Graduate student forward Dylan Kuehl was named a First Team All-American by the Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association, while he and three teammates were named to the Academic All-District Team by the similar sounding College Sports Communicators.

Here are details about each award:

Kuehl an All-American

The D2CCA First Team All-America award is quite rare for Wildcats men’s basketball, Kuehl being the first to earn this high of recognition from the college commissioners since Bill Harris won NABC First Team recognition almost 40 years ago in 1987.

Northern Michigan University’s Dylan Kuehl, center, drives between Grand Valley State's David Wilkerson, left, and Jalen Charity as he takes it to the net to score two points during the GLIAC Tournament championship game played at Vandament Arena in Marquette on March 8. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

Harris is the only Northern player to have scored more career points than Kuehl, Harris No. 1 on the program list at 2,224 and Kuehl moving up nine spots on the career list this season as he finished No. 2 at 2,197. Cory Brathol from the late 1990s is third on the NMU scoring list with 2,110.

A resident of Iron Ridge, Wisconsin, Kuehl had already been named the D2CCA Midwest Region Player of the Year, becoming the first NMU men’s player to earn that honor.

And he also swept Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Kuehl led Northern to a program record number of wins with its 27-6 record as the Wildcats won the conference regular season title and were runners-up in the league tournament, then won a first-round game in the NCAA Division II Tournament.

He averaged 21.3 points per game, winning the conference scoring title by just 0.05 ppg past Ken Walker of Davenport.

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Kuehl also topped the GLIAC by shooting 55.2% from the field and was ninth averaging 6.4 rebounds per game.

In conference games only, he was even better, averaging 23.8 ppg to win that title by more than 2.5 ppg and was second in field goal percentage, third in blocked shots and 10th in rebounding.

Nationally, Kuehl was top 15 in scoring, closing out the final weekend of the regular season with not one, but two career-high scoring performances. His 36 points vs. Roosevelt on Feb. 26 was a career high, which he broke two days later with 41 points vs. Wisconsin-Parkside on 15-of-20 shooting from the field and 7 of 7 free throws.

In NMU’s 86-85 NCAA tourney win over Rockhurst, he led the Wildcats’ 10-2 run in the final 32 seconds, picking up an assist on each of teammate Cal Klesmit’s 3-pointers, then going in himself for a “traditional” three-point play by making a layup and subsequent free throw that tied it 85-85 with 14 ticks to go.

Teammate Trevor Polite made a free throw with five seconds remaining to finish off the comeback and seal the victory.

Academic All-District

Kuehl was joined by fellow graduate students Jackson Dudek and Sam Privet, along with junior Charlie Miller, to earn academic awards from the CSC.

The CSC Academic All-District Team honors student-athletes who demonstrate excellence both academically and athletically, requiring significant on-court contributions and a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.50.

Kuehl, whose exploits were detailed above, had a 3.65 GPA as a graduate student in construction management.

Dudek, from Kimberly, Wisconsin, earned his second consecutive CSC Academic All-District honor after he was named to the GLIAC Second Team.

He started all 35 games, averaging 11.8 ppg and 5.1 rebounds a contest. He also made 53.3% from the field, including 41.9% on 3-pointers, the last stat No. 1 in the GLIAC, and had a career-high 29 points vs. Marian on Dec. 14.

Dudek maintains a 3.95 GPA as a grad student in financial management.

Privet, from Caledonia, Minnesota, also won his second straight CSC academic honor.

He was also in all 35 games, including starting the final nine of the season, and averaged 6.3 ppg and 2.6 rebounds while shooting 53.5% from the field. He recorded a season-high 16 points in a Feb. 19 home win over Michigan Tech, his first start of the season.

Privet has a 3.66 GPA as a grad student in construction management.

Miller, from Lumberton, North Carolina, also played all 35 games with 24 starts after transferring from Division I Northern Iowa a year ago.

He averaged 6.6 ppg and 1.9 assists an outing. He scored a season-high 17 points vs. Roosevelt on Dec. 6.

He has a 3.75 GPA in athletic coaching.

Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release reviewing the honors. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.