Lendeborg Earns Big Ten Player of the Year as U-M Hauls 15 All-Conference Honors
3/10/2026 12:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg was named the Big Ten Player of the Year to headline 15 postseason honors for the University of Michigan men's basketball program, the conference announced Tuesday (March 10). Lendeborg also earned first-team All-Big Ten recognition from both the coaches and media.
Among the other standout honors were junior center Aday Mara being named the Defensive Player of the Year, head coach Dusty May earning Big Ten Coach of the Year honors from the media, and freshman Trey McKenney being selected to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
Lendeborg, who was a unanimous selection by the league's media, is the first Wolverine to earn the conference's top honor since Trey Burke (2013) and Nik Stauskas (2014) captured the award in back-to-back seasons, marking the ninth time a U-M player has been named Big Ten Player of the Year.
One of four Wolverines to earn All-Big Ten honors, Lendeborg becomes the 28th Wolverine to receive first team recognition, adding the program's 41st first team selection by the coaches and 42nd by the media.
Junior forward Morez Johnson Jr. earned second-team All-Big Ten honors from the media and third-team recognition from the coaches. Mara was named third team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media, while junior guard Elliot Cadeau garnered honorable mention honors from the media.
Mara also made program history, becoming the first Wolverine in nearly 40 years to be named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and just the second Michigan player ever to earn the honor. He joins Wolverine legend Gary Grant, who won the award in 1986 and 1987.
The tallest player in program history at 7-foot-3, Mara led the Big Ten with 80 blocks (2.58 per game) and averaged 6.9 rebounds per contest, anchoring Michigan's interior defense with a commanding presence in the paint.
Mara also joined Lendeborg and Johnson on the Big Ten All-Defensive Team, giving Michigan three selections this season. The trio matches the Wolverines' previous all-time total of All-Defensive Team honorees, joining former standouts Ekpe Udoh (2008), Jordan Morgan (2013) and Zavier Simpson (2019).
May earned U-M's sixth Big Ten Coach of the Year honor and the program's third from the Big Ten media, while McKenney became the 14th Wolverine selected to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. Graduate forward Will Tschetter was also named Michigan's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree.
With its record-breaking 19-1 league record, Michigan captured its 16th Big Ten title by four games and earned the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament for the third time. With the top seed, the Wolverines advance directly to the quarterfinal round on Friday (March 13) at the United Center in Chicago, Ill.
2025-26 All-Big Ten Men's Basketball Awards
COACHES SELECTIONS
FIRST TEAM
Keaton Wagler, Illinois
Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State
Pryce Sandfort, Nebraska
Braden Smith, Purdue
SECOND TEAM
Lamar Wilkerson, Indiana
Bennett Stirtz, Iowa
Nick Martinelli, Northwestern
Bruce Thornton, Ohio State
Nick Boyd, Wisconsin
THIRD TEAM
Morez Johnson Jr., Michigan
Aday Mara, Michigan
Tyler Bilodeau, UCLA
Hannes Steinbach, Washington
John Blackwell, Wisconsin
HONORABLE MENTION
David Mirkovic, Illinois
Jaxon Kohler, Michigan State
Cade Tyson, Minnesota
Sam Hoiberg, Nebraska
Rienk Mast, Nebraska
Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue
Donovan Dent, UCLA
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
David Mirkovic, Illinois
KEATON WAGLER, Illinois
Trey McKenney, Michigan
Braden Frager, Nebraska
Hannes Steinbach, Washington
ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Kylan Boswell, Illinois
Morez Johnson Jr., Michigan
Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
Aday Mara, Michigan
Sam Hoiberg, Nebraska
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Aday Mara, Michigan
6TH MAN OF THE YEAR: Braden Frager, Nebraska
COACH OF THE YEAR: Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Keaton Wagler, Illinois
HOWARD MOORE ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR: Sharif Chambliss, Wisconsin
MEDIA SELECTIONS
FIRST TEAM
Keaton Wagler, Illinois
Bennett Stirtz, Iowa
YAXEL LENDEBORG, Michigan
Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State
Braden Smith, Purdue
SECOND TEAM
Morez Johnson Jr., Michigan
Pryce Sandfort, Nebraska
Nick Martinelli, Northwestern
Bruce Thornton, Ohio State
Nick Boyd, Wisconsin
THIRD TEAM
Lamar Wilkerson, Indiana
Aday Mara, Michigan
Tyler Bilodeau, UCLA
Hannes Steinbach, Washington
John Blackwell, Wisconsin
HONORABLE MENTION
Kylan Boswell, Illinois
David Mirkovic, Indiana
Elliot Cadeau, Michigan
Jaxon Kohler, Michigan State
Cade Tyson, Minnesota
Sam Hoiberg, Nebraska
Rienk Mast, Nebraska
John Mobley Jr., Ohio State
Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue
Tariq Francis, Rutgers
Donovan Dent, UCLA
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan
COACH OF THE YEAR: Dusty May, Michigan
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Keaton Wagler, Illinois
unanimous selections in ALL CAPS
Big Ten Sportsmanship Honorees: Jake Davis (Illinois); Conor Enright (Indiana), Bennett Stirtz (Iowa); Collin Metcalf (Maryland); Will Tschetter (Michigan); Carson Cooper (Michigan State); Bobby Durkin (Minnesota); Rienk Mast (Nebraska); Nick Martinelli (Northwestern); Bruce Thornton (Ohio State); Sean Stewart (Oregon); Josh Reed (Penn State); Liam Murphy (Purdue); Jahmichael Davis (Rutgers); Tyler Bilodeau (UCLA); Terrance Williams II (USC); Zoom Diallo (Washington); and Isaac Gard (Wisconsin)
