Big Ten coaches and media select Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg as conference player of the year
Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg celebrates the team's regular season Big Ten Championship by cutting down a piece of net following their win over Michigan State in an NCAA college basketball game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Sunday, March 8, 2026. Credit: AP/Lon Horwedel
ROSEMONT, Ill. — Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg has been selected as the Big Ten player of the year by the conference's coaches and media members.
The Big Ten announced Lendeborg's selection on Tuesday, adding that the league's coaches and media chose Illinois' Keaton Wagler as freshman of the year. The coach-of-the-year balloting was a split decision, with the coaches choosing Nebraska's Fred Hoiberg while the media selected Michigan's Dusty May.
The conference's selections were revealed the same day The Associated Press announced its All-Big Ten team, as chosen by a panel of 16 media members. The AP panel chose Lendeborg as player of the year, Wagler as freshman of the year and May as coach of the year.
Big Ten coaches also selected Michigan's Aday Mara as defensive player of the year and Nebraska's Braden Frager as sixth man of the year. Wisconsin's Sharif Chambliss was chosen as the Howard Moore assistant coach of the year.
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This story has been corrected to show that the last name of the Big Ten defensive player of the year is Aday Mara, not Mar.
