Michigan Wolverines highlight awards as Yaxel Lendeborg takes home 2026 Big Ten Player of the Year

The Big Ten regular season awards were announced on Tuesday, and the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines were well represented as forward Yaxel Lendeborg received 2026 Big Ten Player of the Year, becoming the sixth player in program history to win the prestigious award and the first time since Nik Stauskas in 2014!

"It means the world. I'm grateful and happy to be named player of the year, and there's more to come," Lendeborg told Big Ten Network. Lendeborg posted a team-high 14.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, and was the catalyst to Michigan's historic season that included a school-record 29 regular season wins.

Michigan center Aday Mara (Big Ten-best 2.6 blocks per game) won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, head coach Dusty May (19-1 in Big Ten play) was named Big Ten Coach of the Year, and Lendeborg and Mara were joined by forward Morez Johnson Jr. to earn All-Big Ten and All-Big Ten Defensive honors.

Check out all of the 2026 Big Ten awards!

2026 Big Ten regular season awards

— Yaxel Lendeborg (Player of the Year)

— Keaton Wagler (Freshman of the Year)

— Aday Mara (Defensive Player of the Year)

— Braden Frager (Sixth Man of the Year)

— Dusty May (Coach of the Year)

2026 All-Big Ten First Team

— Braden Smith (Purdue guard)

— Jeremy Fears Jr. (Michigan State guard)

— Keaton Wagler (Illinois guard)

— Pryce Sandfort (Nebraska forward)

— Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan forward)

2026 All-Big Ten Second Team

— Bennett Stirtz (Iowa guard)

— Bruce Thornton (Ohio State guard)

— Nick Boyd (Wisconsin guard)

— Nick Martinelli (Northwestern forward)

— Morez Johnson Jr. (Michigan forward)

2026 All-Big Ten Third Team

— John Blackwell (Wisconsin guard)

— Lamar Wilkerson (Indiana guard)

— Tyler Bilodeau (UCLA forward)

— Hannes Steinbach (Washington forward)

— Aday Mara (Michigan center)

2026 All-Big Ten Freshman Team

— Keaton Wagler (Illinois guard)

— Trey McKenney (Michigan guard)

— Braden Frager (Nebraska forward)

— David Mirković (Illinois forward)

— Hannes Steinbach (Washington forward)

2026 All-Big Ten Defensive Team

— Sam Hoiberg (Nebraska guard)

— Kylan Bowsell (Illinois guard)

— Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan forward)

— Morez Johnson Jr. (Michigan forward)

— Aday Mara (Michigan center)

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