GLIAC – The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) has announced the recipients of the Winter 2025-26 Commissioner’s Awards.
Included in the standout group is a two-time women's basketball national champion, the 2026 men's and women's basketball conference players of the year and an All-American wrestler, fencer and two divers and two swimmers.
Ferris State's Kadyn Blanchard and Northern Michigan's Dylan Kuehl were the award's top female and male vote getters, respectively.
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:
• Kadyn Blanchard, Ferris State
• Kalina Ceglinski, Northern Michigan
• Lexi Hieber, Saginaw Valley State
• Mya Hiram, Ferris State
• Nicole Kamin, Grand Valley State
• Paige Westra, Grand Valley State
The six male student-athlete recipients are:
• Khalil Ben Ajmia, Wayne State
• Dylan Kuehl, Northern Michigan
• Eyad Marouf, Wayne State
• Leo Nolles, Northern Michigan
• Marcus Tomashek, Michigan Tech
• Easton Worachek, Parkside
Kadyn Blanchard • Ferris State • Basketball • Senior • Freeland, Mich. • 4.0 GPA • Master's of Health Care Administration
Ferris State University senior standout Kadyn Blanchard closed out a remarkable career as the Bulldogs' all-time career women's basketball scoring leader, tallying nearly 2,000 career points. Blanchard led the GLIAC in scoring this past season as a senior, averaging 17 points per game while reaching double-figure scoring in 29 games for a squad that reached the NCAA Tournament. She scored 20 points or more in 12 games and was one of the region's top performers. Tabbed as the 2026 GLIAC Player of the Year, Blanchard was a three-time all-conference honoree and was both a first-team pick along with an all-defensive team performer this year. The four-time GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team choice led the Bulldogs to four NCAA D2 Tournament appearances in her career, including a berth in the D2 National Semifinals in 2024. Blanchard helped FSU win both GLIAC regular season and tournament titles in her career and was with the program for six years, returning twice from season-ending injuries. She was highly active in the program's various community service initiatives in addition to training and coaching youth basketball players. Additionally, she has served on the Bulldogs' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and has been FSU's SAAC President.
Kalina Ceglinski • Northern Michigan • Swimming & Diving • Junior • Elmhurst, Ill. • 3.96 GPA • Sports Science
A junior from Elmhurst, Illinois, Kalina Ceglinski has earned the first Commissioner’s Award honor of her collegiate career. Ceglinski had a standout season on the board, as the diver earned All-America honors in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives at the NCAA Championships, was named GLIAC Diver of the Year and earned a gold medal and at the GLIAC Championships, and was consistently one of the top divers in the nation, as she was ranked the #1 diver in the 1-meter and #5 in the 3-meter, according to prodivingcoach.org. Along with her success on the board, she was recently recognized with a College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honor and will be considered for Academic All-America status.
Lexi Hieber • Saginaw Valley State • Swimming & Diving • Junior • Wixom, Mich. • 3.623 GPA • Nursing
Saginaw Valley State's Lexi Hieber put together one of the top seasons in program history, earning four All-America honors, recording the highest individual finish at the NCAA Championships, helping lead the team to its best national finish, and setting five program records. She secured the second First Team All-America distinction in program history with a seventh-place finish in the 1000-yard freestyle, the highest finish ever by a Cardinal women’s swimmer. The junior also placed 13th in both the 500-yard freestyle and 1650-yard freestyle to add two more individual national honors. She capped off the week as part of the 800-yard freestyle relay team that finished 12th. Those performances helped lead SVSU to a 19th-place finish, the best in program history. Hieber also stood out prior to nationals, winning the 1650-yard freestyle at the GLIAC Championships and reaching the podium six times at the conference meet. She now holds five program records set or improved during the 2025-26 season, including all three distance freestyle events and both freestyle relays.
Mya Hiram • Ferris State • Basketball • Senior • Onsted, Mich. • 4.0 GPA • Master's of Health Care Administration
Ferris State University senior forward Mya Hiram capped off an outstanding collegiate career by helping lead FSU to the program’s fourth NCAA Division II Tournament appearance in the last five years. Hiram notched her 1,000th career point this campaign and reached double-figure scoring in 23 games while totaling 12.4 points, a team-high 6.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. The veteran forward earned All-GLIAC honors for the third time in her career and claimed GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team accolades for the fourth time. Hiram earned multiple conference player of the week awards in her Bulldog career and helped Ferris State to GLIAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships along with a NCAA D2 Final Four appearance during her time in Big Rapids. The team captain and leader was a standout performer for one of the nation’s top 25 squads and helped FSU reach the conference tournament title game this past season in addition to posting a school record-tying 26 victories in the 2025-26 season. Hiram has also received Division II Athletic Directors Association Academic Achievement Award honors four times on the college level and been active in the program’s community service efforts.
