MARQUETTE, Mich. –
Dylan Kuehl was named the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, headlining a group of postseason honors for Northern Michigan men's basketball.
Matt Majkrzak was selected as the GLIAC Coach of the Year, while
Cal Klesmit earned First Team All-GLIAC honors and
Jackson Dudek was named to the Second Team.
Kuehl is the fifth Wildcat to be named GLIAC Player of the Year, joining Max Weisbrod (2023-24) as the most recent before him. He was named to the All-GLIAC and All-Defensive Teams for the fourth straight season. Joining GVSU's Trevor Smith this season, they are only the third and fourth players to land on the All-Defensive Team four times. One of the most decorated players in program history, he averaged 21.3 points per game this season, placing him among the nation's top 15 scorers. He shot 56.7% from the field while adding 6.3 rebounds per contest. In GLIAC play, his 23.8 points per game ranked first, his 58.6% field-goal percentage ranked second, his 1.5 blocks per game ranked third, and his 6.4 rebounds per game ranked 10th.
He capped the regular season with a dominant weekend to clinch the conference title. Kuehl delivered a career-high 41 points on 15-20 shooting, adding nine rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. He earned his third GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week honor for the season.
For his career, Kuehl has totaled 2,089 points, third in program history and just 21 shy of second. With him on the floor, the Wildcats hold a 93-34 record (.732) and have claimed four conference championships. He was recently named to the Trevor Hudgins Award Top-15 Watch List.
Majkrzak is only the third head coach in program history to earn GLIAC Coach of the Year, joining Dean Ellis in 1993. Majkrzak also earned it in 2023-24, becoming the first repeat winner in NMU history. He guided the Wildcats to a 25-5 overall record and a GLIAC regular-season championship, the fourth conference title of his tenure. In seven seasons, he has compiled a 133-71 record and brought four trophies back to Marquette, including regular-season titles in 2023-24 and 2025-26 and tournament championships in 2022-23 and 2024-25.
Under Majkrzak, Northern climbed as high as No. 10 in the NABC National Poll this season, its highest ranking since Jan. 11, 1993, and ranked No. 17 in the final poll heading into the postseason. The Wildcats earned the No. 1 seed in the GLIAC Tournament.
Klesmit shot his way to a First Team selection after playing a key role in the Wildcats' perimeter success, finishing third in GLIAC play with 2.9 three-pointers per game while leading the conference at 45.5% from beyond the arc. He averaged 12.3 points per game and knocked down five or more triples eight times this season. He scored a career-high 30 points against Parkside on Dec. 4.
Dudek lands on the Second Team after averaging 12.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest. He led the team with a 45.0% three-point percentage and owns a 43.4% career mark from deep, ranking sixth among active Division II players with at least 80 attempts. He scored a career-high 29 points against Marian on Dec. 14. Dudek is also the reigning GLIAC Tournament MVP.
Under Majkrzak, Kuehl, Klesmit, and Dudek led a team that ranks first nationally in rebounding margin (11.1), second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.86), fourth in scoring margin (17.8), 11th in three-point percentage (38.9), and 16th in scoring defense (65.3), establishing themselves as one of the most efficient teams in the country.
