CLEVELAND – Kaleb Thornton (Bolingbrook, Ill./Iowa Western CC) of the Northern Illinois University men's basketball team was named to the Academic All-Mid-American Conference Team announced by the league office on Wednesday (April 20). 

A business administration major with a 3.34 grade point average, Thornton averaged 8.1 points and 4.0 assists, seventh best in the conference, per game during the 2021-22 season. He also recorded a 1.46 assist/turnover ratio, which ranked eighth in the MAC. In league play, Thornton's production increased to 9.4 points per contest and 4.6 assists per game, fifth-most in the league. 

Thornton appeared in 29 games for the Huskies this past season, making 26 starts, while scoring in double figures 12 times. He is the first NIU player to earn Academic All-MAC honors since Austin Pauga during the 2016-17 season. 

The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student-athlete who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must be in their second year or later, have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport.