Fort Lewis College true freshman Tomas Duenes was named the RMAC Freshman of the Year and a second team All-RMAC player after his breakout 2021 season on the men’s soccer team.
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference announced the All-RMAC teams for men's soccer on Wednesday, and six Fort Lewis College players earned recognition from the conference’s head coaches.
Sophomore center back Milen Manchev also garnered second team honors, while four FLC players – Peter Byrne, Gabriel Legendre, Quinn Bosanko and Maximilian Meier – received honorable mentions.
The major award winners, and the first and second teams, were nominated and voted on by the conference’s 11 competing head coaches. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own student-athletes.
Duenes, a forward out of Torreon, Mexico, burst onto the scene with a 15-point season, tying Legendre for the team lead in goals, with seven. He started all 17 games, playing 1,343 minutes, and got stronger as the fall rolled along as he scored five of his goals in FLC's final eight games.
“He's a really special, intelligent and clever player,” said FLC head men's soccer coach, David Oberholtzer. “He has knack for scoring goals and is really clinical in front of the net, which is something that is hard to find. We expect for him to continue scoring big goals for us the rest of his college career.”
As for Manchev, an honorable mention selection last spring, started all 17 games for FLC, scoring his first career goal – a game-winner against Lubbock Christian University – while anchoring a Skyhawks’ back line that limited opponents to 77 shots on goal and 74 corner kicks this fall.
“He's one of the hardest working, most committed individuals that I’ve had the pleasure of coaching,” Oberholtzer said. “He's just constantly trying to find ways to get better, not only in terms of his individual abilities but his leadership. He’s been a staple for us.”
Senior goalkeeper Peter Byrne, a second team winner last spring, caps his four-year career with his third honorable mention (2017, 2019, 2021). The Missoula, Montana, native started all 65 games of his career in net for FLC. He will graduate from Fort Lewis ranked fourth in games played (65), saves (294) and shutouts (21), while being tied for fourth in wins (32) in program history.
Legendre led all Skyhawks this fall with 16 points (7 goals, 2 assists), while fellow freshmen Max Meier (1 goal, 3 assists) and Quinn Bosanko (1 goal) also cemented themselves in the FLC starting lineups during their first semesters on campus.
The current wave of young, impact talent like Duenes, Manchev, Bosanko, Legendre and Meier provide plenty of optimism for the Skyhawks as they turn their attention toward the 2022 season.
“One of the positive pieces we have moving forward is the youth of the group and having a great core around for a number of years to come,” Oberholtzer said. “Not only Tomas and Milen, but we have a number of other guys who played key roles for us as underclassmen. There’s a lot of positives to look forward to in the coming years.”
Forty-six FLC student athletes also made RMAC academic teams. To be eligible for consideration, a student-athlete must carry a 3.30 cumulative grade point average and must have been an active student at the institution for at least two consecutive semesters or three consecutive quarters.
Fort Lewis’ women’s soccer team led the way, with 11 athletes: Katie Smith, Casey Flynn, Danielle Lium, Skylar Byrnes, Madyson Barela, Katherine Dunbabin, Meredith Satre, Ashley Strader, Riley Bravin, Payson Hacker and Aubrey Swindle.
Men’s soccer players honored included Byrne, Denis Celik, AJ Haskell, Andres Hernandez, Legendre and Jakob Maurek.
Sixteen athletes from men’s women’s cross-country teams were recognized, including Ethan Bartlett, Wacey Begay, Max Robinson, Chris Rohlf, Bradeon Sitmann, Nicholas Weber on the men’s squad.
On the women’s team, Krista Benze, Angel Curley, Dorothy Elder, Katie Fankhouser, Katherine Gaughan, Nijilanaa Hunter, Jaden Knight, Saylor Sargent, Madeline Shoemaker and Carmella Wright garnered recognition.
Nine Skyhawk volleyball players were honored for their work in the classroom, including Cameron Callahan, Madi Nash, Avynn La Rose, Rylee Johnson, Kamryn Lopez, Joviana Romero, Lauren Burns, Nya Sciacca and Chay Swenson.
Six FLC football players were also recognized, including Max Hyson, Austin Anderson, Isaac Leppke, Ryan Barkley, Matthew Waid and Tristen Williams. Hyson landed on the first-team with his 3.86 GPA as a biology major.
