March 6, 2026

Ferris State women’s basketball player Kadyn Blanchard the first Bulldog in 25 years named GLIAC Player of the Year

Ferris State University basketball player Kadyn Blanchard was named GLIAC Player of the Year and became the first Bulldog women's basketball player to earn the prestigious honor in 25 years and only the second in school history.

Three Ferris State standouts received All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors for the 2025-26 season, awards selected by head coaches and announced prior to this weekend's GLIAC Tournament Semifinals and Finals to be played in Allendale.

On the men’s team, senior forward Mykel Bingham earned First Team accolades.

The Bulldogs had two representatives on the All-GLIAC First Team including Blanchard and senior guard Mia Riley (Fowler), and senior post player Mya Hiram (Onsted) claimed All-GLIAC Second Team recognition for the second year in a row.

Ferris State also had a pair of GLIAC All-Defensive Team picks in Blanchard and Riley.

Ferris State’s two first-team selections trailed only league regular-season champion Grand Valley State for the most in the conference and the two all-defensive team picks also represented the second-most in the league.

Ten players were named to the All-GLIAC First Team with 10 more on the All-GLIAC Second Team and 10 earning GLIAC All-Defensive Team accolades.

Blanchard, who is seeking a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration, set the Bulldogs' all-time scoring record this year and is closing in on 2,000 career points. She paced the league in scoring at 16.8 points per game this season and has netted a personal career-high 488 points with 176 rebounds, 111 assists and 67 steals in 29 games to date.

Both a first-team All-GLIAC selection and GLIAC All-Defensive Team recipient, Blanchard, a Freeland native, has led the Bulldogs to the second-most wins in school history with a 25-5 mark entering the GLIAC Semifinals.

The sixth-year senior ranks among the school's all-time leaders in virtually every statistical category, compiling 1,926 points, 717 rebounds, 334 assists and 194 steals to date to go with 687 made field goals, 229 made three's and 323 made free throws in 128 collegiate games. She has reached double-figure scoring in 26 of her 29 games this season.

Riley, a Fowler native majoring in Optometry, has also ranked among the GLIAC leaders this campaign and earned all-conference honors for the second year in a row.

She averaged 15.9 points per contest in 30 games, totaling a career-high 478 points this season to go with 185 rebounds, 90 assists and 56 steals. In her career, she's tallied 1,205 points, 502 rebounds, 226 assists and 178 steals to date in 109 career outings.

Hiram, an Onsted resident working toward a master’s degree in Health Care Administration, has averaged 12.1 points along with 6.5 rebounds an outing in 30 games this season. The veteran forward has netted 362 points to date with 195 rebounds, 63 assists, 35 steals and 10 blocked shots.

Over her career, she's notched 1,156 points, 631 rebounds, 171 assists, 102 steals and 27 blocks in 127 games to date for the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs, who are 25-5 overall this year, will face Wayne State in the GLIAC Tournament Semifinals on Saturday, March 7 with tipoff set for 4:30 p.m. The league tournament title game is Sunday, March 8, beginning at 3 p.m.

Bingham, a Grand Rapids resident studying Leadership, was named to the All-GLIAC First Team for the first time in his collegiate career and also claimed GLIAC All-Defensive Team recognition for the second time as a Bulldog career.

This season, Bingham tallied a personal career-high and team-leading 365 points for the Bulldogs while notching a career-best 243 rebounds. He also dished out 60 assists with 33 blocked shots and 28 steals in 28 games.

Over his six seasons in the FSU program, Bingham played in 121 games and finished his career with 876 points, 651 rebounds, 157 assists, 106 blocked shots and 28 steals. He ranks 11th in school history in rebounds and seventh in blocked shots on the Bulldogs' all-time chart.