Northern Michigan University’s Dylan Kuehl, center, is triple teamed by Grand Valley State defenders, from left, Shamus Thompson (foreground), Jalen Charity (partially hidden) and David Wilkerson while bringing the ball to the basket during the GLIAC Tournament championship game played at Vandament Arena in Marquette on March 8. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

MARQUETTE — Men’s basketball player Dylan Kuehl of Northern Michigan University just keeps piling up the honors.

The latest is an academic award as he was named to the Academic All-America First Team by the College Sports Communicators organization.

It was an award not only recognizing his production on the court — there’s plenty of that — but also for his work in the classroom as he is a graduate student in construction management with a 3.65 grade-point average.

Kuehl’s most lofty performance honor would seem to be his First Team All-America honor from the Division II Conference Commissioners Association, especially considering he was the first Wildcat to earn that award in almost four decades after Bill Harris earned a First Team recognition from the National Association of Basketball Coaches in 1987.

The pair of players are the two highest career scorers in NMU men’s basketball history, Harris setting the standard with 2,224 points in the mid-1980s and Kuehl finishing at 2,197 after Northern bowed out in the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament in mid-March.

A resident of Iron Ridge, Wisconsin, Kuehl had earlier been named the D2CCA Midwest Region Player of the Year, and closer to home for Wildcats fans, was voted both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

This season, Northern set a program record for wins with its 28-7 overall record. NMU won the GLIAC with a 16-4 record, marking the fourth straight season — that would be Kuehl’s four playing seasons — the Wildcats won either the conference regular season or tournament title.

Kuehl averaged 21.3 points per game this season, 23.8 ppg in league games, winning both those conference scoring titles. He also topped the GLIAC by shooting 55.2% from the field and was ninth averaging 6.4 rebounds per game.

Nationally, he was in the top 15 in scoring, going out with a flourish after he set his career high in points twice in the final week of the regular season. His 36 points vs. Roosevelt on Feb. 26 was his personal high at that point, then he exceeded it two days later when he had 41 vs. Wisconsin-Parkside.

In the Wildcats’ 86-85 NCAA tourney win over Rockhurst, he led NMU’s 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.

Kuehl earned another distinction with his CSC Academic All-America honor — he became just one of two Division II players to earn both this award and the D2CCA All-America First Team plaudit, joining Jack Browder of Carson-Newman.

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