GLIAC -- The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) has announced its weekly awards following Week 15 of the 2025-26 men's basketball season. Northern Michigan graduate student forward Dylan Kuehl earned GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week recognition while Lake Superior State redshirt freshman guard Karter Richards was named GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Dylan Kuehl, Northern Michigan
Northern Michigan’s Dylan Kuehl has been named the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season following a pair of wins to close the regular season. Kuehl has led the Wildcats to a 25-5 overall record and a GLIAC Regular Season Championship, the fourth conference championship in his career. His weekend was, to put it simply, dominant. He opened the weekend with 36 points in a 100-87 win over Roosevelt. He shot 13-20 from the floor and added seven rebounds and five assists. In the regular season finale and with the GLIAC title on the line, he put together the most impressive stat line of his illustrious career: 41 points (career-high) on 15-20 shooting, nine rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. He also threw down five highlight-level dunks. He is averaging 21.3 points per game, putting him inside the nation’s top-15 scorers. He is also shooting 56.7% from the field while averaging 6.3 rebounds per contest. Within the GLIAC slate, his 23.8 points per game finished first, 58.6 FG% second, 6.4 rebounds per game ranked 10th, and 1.5 blocks per game ranked third. For his career, Kuehl has transformed the Northern program. With him on the court, NMU holds a record of 93-34 (.732), and his 2,089 career points are third on the program’s all-time list, just 21 back of second and 135 from first.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Karter Richards, Lake Superior State
Karter Richards dominated during the regular season's final week, securing the #4 seed in the GLIAC Tournament for Lake Superior State. On Thursday, in an 82-79 win over Wayne State, Richards stole the ball three times, blocked a shot and snagged five rebounds. His steal and score with just over three minutes left in the game put LSSU ahead for good in the game, which locked up the fourth spot in the GLIAC Tournament. He added another three steals with a rebound against Purdue Northwest on Saturday, as the Lakers hammered the Pride 84-67. The two teams meet again Wednesday in the GLIAC Tournament Quarterfinals. It was a tremendous week for the redshirt freshman, who continues to play stellar two-way basketball for LSSU.
HONORABLE MENTION
Offense: Ethan Alderink (Grand Valley State), Mykel Bingham (Ferris State), Jordan Briggs (Wayne State), Ty Fernholz (Michigan Tech), Curtis Jackson (Davenport), Luka Mateski (Parkside), Karter Richards (Lake Superior State), Kyle Ross (Purdue Northwest)
Defense: Mykel Bingham (Ferris State), Carlos Paul III (Wayne State), Gabe Smith (Michigan Tech), Fawaz Surakat (Parkside), Shamus Thompson (Grand Valley State)
