Ferris State's Kadyn Blanchard Named Recipient Of GLIAC Pat Riepma Postgraduate Scholarship

Big Rapids, Mich. - Ferris State University women's basketball senior standout Kadyn Blanchard (Freeland) has been chosen as a recipient of the 2025-26 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Pat Riepma Postgraduate Scholarship.

The honor, which awards each recipient, one female and one male, $5,000 in aid to the graduate school of their choice, was voted on by the Faculty Athletic Representatives (FARs) of the GLIAC member institutions.

Blanchard, Ferris State women's basketball's all-time leading scorer, will attend Logan University in pursuit of a Doctor of Chiropractic degree alongside a Master's in Sports Rehabilitation. Blanchard's ultimate career goal is to operate her own chiropractic office, helping athletes get back to being healthy and playing at their full potential.

Along with Blanchard, the male recipient was Northern Michigan University swimmer Leo Nolles.

The GLIAC Postgraduate Scholarship is named after former Northwood University Athletic Director and head football coach Pat Riepma who passed away in July of 2015 after a lengthy and courageous battle with cancer. Pat spent over 21 years at Northwood and was the all-time winningest coach in football history as well as the long time Athletic Director. While his achievements on the field and on behalf of the athletic department are impressive, Pat will be forever remembered for the person he was. Pat was a passionate, spiritual man who inspired thousands of people even before he became sick. While Pat is gone, his mantra of "Go MAD"- Go Make a Difference, will live on.

Blanchard closed out a remarkable career as the Bulldogs' all-time career women's basketball scoring leader, tallying nearly 2,000 career points. She led the GLIAC in scoring this past season as a senior, averaging 17 points per game while reaching double-figure scoring in 29 games for a squad that reached the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldog senior scored 20 points or more in 12 games and was one of the region's top performers.

Tabbed as the 2026 GLIAC Player of the Year, Blanchard was a three-time all-conference honoree and was both a first-team pick along with an all-defensive team performer this year. The four-time GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team choice led the Bulldogs to four NCAA D2 Tournament appearances in her career, including a berth in the D2 National Semifinals in 2024.

Blanchard helped FSU win both GLIAC regular season and tournament titles in her career and was with the program for six years, returning twice from season-ending injuries. She was highly active in the program's various community service initiatives in addition to training and coaching youth basketball players.

Additionally, she has served on the Bulldogs' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and has been FSU's SAAC President.