January 28, 2026
Ferris State student-athletes Rose, Middleton and Geren earn GLIAC Commissioner’s Awards for excellence in classroom, on the field
Three Ferris State University student-athletes have been honored as fall 2025 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Commissioner's Award recipients for excellence in the classroom as well as on the field.
The Bulldogs' honorees include two members of the NCAA Division II National Championship football team in senior slot receiver Brady Rose and senior specialist Mitch Middleton. Logyn Geren was a member of Ferris State’s NCAA DII Midwest Regional Championship volleyball team.
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.
Ferris State had three of the 12 student-athletes from across all 11 member institutions in all fall sports recognized, including one-third of the men's honorees. Ferris State, Grand Valley State University and Parkside University were the only institutions to have multiple student-athletes represented for the fall season.
The Bulldogs have now had 96 student-athletes recognized since the awards started in 2007, which ranks among the most of any school in the conference.
Geren, an Accountancy major of Fort Meyers, Florida, had her best season as a Bulldog, starting all 35 matches as one of the top middle hitters for a Ferris State team that claimed the Midwest Regional Championship for the second consecutive year and advanced to the NCAA DII Elite Eight.
Geren was a catalyst for the Bulldogs' success in 2025 while helping lead the team to its second consecutive NCAA DII Midwest Regional Championship.
Geren ranked among the team leaders in numerous categories with 224 kills, 131 digs, 88 total blocks and 29 service aces in 35 matches. She appeared in 118 total sets as the Bulldogs compiled a 27-8 record with both a league and regional championship.
An All-GLIAC honoree, Geren earned all-tournament team honors in multiple events, including the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional. She was the NCAA Division II Elite 90 Award recipient in 2024 and has been a four-time GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team honoree at Ferris State.
Middleton, a Mechanical Engineering Technology major from Caledonia, capped off an outstanding collegiate career by helping lead Ferris State to its fourth NCAA Division II National Championship in the last five years.
Middleton ranked as one of the country's top punters, averaging 44.4 yards per punt with 21 tries for 932 yards. He placed seven punts inside the 20-yard line and also served as the team's primary kickoff person while converting all seven of his PAT attempts on the year.
Specialist Mitch Middleton was a top performer in the country at his position throughout 2025 en route to the Bulldogs' fourth national title in five years.
The All-GLIAC First Team honoree previously served as the top placekicker on Ferris State’s 2024 national title team and was a Fred Mitchell Award nominee in his collegiate career.
He claimed Division II Conference Commissioners Association Academic All-America First Team laurels this fall and was a four-time GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team honoree. Middleton's play helped Ferris State win its last 30 games of his collegiate career and he played role in FSU breaking an all-time college football mark with 844 total points this campaign.
Rose, a Construction Management major from Muskegon, started as the football team’s slot receiver and saw action as a running back, quarterback, punt returner, kick returner and holder.
Rose ranked as one of the team's top receivers with 26 catches for 348 yards and two scores, averaging 13.4 yards per reception. He ran 75 times for 432 yards and eight scores, tallying nearly six yards per carry.
Rose earned All-GLIAC recognition this fall and was a Division II Conference Commissioners Association Academic All-American. His play helped the Bulldogs win the final 30 games of his collegiate career and he played a key role as Ferris State set an all-time college football record with 844 points this fall.
Rose won four NCAA DII National Championships and two state high school championships during his playing career.