March 4, 2026

Ferris State basketball player Mia Riley earns GLIAC honors for third time, hockey player Valtteri Piironen saluted by CCHA

Ferris State University basketball player Mia Riley has been named GLIAC Player of the Week for the second week in a row and third time this season, and hockey player Valtteri Piironen was honored by the CCHA.

Riley earned the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference league's Offensive Player of the Week distinction last week, and was named GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week this time around.

The Optometry major from Fowler led the nation's 13th-ranked Bulldogs to a 2-1 mark in the final week of regular season action, leading the team with 40 points, 34 rebounds, seven assists and four steals. She averaged 13.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals as Ferris State closed the year with a 24-5 regular season mark.

The senior standout's week included 18 points, 13 rebounds and three assists on Saturday in a 71-62 road win at Davenport University to close the regular season.

Riley also had 16 points and 10 rebounds in a double-double setback and second-ranked rival Grand Valley State University along with six points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three steals versus Michigan Tech University in last Monday's home win.

Riley also went 14-of-15 (.933) at the free throw line for the week.

The Bulldogs will host Parkside in the GLIAC Tournament Quarterfinals on Wednesday night with tipoff set for 6 p.m.

On the ice, the Central Collegiate Hockey Association announced that Ferris State senior Valtteri Piironen was named the league's Defenseman of the Week.

Piironen, a Sports Communication major from Phyäselkä, Finland helped the Bulldogs to a series win against Lake Superior State University in the regular season finale last week.

In Thursday's 5-2 victory, he set a career-high with four assists, becoming the first Bulldog skater to record four assists in a single game since Nov. 22, 2014, when Matt Robertson did it against the University of Alabama - Huntsville.

Piironen paced CCHA skaters with four points last week and was a plus-4 in the series with two shots on goal and four blocks defensively while averaging 19:41 minutes across the Bulldogs two contests.

On Thursday, he assisted on four of the Bulldogs' five goals in a 5-2 win over the Lakers. He then was even with two shots in a 2-2 tie Friday.

Piironen became the third Bulldog to earn CCHA Defenseman of the Week honors this year following Christopher Lie in November and Jack Mesic in January. He is the sixth Ferris State player to earn weekly league honors.

The Bulldogs will face Minnesota State in Mankato this weekend for the CCHA Mason Cup Quarterfinals in a best-of-three series beginning March 6. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:07 p.m.  with coverage provided on Sunny 97.3 FM and Midco Sports Plus.