Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Colorado Mesa’s Lila Dere is the 2022 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Women’s Soccer Player of the Year, the league announced alongside its all-conference rosters and honorable mention list Tuesday. Colorado School of Mines’ Afton Rasco, Jordan Barnhart and head coach Kevin Fickes join University of Colorado Colorado Springs’ Alexis Walker among the league’s other individual honors. UCCS leads the league with six honorees among the all-conference rosters, three first-teamers and three second-teamers. RMAC individual awards and all-conference rosters are voted on by the league’s 13 head coaches. Coaches are not permitted to vote for themselves or their players.
 
Dere was absolutely dominant throughout the 2022 season, closing the year with 48 points and 23 goals, marks that both currently lead NCAA Division II. The redshirt sophomore is a shark in the offensive third and claimed 14 goals in conference play and goals in 13 of the Mavericks’ 17 matches. She tabbed seven performances with two or more goals and a pair of outings with three or more goals. With her most prolific offensive season to date, Dere entered the Colorado Mesa record books earlier this season and continues to pad her record for career goals (45). She logged 1,380 minutes for the Mavericks throughout the 2022 season and also currently leads the nation in shots per game (6.16), shots on goal per game (3.21) and goals per game (1.21). Dere’s latest RMAC Player of the Year honor marks the second of her CMU career and joins a second consecutive RMAC All-Conference First Team nod.
 
UCCS’ Walker is the RMAC Goalkeeper of the Year and a first-team all-conference distinction after leading the Mountain Lions to a 9-1-2 conference record and the No. 2 seed at the 2022 RMAC Women’s Soccer Tournament. The senior stands first in the nation with 1,710 minutes in the net on the year and boasts a .806 save percentage and .684 goals-against average. She leads the RMAC and ranks third in NCAA DII this season with 11 shutouts and counting and has compiled 54 saves and 13 wins through her 19 appearances. Walker and the No. 25 Mountain Lions will take on Regis in the RMAC Tournament Semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 6 p.m., at Mountain Lion Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo.
 
Colorado School of Mines’ Rasco claims the RMAC Freshman of the Year honor and a second-team all-conference nod after a breakout season for the No. 9 Orediggers. In her debut campaign, the Boise, Idaho, native has put together a golden year filled with 13 points on five goals and three assists. She bolsters a Mines midfield that flusters opponents with its pace and accompanies an attack that is outscoring opponents by a 48-11 margin on the year. Rasco found the net three times throughout conference play and helped the Orediggers claim their sixth RMAC regular-season title in program history with a 10-0-2 conference record. The freshman’s style of play has helped push the Orediggers to a No. 4 ranking in the latest NCAA South Central Regional poll.
 
Mines’ Barnhart earns the RMAC Defensive Player of the Year and a spot on the all-conference first team following a terrific regular season where she steered an already stingy defense for the Orediggers. The redshirt junior captains a defense that ranks first in the nation for shutout percentage (.722) after limiting opponents to .61 goals per game and 11 goals for the year. In addition to her defensive efforts, she also finds her way into the attacking third and has notched five goals, three assists and 18 shots on the year. Barnhart will have the opportunity to continue her impressive 2022 campaign as the top-seeded Orediggers secured a dominant quarterfinal victory at the RMAC Tournament. Mines will now host fifth-seeded Metropolitan State University of Denver on Wednesday evening at Stermole Soccer Stadium in Golden, Colo., for a 6 p.m. kickoff.
 
After leading the Orediggers to yet another regular-season title in his 13th season at the helm for Mines, Fickes was voted the RMAC Coach of the Year. Currently among the nation’s top-10 programs, Fickes and the Orediggers have been dominant all season en route to an unbeaten record in conference play. The Orediggers rank 17th nationally with 128 points and total goals (48). Of their 13 wins throughout the regular-season campaign, Mines toppled a pair of top-25 opponents and captured 12 shutout victories. Fickes has the Orediggers in prime condition after cruising to a 5-0 win in the opening round of the RMAC tournament.
 
The Mountain Lions lead the way among all-conference honorees with six players earning spots among the first and second-team rosters. Colorado School of Mines checks in next with five honorees, followed by MSU Denver and Westminster with four selections apiece. Colorado Mesa and Regis each account for a trio of selections, while Black Hills State rounds out the seven RMAC institutions among the all-conference recipients with one honoree.