Big Ten Awards: Yaxel Lendeborg wins POY, Aday Mara named DPOY, and more

On Tuesday afternoon, the Big Ten announced its regular season awards for the 2025-26 season. As expected after going 19-1 in conference play and earning the most Big Ten victories in the history of the conference, Michigan was well represented on Tuesday’s awards show.

Below is a comprehensive recap of how Michigan fared in the regular season awards.

Yaxel Lendeborg

To no one’s surprise, Lendeborg was named Big Ten Player of the Year. After posting a 27-point performance on 8-of-12 shooting and 5-of-6 from distance against rival Michigan State on Sunday afternoon, Lendeborg put the Player of the Year debate to rest.

Lendeborg didn’t stuff the stat sheet like many other players in the conference, but the 6-foot-9 forward was the best player on the best team in the conference, earning him the Player of the Year honors.

Michigan’s star was also named to the All-Big Ten First Team by both the media and the coaches. He will lead U-M into the Big Ten Tournament this Friday.

Morez Johnson Jr.

Johnson Jr. was named to the All-Big Ten second team by the media and the third team by the coaches. The 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward was a dominant force inside for the Wolverines this season, and he played a big role in helping U-M to one of the best Big Ten seasons of all time.

Averaging 13.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per contest, Johnson Jr. has scored in double figures in 24 of 31 contests this season. He has been a staple on Michigan’s front court, and Michigan will need him to play his best as the postseason approaches.

Aday Mara

Not only was Mara named to the All-Big Ten third team by both the media and the coaches, but the 7-foot-3 center was also named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Mara averaged 2.6 blocks per contest and is potentially on track to break Michigan’s single-season blocks record of 97, set by Roy Tarpley in 1985-86.

Mara currently has 80 blocks this season, and he needs just 18 more across as many as nine games to break the record.

Trey McKenney

Coming off the bench, McKenney has been a spark for Michigan this entire season. As recently as Sunday afternoon against the Spartans, McKenney drilled two 3-pointers to extend Michigan’s lead. That has been the freshman’s role this entire season.

The 6-foot-4, 225-pound guard averages just shy of 10 points per contest, and his 3-point percentage is currently at a very solid 38.2 percent.

With L.J. Cason out for the season, McKenney will need to continue to be a spark off the bench for the Wolverines.

Dusty May

Dusty May was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year, according to the media. Nebraska’s Fred Hoiberg earned the honor from the coaches, but what May and Michigan accomplished this season was nothing short of fantastic.

U-M won the conference by four games, and the Wolverines set the Big Ten record for conference wins in a regular season. They also tied the record for regular-season wins by any Big Ten team in history.

May also deserves a ton of credit for assembling this roster and sticking with the three-big starting lineup. In just two years, May has taken Michigan from an 8-24 overall season to a 29-2 overall record and a No. 1 seed in both the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments.

Elliot Cadeau

Michigan point guard Elliot Cadeau was named as an All-Big Ten honorable mention.