Nicole Kamin • Grand Valley State • Basketball • Senior • Escanaba, Mich. • 3.745 GPA • Elementary Education
Grand Valley State redshirt senior Nicole Kamin was named a recipient of a GLIAC Commissioner’s Award for the second consecutive season. The Lakers won their fifth straight GLIAC regular season title, their fourth consecutive GLIAC Tournament title, plus a second straight Midwest Regional title and National Championship. This year, Kamin started all 37 games, averaging 10.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and a team-high 3.5 assists. She added 60 steals and 19 blocks, garnering First-Team All-GLIAC honors. Kamin ranked 16th nationally, and first in the conference, with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.13, and her 130 assists placed her 40th in the country. Throughout the postseason, Kamin earned spots on the GLIAC All-Tournament team, the Midwest Regional All-Tournament team, and was the Elite Eight Most Outstanding Player. Already named a College Sports Communicator Academic All-District selection, Kamin has recorded a 3.74 GPA, while pursuing a degree in Elementary Education.
Paige Westra • Grand Valley State • Indoor Track & Field • Junior • Zeeland, Mich. • 3.746 GPA • Education, Health & Physical Education Teaching
In her first season of competition following injury, Grand Valley State’s Paige Westra has been named a 2025-26 Winter Commissioner’s Award honoree. During the indoor track and field regular season, the redshirt-sophomore threw for a personal-best 15.74m (51-7.75) in shot put, ranking fifth in program history and sixth across all of NCAA Division II, earning her U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region honors. The Zeeland, Mich. native continued to dominate in the postseason, first earning silver at the GLIAC Indoor Championships with a 15.44m (50-8) shot put. Just two weeks later, Westra earned her first USTFCCCA All-America honor in the event, throwing for 15.52m (50-11) to place seventh. She succeeded in the classroom, as well, maintaining a 3.75 cumulative GPA while excelling in the circle. A three-time national championship qualifier, Westra has been awarded two USTFCCCA Second-Team All-America honors. At the 2024 NCAA DII Indoor Championships, she placed 14th in shot put (13.35m / 43-10). She then proceeded to place 13th in discus (44.67m / 146-7) at the outdoor championships. Aside from this past season, she has earned three top five finishes at GLIAC Championships. Westra placed fourth in shot put (12.64m / 41-5.75) at the 2024 indoor meet. She then placed third in discus (42.81m / 140-5) and fourth in shot put (13.96m / 45-9.75) during the outdoor championships.
Khalil Ben Ajmia • Wayne State • Swimming & Diving • Junior • Tunis, Tunisia • 3.70 GPA • Marketing
Wayne State University junior swimmer Khalil Ben Ajmia (Tunis, Tunisia) has received his first GLIAC Commissioner's Award. Ajmia, the 2026 GLIAC Champion in the 500 free and the runner-up in the 1000 free, competed in five different events at the 2026 NCAA Championships earning Second Team All-America accolades in the 200 free relay, the 200 medley relay and the 1000 free. He has earned eight All-America certificates in his first years at WSU, including four First Team recognitions (800 free relay in 2025, 1650 free, 1000 free and 500 free in 2024). The 2024 NCAA Champion in the 1650 free, has also garnered All-GLIAC honors [top three in an event] seven times -- 3 GLIAC titles (500 free in 2024 and 2026, and 1650 free in 2024), two second-place finishes (1000 free in 2026, and 800 free relay in 2024) and two third-place finishes (500 free in 2025, and 200 free in 2024). Ajmia won both the GLIAC Freshman of the Year and GLIAC Swimmer of the Year awards in 2024. A multiple-year CSCAA Individual Scholar All-American, he has also received GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team both years he has been eligible. He maintains a 3.70 cumulative GPA as a Marketing major within the Mike Ilitch School of Business.
Dylan Kuehl • Northern Michigan • Basketball • Graduate Student • Iron Ridge, Wis. • 3.65 GPA • Construction Management
Northern Michigan men’s basketball graduate Dylan Kuehl has been named a GLIAC Commissioner’s Award winner, becoming just the second Wildcat men’s basketball player to earn the honor, joining Tyler Kazmierkoski (2007-08). The award caps off one of the most decorated seasons in program history, as Kuehl was named a D2CCA First Team All-American and Midwest Region Player of the Year while also sweeping GLIAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors. The Iron Ridge, Wisconsin, native led the Wildcats to a 28-7 record, a GLIAC regular-season championship, and a fourth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. He averaged 21.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting 55.2% from the field, and finished his career second in program history with 2,197 points. He was also recognized nationally as a finalist for both the Trevor Hudgins Award and the Bevo Francis Award. Graduating with a degree in Construction Management, he maintained a 3.65 GPA as a graduate student, demonstrating the all-around excellence the Commissioner’s Award represents.
