BIG RAPIDS - Four Ferris State University student-athletes earned Player of the Week honors from their respective conferences following standout performances in basketball and hockey. Three basketball players swept the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference awards, while the Central Collegiate Hockey Association recognized a Bulldog hockey player.
Senior Mya Hiram was named the GLIAC Women’s Basketball Defensive Player of the Week, while sophomore Tae Boyd and junior Owen Hardy were selected as the men’s Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week. The honors reflect games played on Feb. 9 and Feb. 14. This marks the first time in each of their collegiate careers that Hiram, Boyd, or Hardy has received the conference recognition. Hockey forward Tyler Schleppe also earned his first career league honor as the CCHA Forward of the Week.
Hiram, an Onsted resident and master’s degree student in health care administration, helped the 17th-ranked Bulldogs secure two league road wins. Hiram averaged 18.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game during victories against Roosevelt University and Saginaw Valley State University. She shot 52% from the floor and was perfect on nine-of-nine free-throw attempts for the week. Her 20 points and five rebounds against Saginaw Valley State helped the women’s program reach its 20th win of the season.
Sophomore Boyd averaged 24 points and five rebounds across two games as the men’s basketball team remained in contention for a GLIAC Tournament berth. Boyd, a business administration major from Grand Blanc, tallied 48 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists for the week. He led the team with 26 points in a game at Roosevelt on Feb. 9 and followed with 24 points in a 75-69 victory against Saginaw Valley State on Saturday.
Hardy, a marketing major from Grand Rapids, recorded a career-high 18 rebounds and five blocks during the matchup against Roosevelt. The six-foot-10 junior averaged 11.5 points and 15.0 rebounds for the week while adding six blocks and four assists. Hardy’s performance against Saginaw Valley State included 11 points and 12 rebounds to help secure the weekend split.
On the ice, Schleppe led all CCHA skaters in goals and points during a weekend series against Northern Michigan University. Schleppe, a finance major from Vancouver, British Columbia, recorded four goals and an assist as Ferris State earned five of six possible points in the series. He scored a power-play goal on Friday and followed with his first collegiate short-handed goal during a six-0 win on Saturday.
Schleppe has now recorded points in five consecutive games dating back to Jan. 31. His recognition marks the second time this season a Ferris State hockey player has been named Forward of the Week, following Gavin Best in October. Across the weekend series, Schleppe finished with a plus-three rating and won 20 faceoffs.