Dupage Policy Journal

Carthage College's Ryan Johnson and Illinois Wesleyan University's Fridman have been recognized with national honors by D3hoops.com. On Saturday, Johnson was named to the All-America Third Team, while Fridman was selected as the national Rookie of the Year.

Ryan Johnson, a sophomore forward from Oswego, Illinois, had an impressive season with the Firebirds. He averaged 15 points per game and played in all 28 games. Johnson also collected 255 rebounds, averaging 9.1 per game. His performance earned him the title of College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Fred Young Most Outstanding Student-Athlete. Notably, he is the first Carthage student-athlete to receive this honor since 2011.

Fridman received multiple accolades this season, including being voted CCIW First-Year Student-Athlete of the Year and D3hoops Region 8 Rookie of the Year. He is the first player from Illinois Wesleyan to earn this recognition since D3hoops began awarding it in 2008.

In his debut season with the Titans, Fridman became a key player as the team's starting point guard. He averaged 9.2 points per game and contributed significantly with 76 assists against just 41 turnovers. Fridman's shooting statistics include a field goal percentage of 40.4 percent and a three-point shooting percentage of 37.7 percent. He led his team with an impressive free throw percentage of 88.0 percent and scored a career-high 24 points during IWU's CCIW Tournament semifinal win over Augustana on February 28.