Although some Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference fall teams, like Fort Lewis men’s soccer, are still playing in NCAA tournaments, the top fall RMAC athletes have been recognized.
The Skyhawks’ fall sports teams were pretty successful. Football, women’s soccer, men’s soccer and volleyball had a combined record of 34-33-12 after the RMAC tournaments. Both Skyhawks soccer teams made it to the RMAC tournament championship games and football won multiple games for the first time since 2019.
Here’s what FLC fall athletes were recognized for their play:
Second Team All-RMAC Defense: Jacob Penney
The redshirt sophomore linebacker led FLC and the RMAC with 122 tackles. He also had eight tackles for a loss and forced three fumbles.
Penney had 10+ tackles in seven out of 11 games, including a season-high 18 tackles at Black Hills State.
Second Team All-RMAC Special Teams: Orlando Guevara
Guevara was all over the field as a freshman. He made the special teams list thanks to his kick returning. He averaged 25.52 yards per return and had a 99-yard touchdown return.
Honorable Mention All-RMAC: Kalib Davis, Jacob LeCroix, Cheilotam Udengwu, Hunter Villavicencio
Davis, a sophomore free safety, had 12 tackles and an interception for the Skyhawks. LeCroix, a senior offensive lineman, also made the honorable mention team last season.
Ugdengwu, a sophomore offensive lineman, helped protect redshirt freshman quarterback Stone Walker and should be a key for FLC’s offense going forward.
Villavicencio bailed out the Skyhawks’ offense many times with some impressive field goals. The senior kicker went 11-18, with four of those misses blocked and a long of 51 yards.
Second Team All-RMAC: Gabi Meraz-Fishbein
Senior midfielder Gabi Meraz-Fishbein makes the Second Team All-RMAC for the second consecutive year. Meraz-Fishbein played as a defensive midfielder for FLC and was a great connector for Damian Clarke’s Skyhawks squad which liked to possess the ball.
Meraz-Fishbein scored two goals this season. She finished her four-year Skyhawks career with 72 games played, 67 starts and seven goals.
Honorable Mention All-RMAC: Josie Coulter, McKenna Ford, Rachel Peebles, Sabrina Reyes, Abila Tapia
The Skyhawks had the most Honorable Mention All-RMAC selections in the conference with five.
Tapia, a sophomore midfielder, was second in points for FLC with 12 points off five goals and two assists. Coulter, a junior forward, was right behind Tapia with nine points.
Junior defender Peebles was a key down the stretch as FLC improved its defense.
Reyes and Ford will depart the Skyhawks program after successful careers. Reyes finished her four-year career with seven goals and six assists. Ford finished her five-year career with three goals and five assists.
First Team All-RMAC: Gabriel Legendre, David Citron, Jakob Larson
The Skyhawks finished third in the RMAC and tied for the second-most First Team All-RMAC selections with Legendre, Citron and Larson.
It’s Legendre’s second consecutive first team selection. The fifth year forward has scored nine goals and three assists this season. He’s had an impressive career with 35 goals and 13 assists over five years.
Citron, the junior midfielder from France, made first team for the first time. He’s been one of the most consistent players for FLC with six goals and 10 assists.
Senior defender Larson has been a rock on the Skyhawks’ back line. He’s great in the air defensively and on offense on corner kicks.
Second Team All-RMAC: Tomas Duenes, Casey Stracher
Senior forward Duenes has been one of FLC’s top scoring options since he stepped on campus in 2021. Duenes is third on the team with 17 points from five goals and seven assists.
Stracher, a junior in his first year with FLC, has provided speed on the wings and some offense with two goals and four assists.
RMAC Freshman of the Year: Fabrizio Aguilera
The Skyhawks have the last two freshmen of the year after sophomore forward Anton Hjalmarsson won it last year. Aguilera, a midfielder from Costa Rica, has five goals and an assist this year.
Aguilera has shown off some clutch shot-making, most notably when he scored two goals in the last 90 seconds against Montana State Billings.
Honorable Mention All-RMAC: Fabrizio Aguilera, Lucas Martin
Sophomore goalkeeper Martin has continued the strong play he showed in his sophomore year. He has 65 saves compared to 14 goals allowed in 17 games played.
Martin’s had at least five saves in seven games this year.
Honorable Mention All-RMAC: Ella Butler, Natalia Lambos
Butler, a junior middle blocker, made second team all-conference last season and was honorable mention as a freshman. Senior setter Lambos made honorable mention last season.
Injuries limited Butler at times this season. She played in 22 matches, finished with 170 kills and was fourth on the team in points.
Lambos quarterbacked the Skyhawks’ offense for most of her four-year career at FLC. She finished this season with 910 assists and finished with 2,667 assists for her career.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
