, averaging a team-high 47.6 yards per punt during the national championship campaign.
John Rayba • Wayne State • Football • Senior • Rochester Hills, Mich. • 3.824 GPA • Finance
Wayne State University senior tight end John Rayba has received a GLIAC Commissioner's Award for the fall 2024 season joining Trent Brodbeck (2016) as the WSU tight ends so honored by the league office. A First Team All-GLIAC selection this past fall, he led the Warriors in touchdown receptions (5), which was the most by a WSU tight end since at least 1960. It was also the highest total in 2024 for a GLIAC tight end. Rayba recorded touchdown catches at Truman State, at Davenport, twice at Grand Valley State, and a 20-yard touchdown catch vs. Northern Michigan. He has played in all 32 games over the last three seasons, making 19 starts. He has 28 career receptions for the 315 yards and five scores. A College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honoree, the Finance major has been named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll (term GPA 3.5+) all seven semesters and carries a 3.82 cumulative grade-point average after 110 hours. Rayba will be a three-time GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team honoree as well as a three-time recipient of the Division 2 ADA Academic Achievement Award.
Sefa Saipaia • Ferris State • Football • Junior • Fort Collins, Colo. • 4.0 GPA • Data Science & Analytics
Ferris State University junior linebacker Sefa Saipaia helped lead the Bulldogs to their third NCAA Division II National Championship in the past four seasons, earned 2024 College Sports Communicators Academic All-America First Team accolades. The All-GLIAC First Team standout served as a team captain and led FSU with a team-high 93 total tackles this year, including 34 solo stops and 59 assists to go with eight tackles for loss, three fumble recoveries, two sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and a touchdown. Saipaia claimed D2Football.com Elite 100 All-America honors and he was also named to the Don Hansen’s Football Gazette All-America Team. The standout playmaker and three-time national champion helped the FSU defense rank among the nation’s elite units as Ferris State posted a 14-1 overall record this past fall.
