CMU's Stephan named South Central Player of the Year, four RMAC players earn All-Region
SILVER CITY, N.M. – The D2CCA South Central Region Men’s Basketball All-Region teams were announced Monday, and Colorado Mesa’s Ryan Stephan was tabbed the South Central Player of the Year.
Four RMAC players landed on the First or Second All-Region Teams.
Sports information directors from NCAA Division II South Central Region schools and conferences selected the D2CCA all-region teams. The process concludes with All-American selections announced later in the month.
Stephan, the 2016 RMAC Player of the Year, is among the nation’s leaders in a number of statistical categories. He’s second in the country in scoring (26.0 points per game) and total rebounds (321). He ranks third nationally with 11.5 rebounds per game. He ranks in the top 10 nationally in nine categories.
He senior finished his career second in Colorado Mesa history with 2,073 points – a number good enough to place his eighth on the RMAC’s all-time scoring list.
Joining Stephan on the South Central All-Region First Team is Colorado Mines’ Gokul Natesan. The junior earned All-RMAC First Team honors earlier this year after finishing fifth in the league in scoring (20.7 points per game). He earned Defensive Player of the Year honors from the conference after leading the league in steals (68).
Alex Welsh, of UCCS, and Jonathon Mines, of New Mexico Highlands, landed on the All-Region Second Team.
Welsh, a senior, finished second in the RMAC with 22.9 points per game. This year he also became UCCS’ all-time leading scorer.
Mines finished third in the league in scoring (22.1 ppg) while finishing fifth with 84 made 3-pointers. Both Welsh and Mines landed on the All-RMAC First Team.
2015-16 D2CCA NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball South Central Regional Team
First Team
Ryan Stephan, Colorado Mesa (C, Sr., Lakewood, Colo.)
David Chavlovich, West Texas A&M (G, So., Arlington, Texas)
Gokul Natesan, Colorado School of Mines (G/F, Jr., Santa Clara, Calif.)
John Moon, Oklahoma Christian (C, Jr., Crescent, Okla.)
EJ Reed, Tarleton State (F, Sr., Mesquite, Texas)
Second Team
Alex Welsh, University of Colorado Colorado Springs (F, Sr., Westminster, Colo.)
Tre Bennett, Angelo State (G, Sr., Houston, Texas)
Khapri Alston, Midwestern State (F, Sr., Chicago, Ill.)
Jonathon Mines, New Mexico Highlands (G, Sr., Brisbane, Australia)
JC Hartzler, Rogers State (G, Sr., Tulsa, Okla.)
South Central Regional Player of the Year
Ryan Stephan, Colorado Mesa