Eyad Marouf • Wayne State • Fencing • Graduate Student • Alexandria, Egypt • 3.50 GPA • Anatomy and Cell Biology
Graduate student fencer Eyad Marouf (Alexandria, Egypt) has earned his second GLIAC Commissioner's Award. His first was in 2024, before redshirting a season ago. A Second Team All-Midwest Region selection (behind two First Team guys from Notre Dame) in 2026, Marouf was a First Team All-CCFC (Central Collegiate Fencing Conference) honoree this year after compiling a 57-29 overall record. A two-time NCAA Championships qualifier (2023 and 2024), he was a First Team All-American in 2024 after recording a 17-6 mark and advancing to the national semifinals. Marouf set the WSU career wins record by a sabreist with 339 victories, which is also the most wins by a WSU male fencer in the 86-year history of the sport at WSU. He was a three-year All-CCFC honoree (First Team in 2022-23 and 2025-26; Second Team in 2021-22), while also garnering All-Midwest Region recognition three times (2021-22; Second Team in 2023-24; Second Team in 2025-26). Off the strip, Marouf was a four-year GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team honoree, and has twice been a CSC Academic All-District recipient. He earned his undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences with a 3.55 cumulative GPA, and maintains a 3.50 GPA while working on a master's degree in Anatomy and Cell Biology.
Leo Nolles • Northern Michigan • Swimming & Diving • Senior • Maldonado, Uruguay • 3.74 GPA • Athletic Coaching
A senior from Maldonado, Uruguay, Leo Nolles earns his second straight Commissioner’s Award honor to finish his collegiate career. The 2024 Paris Olympian was a 7x All-American at this year’s NCAA Championships, earned two golds and five medals at the GLIAC Championships, and was just recently honored with the GLIAC’s Pat Riempa Postgraduate Scholarship, which awards one male and one female from the GLIAC with $5,000 in aid to the graduate school of their choice, voted on by Faculty Athletic Representatives (FARs) of member institutions. Nolles was also selected as CSC Academic All-Disrict recipient, and will be considered for CSC Academic All-America for the third consecutive year.
Marcus Tomashek • Michigan Tech • Basketball • Senior • Green Bay, Wis. • 3.72 GPA • Forestry
Michigan Tech men's basketball senior guard Marcus Tomashek repeats as a GLIAC Commissioner’s Award recipient after winning it a season ago. Hailing from Green Bay, Wisconsin, Tomashek put together the best season of his career, leading the Huskies to a program-record-tying 29 wins and their first-ever Midwest Region Championship and a second-straight conference regular-season title. He surpassed 700 points in a season for the second straight year, with 739 points during the 2025-26 campaign—third-most in program history. Tomashek has been awarded multiple postseason accolades, including NABC All-America, NABC All-District, D2CCA All-Region First Team, Midwest Region Tournament MVP and First Team All-GLIAC, while also being tabbed to the Bevo Francis Award Top 50 Watch List and the Trevor Hudgins Award Top 15 Watch List. He started 35 games this season, averaging 21.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 38.7 percent from the field, 36.3 percent from three-point range, and 78.5 percent from the free-throw line. He scored in double figures in 33 games, recording nine 20-point performances and eight games of 30 or more points, highlighted by a season-high 39 points against Lynn on Dec. 20. Tomashek ranks second all-time in program history with 2,452 career points. Tomashek also excels in the classroom, recently becoming the first two-time Academic All-American for the Huskies since J.T. Luginski earned back-to-back honors during the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons. He is also one of just three players nationally to repeat as a CSC Academic All-American from last season. He is also a three-time CSC Academic All-District recipient for his career, holding a 3.73 cumulative GPA while pursuing a degree in forestry.
Easton Worachek • Parkside • Wrestling • Junior • Luxemburg, Wis. • 3.96 GPA • Business Management
Easton Worachek has been named a GLIAC Commissioner’s Award recipient following an outstanding 2025-26 season on the mat. Worachek compiled a 28-7 overall record, highlighted by a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships to earn All-American honors. He also placed second at the NCAA Super Region V Championships and secured the title at the Jim Koch Wisconsin Open. Demonstrating consistent dominance throughout the season, Worachek recorded 12 bonus point victories and posted an impressive 6-2 mark against ranked opponents. He also did this while maintaining a near 4.0 GPA.
