West Liberty, W.Va. – West Liberty University men's basketball head coach Ben Howlett has been named the Mountain East Conference (MEC) Coach of the Year, as announced by the league on Tuesday.
This marks Howlett's third MEC Coach of the Year honor, having previously won in 2018 and 2022. Under his leadership, the Hilltoppers have enjoyed another dominant season, finishing with a 25-3 overall record and an 18-2 mark in MEC play. West Liberty secured its eighth consecutive MEC regular-season championship, continuing its reign as the league's top program by winning 11 of the 12 regular-season titles in MEC history.
Adding to his accolades, Howlett became the fastest coach in program history to reach 200 wins, accomplishing the feat in just 235 games. He now holds an impressive 212-35 career record (.858 winning percentage).
The Toppers are the No. 1 seed in the upcoming MEC Tournament and currently own the top spot in the Atlantic Region rankings.
D'Augustino and Harper Named First-Team All-MEC
West Liberty's Kyler D'Augustino, the reigning MEC Freshman of the Year, earned a well-deserved spot on the All-MEC First Team. D'Augustino has been a standout performer, ranking sixth in the conference in scoring (17.2 ppg) and fourth in steals (48) this season.
Joining him on the First Team is teammate JJ Harper, who has been a force on both ends of the floor. Harper ranks ninth in the MEC in scoring (15.8 ppg) while leading the team in rebounds (139) and blocks (34). He also ranks third on the team in steals with 45.
Woodward Earns Second-Team All-MEC Honors
West Liberty's Finley Woodward was recognized as a Second-Team All-MEC selection. The versatile guard is second in the conference in assists (127, 4.5 per game) while contributing 10.4 points per game. He also ranks third on the team in rebounds with 119.
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2025 All-MEC First Team
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Name
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School
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Cl.
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Pos.
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Ht.
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Hometown
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Jaden Baker
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Frostburg State
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Jr.
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G
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6-2
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Salisbury, Md.
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Devin Collins
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Glenville State
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Gr.
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F
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6-8
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Chapmanville, W.Va.
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Kyler D'Augustino
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West Liberty
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So.
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G
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6-1
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Albany, Ohio
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Sean Ealy
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Wheeling
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Sr.
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G
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5-11
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Cincinnati, Ohio
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JJ Harper
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West Liberty
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Gr.
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F
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6-5
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Orlando, Fla.
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David Jolinder
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Fairmont State
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Jr.
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F
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6-6
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Stockholm, Sweden
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Dwaine Jones
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Charleston
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Sr.
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G
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6-5
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Neptune, N.J.
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Jae Slack
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West Virginia State
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Sr.
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F
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6-6
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Fort Worth, Texas
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Kollin Tolbert
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Concord
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So.
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G
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6-2
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Cincinnati, Ohio
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2025 All-MEC Second Team
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Name
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School
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Cl.
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Pos.
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Ht.
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Hometown
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Corey Boston
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Concord
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Sr.
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G
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5-10
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Lafayette, Ala.
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Rene Diop
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Concord
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Jr.
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F
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6-8
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Dakar, Senegal
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Andre Harris
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Fairmont State
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Sr.
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G
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6-4
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Cleveland, Ohio
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Ja'Corey Lipkins
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Charleston
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Fr.
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G
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6-1
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Canton, Ohio
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Ammar Maxwell
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Glenville State
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Fr.
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G
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6-4
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Beckley, W.Va.
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Nicolas Silva
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Davis & Elkins
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Sr.
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F
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6-7
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Sao Paulo, Brazil
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Finley Woodward
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West Liberty
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Jr.
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F
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6-7
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Bristol, England
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2025 All-MEC Honorable Mention
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Name
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School
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Cl.
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Pos.
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Ht.
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Hometown
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Koby Baptiste
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Frostburg State
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Sr.
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F
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6-6
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New Carrollton, Md.
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Arthur Cox
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West Virginia State
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Sr.
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F/C
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6-8
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Fayetteville, Ark.
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Alex Mirhosseini
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West Virginia Wesleyan
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Sr.
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G
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5-10
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Arlington, Texas
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Tommy Williams
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Fairmont State
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Gr.
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G
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6-2
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Shady Spring, W.Va.
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Player of the Year: Kollin Tolbert (Concord)
Defensive Player of the Year: Rene Diop (Concord)
Freshman of the Year: Ja'Corey Lipkins (Charleston)
Coach of the Year: Ben Howlett (West Liberty)
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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)
2019: Will Vorhees (Notre Dame)
2020: Dalton Bolon (West Liberty)
2021: Dalton Bolon (West Liberty)
2022: Bryce Butler (West Liberty)
2023: Bryce Butler (West Liberty)
2024: Eddie Colbert III (Charleston)
2025: Kollin Tolbert (Concord)
Defensive Player of the Year
2025: Rene Diop (Concord)
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)
2019: Will Yoakum (West Liberty)
2020: Dale Bonner (Fairmont State)
2021: Sam Rolle (Davis & Elkins)
2022: Jalen Knott (Alderson Broaddus)
2023: CJ Meredith (Charleston)
2024: Kyler D'Augustino (West Liberty)
2025: Ja'Corey Lipkins (Charleston)
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)
2019: Tim Koenig (Notre Dame)
2020: Dwaine Osborne (Charleston)
2021: Dwaine Osborne (Charleston)
2022: Ben Howlett (West Liberty)
2023: Daniel Mondragon (Davis & Elkins)
2024: Dwaine Osborne (Charleston)
2025: Ben Howlett (West Liberty)
