Amidst one of the best seasons in college basketball, Yaxel Lendeborg was named a finalist for a national award.

The UAB senior was announced as one of the five finalists for the 2025 Karl Malone Award, which is presented by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame to honor the top power forward in Division I basketball.

He was one of five finalists for the award, with Auburn’s Johni Broome also among them; other finalists were Michigan’s Danny Wolf, Texas Tech’s JT Toppin and Villanova’s Eric Dixon.

Fan voting will begin on Friday at hoophallawards.com, with the fan voting counting as one committee vote during the selection process for the award.

A native of Pennsauken, N.J., Lendeborg is currently averaging 17.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists this season, with his rebounding ranking seventh in the nation; he ranks in the top 10 in UAB history in career rebounds, rebounding average and career blocks.

He holds the career record for double-doubles (38) and tied his own record for most in a single season with 19, which is tied for third among all Division I players.

UAB (19-10, 12-4 AAC) will host Florida Atlantic on Thursday before closing out the regular season at Tulane on Sunday.