BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. -- Wheeling Jesuit's Haywood Highsmith has been selected as the Mountain East Conference Player of the Year, while West Liberty's Dalton Bolon was tabbed as the league's Freshman of the Year. WLU's Ben Howlett was chosen as the MEC Coach of the Year.
Highsmith, a senior from Baltimore, Md., filled the box score on a nightly basis averaging 21.7 points, 12.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.7 blocks. He leads the league in rebounding and is fourth in the country in that category, and is second in scoring and field goal percentage. His 24 double-doubles this year lead the country.
Bolon, a native of Gnadenhutten, Ohio, averaged 16.9 points and 5.5 rebounds in his first season with the Hilltoppers. Bolon leads all MEC freshmen in scoring and is third in the country among freshmen in that category. Bolon averages 3.15 made threes per game (second in the league), and is shooting 41 percent from behind the arc.
Howlett led West Liberty to a 25-2 record in his first season as head coach of the Hilltoppers. He also directed WLU to a 20-2 conference record and the MEC regular season championship. Howlett's 25 wins are the most by a first-year coach at West Liberty. WLU has been nationally ranked in the top 10 for the entirety of the regular season, including two weeks at No. 1. Howlett's squad is among the national leaders in multiple categories, including No. 1 in the country in scoring (106.7), assists (20.9), assist/turnover ratio (2.04) and turnover margin (+8.6).
The league also announced the 2017-18 all-conference teams. Shepherd's A.J. Carr, Wheeling Jesuit's Pat Moseh and West Liberty's Dan Monteroso are returning first team picks this year, joining Highsmith on the first team. Keir Anderson (Charleston), Taiwo Badmus (UVa-Wise), Tommy Bolte (Concord) and Pat Johnson-Agwu (West Virginia State) complete the first team.
Three Fairmont State players earned second team honors in Caleb Davis, Jason Jolly and Vonte Montgomery. Bolon earned a spot on the second team, as did West Virginia Wesleyan's Aaron Ariri, Wheeling Jesuit's Preston Boswell, Glenville State's Darhius Nunn and UVa-Wise's Michal Seals.
Malik Jacobs (Urbana), Thomas Lang (Shepherd), Kyauta Taylor (Notre Dame) and Jordan Watson (West Liberty) earned honorable mention recognition.
The All-MEC teams are selected by a vote of the league's coaches.
| 2018 All-MEC First Team |
| Name |
School |
Cl. |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown |
| Keir Anderson |
Charleston |
Sr. |
G |
6-3 |
Buffalo, N.Y. |
| Taiwo Badmus |
UVa-Wise |
Sr. |
F |
6-7 |
London, England |
| Tommy Bolte |
Concord |
Jr. |
G |
6-1 |
Chillicothe, Ohio |
| A.J. Carr |
Shepherd |
Sr. |
F |
6-6 |
Fairfax, Va. |
| Haywood Highsmith |
Wheeling Jesuit |
Sr. |
F |
6-6 |
Baltimore, Md. |
| Pat Johnson-Agwu |
W.Va. State |
Jr. |
F |
6-5 |
Bowie, Md. |
| Dan Monteroso |
West Liberty |
Sr. |
G |
6-3 |
St. Clairsville, Ohio |
| Pat Moseh |
Wheeling Jesuit |
Sr. |
G |
6-6 |
Springfield, Va. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2018 All-MEC Second Team |
| Name |
School |
Cl. |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown |
| Aaron Ariri |
W.Va. Wesleyan |
Sr. |
F |
6-8 |
Brampton, Ontario |
| Dalton Bolon |
West Liberty |
Fr. |
G |
6-4 |
Gnadenhutten, Ohio |
| Preston Boswell |
Wheeling Jesuit |
So. |
G |
6-2 |
New Martinsville, W.Va. |
| Caleb Davis |
Fairmont State |
Sr. |
G |
6-2 |
Charlotte, N.C. |
| Jason Jolly |
Fairmont State |
Jr. |
G |
5-7 |
Ashburn, Va. |
| Vonte Montgomery |
Fairmont State |
Jr. |
G |
6-1 |
Cleveland, Ohio |
| Darhius Nunn |
Glenville State |
So. |
G |
5-10 |
Fairmont, W.Va. |
| Michal Seals |
UVa-Wise |
So. |
G |
5-10 |
Lancaster, Pa. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2018 All-MEC Honorable Mention |
| Name |
School |
Cl. |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Hometown |
| Malik Jacobs |
Urbana |
Jr. |
F |
6-2 |
Fairborn, Ohio |
| Thomas Lang |
Shepherd |
So. |
G |
6-0 |
New Market, Md. |
| Kyauta Taylor |
Notre Dame |
Sr. |
G |
6-2 |
Cleveland, Ohio |
| Jordan Watson |
West Liberty |
Sr. |
G |
6-2 |
Philadelphia, Pa. |
|
|
|
|
|
Player of the Year: Haywood Highsmith (Wheeling Jesuit)
Freshman of the Year: Dalton Bolon (West Liberty)
Coach of the Year: Ben Howlett (West Liberty) |
Previous Winners
Player of the Year
2014: Cedric Harris (West Liberty)
2015: Seger Bonifant (West Liberty)
2016: Seger Bonifant (West Liberty)
2017: Matt Bingaya (Fairmont State)
2018: Haywood Highsmith (Wheeling Jesuit)
Freshman of the Year
2014: Thomas Wimbush (Fairmont State)
2015: Pat Moseh (Wheeling Jesuit)
2016: David Dennis (West Liberty)
2017: Luke Layhew (West Virginia Wesleyan)
2018: Dalton Bolon (West Liberty)
Coach of the Year
2014: Jim Crutchfield (West Liberty)/Dwaine Osborne (Charleston)
2015: Kent McBride (Concord)
2016: Dan Sancomb (Wheeling Jesuit)
2017: Jerrod Calhoun (Fairmont State)
2018: Ben Howlett (West Liberty)