ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The postseason honors continue to roll in for Lewis University men’s volleyball player Tyler Mitchem (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook HS) as he won four postseason awards from Off the Block Volleyball Blog. Mitchem was named the National Blocker of the Year, the Dain Blanton Diversity Award winner, the Division II National Player of the Year and the Ryan Millar award.
The Off the Block National Blocker of the Year recognizes the NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball player with the best front-row defensive performance during the regular season. Mitchem ended the season third in the nation with a 1.34 blocks per game average and a career-high 128 blocks. He had at least five blocks in 18 matches, including a season-high nine blocks in a victory against McKendree.
The Dain Blanton Diversity Award, which is named after the former Pepperdine All-American and U.S. Olympian, recognizes the top NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball player during the regular season of a minority ethnicity. This is the only national award in college men’s volleyball created specifically to celebrate the outstanding individual performances of minority players. Players of all backgrounds have significantly contributed throughout the history of college men’s volleyball helping teams win NCAA championships and earning numerous All-American honors.
The Division II National Player of the Year is awarded to the nation’s best player on a NCAA Division II men’s volleyball team during the regular season. While Division I and Division II schools compete for the same national championship and individual awards, this award is the only national player of the year solely for Division II players.
Mitchem was seventh in the nation with a .438 attack percentage and had a career-high 3.19 kills per game average. He had six blocks in an upset sweep against UCLA in January.
The Ryan Millar Award, which is named after the former BYU All-American and U.S. Olympian, is presented to the nation’s best middle attacker in NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball during the regular season. Mitchem has been a finalist for this award the past four years and finally broke through this season.
Lewis finished its season with a record of 16-12, 7-7 MIVA,…
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