UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) announced the winners of the Winter 2025-26 GLIAC Commissioner's Awards on Wednesday, and Saginaw Valley State University women's swimming and diving's Lexi Hieber was one of the six women honored.
Hieber put together one of the top seasons in program history, earning four All-America honors, recording the highest individual finish at the NCAA Championships, helping lead the team to its best national finish, and setting five program records.
She secured the second First Team All-America distinction in program history with a seventh-place finish in the 1000-yard freestyle, the highest finish ever by a Cardinal women's swimmer. The junior also placed 13th in both the 500-yard freestyle and 1650-yard freestyle to add two more individual national honors. She capped off the week as part of the 800-yard freestyle relay team that finished 12th. Those performances helped lead SVSU to a 19th-place finish, the best in program history.
Hieber also stood out prior to nationals, winning the 1650-yard freestyle at the GLIAC Championships and reaching the podium six times at the conference meet. She now holds five program records set or improved during the 2025-26 season, including all three distance freestyle events and both freestyle relays.
Head coach Jason Lintjer said this about Hieber and the award,
"Lexi had a phenomenal season. She was able to achieve First Team All-America status while completing her course work in the nursing program. She is the definition of an elite student-athlete."
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.
The six female student-athlete recipients are:
• Kadyn Blanchard, Ferris State
• Kalina Ceglinski, Northern Michigan
• Lexi Hieber, Saginaw Valley State
• Mya Hiram, Ferris State
• Nicole Kamin, Grand Valley State
• Paige Westra, Grand Valley State
The six male student-athlete recipients are:
• Khalil Ben Ajmia, Wayne State
• Dylan Kuehl, Northern Michigan
• Eyad Marouf, Wayne State
• Leo Nolles, Northern Michigan
• Marcus Tomashek, Michigan Tech
• Easton Worachek, Parkside