League-Best Four Ferris State Student-Athletes Honored As GLIAC Commissioner's Award Recipients For Fall Season
Big Rapids, Mich. - A league-high four Ferris State University student-athletes have been honored as Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Commissioner's Award recipients for the fall 2024 campaign as announced by the league office.
The awards are bestowed annually after the fall, winter and spring athletic seasons to six female and six male student-athletes of junior, senior or graduate school status that excel both in the classroom and in competition. All must carry at least a 3.5 cumulative grade point average and be a key starter or reserve on their respective squads.
Two Ferris State football student-athletes were honored in junior linebacker Sefa Saipaia (Fort Collins, Colo.) and junior kicker Mitchell Middleton (Middleville/Thornapple-Kellog) along with two members of the Bulldog volleyball program in senior libero Leah Bylut (Palos Heights, Ill.) and senior middle hitter Chelsie Freeman (Amarillo, Texas).
Overall, the Bulldogs' four total recipients represented one-third of the total selections for the fall campaign and FSU was the only school with three or more student-athletes claiming the distinction as no other institution had more than two.
In addition, Saipaia was the top male vote getter for the fall season.
Since the awards were first presented in 2007, the Bulldogs have now had a total of 91 student-athletes be recognized among the league's best, which ranks among the most of any school in the conference.
Below are brief biographical write-ups on FSU's four student-athletes honored by the GLIAC.
Leah Bylut • Ferris State • Volleyball • Senior • Palos Heights, Ill. • Actuarial Science
Ferris State University senior libero Leah Bylut concluded her career as one of the school's all-time bests at the libero position, helping lead FSU to the 2024 NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Championship and a Division II Elite Eight appearance. Bylut started all 35 matches as the squad's top libero and played in all 120 sets for FSU, which was ranked number one in the country and finished with a memorable 34-1 overall record. The senior standout garnered All-GLIAC accolades for the fourth year in a row and was also named to the 2024 NCAA D2 Midwest Region All-Tournament Team. She claimed College Sports Communicators Academic All-District recognition and concluded her career as one of the school's all-time leaders in total digs. Bylut earned GLIAC Commissioner's Award recognition for the second year in a row and guided FSU to both the league's regular season and tournament championships this past fall.
Chelsie Freeman • Ferris State • Volleyball • Senior • Amarillo, Texas • Psychology
Ferris State University senior middle hitter Chelsie Freeman led the Bulldogs to the 2024 NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Championship and a Division II Elite Eight appearance during a historic campaign. Freeman tallied 250 kills to go with a team-high 108 total blocks in addition to 85 digs and 26 service aces while playing all 120 sets on the season and starting all 35 matches during a memorable 34-1 campaign. She claimed Division II Conference Commissioners Association All-America honors and was an AVCA All-Midwest Region honoree along with an All-GLIAC choice. The standout performer posted an impressive .365 hitting percentage and helped lead the Bulldogs to both the GLIAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships this past fall.
Mitchell Middleton • Ferris State • Football • Junior • Middlevile, Mich. • Mechanical Engineering Technology
Ferris State University junior kicker Mitchell Middleton played a key role in helping the Bulldogs claim their third NCAA Division II Football National Championship in the past four seasons this campaign. Middleton finished the year as one of the squad's top two scorers with 107 total points, converting 86 PAT's and seven made field goals as Ferris State posted a 14-1 overall record and also won the GLIAC Championship. The junior standout made 88% of his field goals this year and 91% of his point-after kicks, including a school-record 12-of-12 showing in a record-breaking 84-7 road win at American International. Middleton claimed College Sports Communicators Academic All-America accolades and was an All-GLIAC choice. He also served as the team's primary kickoff man and punted 14 times for 666 yards, averaging a team-high 47.6 yards per punt during the national championship campaign.
Sefa Saipaia • Ferris State • Football • Junior • Fort Collins, Colo. • Data Science & Analytics
Ferris State University junior linebacker Sefa Saipaia helped lead the Bulldogs to their third NCAA Division II National Championship in the past four seasons, earned 2024 College Sports Communicators Academic All-America First Team accolades. The All-GLIAC First Team standout served as a team captain and led FSU with a team-high 93 total tackles this year, including 34 solo stops and 59 assists to go with eight tackles for loss, three fumble recoveries, two sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and a touchdown. Saipaia claimed D2Football.com Elite 100 All-America honors and he was also named to the Don Hansen's Football Gazette All-America Team. The standout playmaker and three-time national champion helped the FSU defense rank among the nation's elite units as Ferris State posted a 14-1 overall record this past fall.
The complete GLIAC release can be found at this link:
https://gliac.org/news/2025/1/23/general-gliac-fall-2024-commissioners-award-recipients-announced.aspx