Northern Michigan University’s Makaylee Kuhn, left, drives the baseline in the first quarter against Michigan Tech’s Katelyn Meister during their GLIAC women’s basketball game played at MTU in Houghton on Feb. 17. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

MARQUETTE — It must be awards season since Northern Michigan University women’s basketball star Makaylee Kuhn keeps popping up in the news even when her Wildcats team is long done with its season.

The senior, who just wrapped up her playing career as NMU went 22-10 and reached the second round of the NCAA Division II national tournament in mid-March, has been named the recipient of two awards this week.

On Tuesday, the College Sports Communicators named her to its Academic All-America Third Team, then on Thursday, the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference made her one of its 12 Commissioner’s Award honorees for the winter season.

Kuhn had previously been named to the CSC’s Academic All-District Team, which automatically entered her and similar honorees into the similar All-America consideration.

Kuhn holds a perfect 4.0 grade-point average while majoring in environmental studies, one of six Academic All-Americans with that unblemished GPA among the 15 who were named Academic All-America in NCAA Division II women’s basketball.

The five members of the All-American First Team have an average GPA of 3.96, with all 15 honorees together on the First, Second and Third teams having a collective GPA of 3.89.

Kuhn was better known for her prowess on the court after becoming the Wildcats’ all-time leading scorer with 2,005 career points, eclipsing the 2,000 milestone in her final and NMU’s second Division II national tournament game on March 16.

She started all 32 games last season for Northern, leading the conference with 16.7 points per game and getting an NCAA victory over Kentucky Wesleyan on March 15 before bowing out to GLIAC champion Grand Valley State in the Midwest Regional semifinals the following day.

Kuhn joins fellow NMU women’s athlete Camilla Carbone of the Wildcats’ swimming and diving teams as recipients of a GLIAC Commissioner’s Award in the winter. Six female and six male student-athletes from around the conference who excel both in the classroom and on their fields of play earn this award after the fall, winter and spring athletic seasons.

Along with her perfect 4.0 GPA, Kuhn was named to the GLIAC First Team for the fourth straight season and also to the GLIAC All-Tournament Team.

Then she also earned All-Midwest Region Second Team by the Division 2 National Association of Collegiate Commissioners Association along with the CSC All-America award.

Kuhn not only broke NMU’s all-time scoring record, but shot an impressive 83.2% from the free throw line (129 of 155) and led the Wildcats with 6.5 rebounds per game. She had eight double-doubles, including a season-high 30 points that went along with 11 rebounds in a home victory over Wayne State on Dec. 7.

She also led Northern in total steals and minutes and was second in assists.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.