GLIAC -- The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) has announced its weekly awards following Week 7 of the 2025-26 men's basketball season. Northern Michigan senior forward Dylan Kuehl was named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week while Saginaw Valley State redshirt sophomore guard Triston Nichols received GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Dylan Kuehl, Northern Michigan
Following a dominant two-game stretch that helped propel Northern Michigan to a pair of convincing conference wins at home, Dylan Kuehl has been named the GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week. Kuehl opened the weekend with one of the most efficient scoring performances in program history, pouring in 33 points in a 101-65 rout of Davenport. Kuehl missed just one shot from the floor, finishing 10-11 (90.9%), including a perfect 5-5 from beyond the arc, and added 8-9 at the charity stripe. His performance anchored a historic outing for the Wildcats, who drilled a program-record 21 three-pointers in the win. He followed with another standout performance on Saturday, leading NMU with 25 points in a 72-60 victory over Grand Valley State. He scored 18 points in the first half, setting the tone early in a physical conference battle, and finished 9-16 from the field with four triples, giving him nine threes across the two games. A three-time All-GLIAC First Team selection, Kuehl continues to rank among the conference’s most complete players. He currently sits fifth in the GLIAC in scoring (17.9 ppg) while also ranking 11th in rebounds (5.9 rpg), fourth in field goal percentage (54.2%), fifth in assists (3.2 apg), and 11th in blocks (0.8 bpg).
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Triston Nichols, Saginaw Valley State
Triston Nichols anchored the Saginaw Valley State defense with 18 rebounds, six steals, and four blocks through two games. He began the week with a team-best 12 rebounds and four blocks, while adding two steals to his totals in the Cardinals' 65-62 win over Wayne State on Friday. The rebound total against WSU was a career high and the first double-digit total for the redshirt sophomore's career. Nichols followed that performance up with a team-high six rebounds and four steals in the game against Purdue Northwest on Sunday to finish the week averaging 9.0 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks for the week.
HONORABLE MENTION
Offense: Ethan Alderink (Grand Valley State), Jordan Briggs (Wayne State), Bryce Moore (Ferris State), Kyle Ross (Purdue Northwest), Josh Terrian (Michigan Tech)
Defense: Nate Abel (Michigan Tech), Isaiah Allen (Northern Michigan), Mykel Bingham (Ferris State), Carlos Paul III (Wayne State), Shamus Thompson (Grand Valley State)
