April 17, 2026
Hiram (left) and Blanchard celebrating a Ferris State basket during senior night against
Northern Michigan.
BIG RAPIDS, Mich. —
Kadyn Blanchard and Mya Hiram have been tapped as winter 2026 GLIAC Commissioner’s Award recipients as catalysts
in the success of the women’s basketball program this past season.
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.
Blanchard, who returned in the 2025-26 campaign following a season-ending injury in
the previous year, was ranked as the top female vote getter in the process and was
joined by Hiram as two of the six female student-athlete recipients. The pair have
maintained a 4.0 GPA while wrapping up their Master’s of Healthcare Administration program this spring.
Blanchard closed out a remarkable career as a Bulldog with several accolades earned
in this past season alone.
Named as the 2025-26 GLIAC Player of the Year, Blanchard also earned a spot on the
D2CCA All-Region First Team list after becoming the all-time leading scorer for Ferris
State women’s basketball with nearly 2,000 career points.
She received First Team All-GLIAC – three All-GLIAC honors overall – and All-Defensive
Team in the conference this season and led the Bulldogs to a berth in the 2025-26
NCAA Division II Tournament to mark four total appearances throughout her career.
Despite two season-ending injuries, Blanchard managed to etch herself as a generational
player for Ferris State women’s basketball, and is now the all-time leading scorer.
This included the team’s appearance in the NCAA DII Final Four in 2024, as the Bulldogs
tied that year’s record of 26-7 overall in this past campaign – which is the best
single season mark in program history.
Blanchard twice-returned from a season-ending injury during her time in a Bulldog
uniform, which saw her help Ferris State earn GLIAC Tournament and GLIAC Regular Season
titles in her six years with the team. She was also highly active in the program’s
various community service initiatives in addition to training and coaching youth basketball
players.
She also has served on the Bulldogs’ Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and has been
Ferris State’s SAAC President.
Hiram capped off an outstanding collegiate career with critical contributions that
led to the program’s fourth NCAA DII Tournament appearance in the past five years.
Hiram notched her 1,000th career point this campaign and reached double-figure scoring
in 23 games with impressive statistical marks to back it up.
The veteran forward earned All-GLIAC Second Team honors this season for her third
nod in her career and claimed GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team accolades for the
fourth time. In addition to a GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week honor during the
2025-26 run,
Hiram received multiple conference player of the week awards in her Bulldog career
and was also part of Ferris State’s GLIAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships.
The team captain and leader was a standout performer for one of the nation’s top 25
squads. Hiram has also received NCAA 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.
Hiram remains a catalyst for the success of the women’s basketball program, as one
of her many accolades included joining the 1,000 point club in her last season.
Ferris State had two of the 12 student athletes from across all 11 member institutions
in all winter sports recognized in the winter 2026 GLIAC Commissioner’s Award list,
including one-third of the women’s recipients. Ferris State was also one of only four
institutions to have multiple student-athletes represented for the winter season.
Since the awards were first presented in 2007, the Bulldogs have now had a total of
98 student-athletes be recognized among the league’s best, which ranks among the most
of any school in the conference.