COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.  The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference on Wednesday afternoon released its 2024 football award winners and all-conference teams, a list filled with names from the 10th-ranked Mountaineer program.

Junior defensive end Ricky Freymond was voted the league's Defensive Player of the Year, joined on the awards list by Defensive Rookie of the Year and outside linebacker Cameron Cooper.

Jas Bains, for the second consecutive season, was voted the RMAC's Coach of the Year.

Four Mountaineers, two from the offense and two from the defense, were voted to the RMAC first team.

Redshirt-junior quarterback Drew Nash and graduate student lineman Stevie Byron earned the offense's first-team accolades, with Freymond and grad student inside linebacker Kendall Lightfoot picking up their honors from the defensive side of the ball.

Two of Nash's favorite targets, wide receiver Josiah Ayon (Jr.) and tight end Daniel Parsek (R-Jr.) were voted to the second-team all-RMAC offense along with lineman Zach Brumfield (R-Jr.). Second-team defensive honors were earned by defensive tackle Mikey Smith (R-Fr.) and outside linebacker Cy Shope (Sr.).

Senior Jack Jones added to the all-conference list, earning his spot on the all-RMAC Special Teams second team.

Honorable Mention players from Western include Cooper; running back Braeden Hogan; wide receiver Cole Riters; offensive linemen Kasen James and Chance Wiening; cornerback Bryce Lucas; safety Ethan Sanchez-Maxwell; and defensive end Jaydon Young.

A Freymond highlight from the season occurred in the final game of the regular season when his third-quarter sack of the Colorado Mesa quarterback set a new standard for career sacks with 22.5, surpassing the old mark of 22.0 set by Luke Solomon (1988-90).

A Cooper highlight came in the second game of the year against host West Texas A&M. With Western clinging to a modest 13-10 lead late in the third quarter, the Buffaloes were driving for the go-ahead or tying score when Cooper – in just his second collegiate game – picked off an A&M pass and returned it 96 yards for a touchdown to increase the Mountaineer lead to 10 in an eventual 26-17 road victory.

Western, 10-1 overall and 8-1 in the RMAC, earned a postseason NCAA berth, and first-round home game, for the third time in four seasons and for the second year in a row. Coincidentally, last season's opponent, current No. 19 Central Washington, is back at the Mountaineer Bowl on November 23 for a rematch with the Mountaineers who will be looking to avenge a 16-13 overtime loss to the Wildcats.