By: Cody Bush, Associate Commissioner / Strategic Communications
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference named its Week 2 Players of the Week on Monday. Colorado School of Mines running back Landon Walker tied a program record with four touchdowns and was the RMAC Offensive Player of the Week. Fort Lewis linebacker Jacob Penney’s 14-tackle outing helped snap the nation’s longest losing streak and earned him the league’s defensive award. Colorado Mesa kicker/punter Sullivan Moon made two field goals and claimed the RMAC’s special teams honor.
Offensive Player of the Week:
Landon Walker, Colorado School of Mines (R-Jr., Running Back, Fort Worth, Texas)
Walker rushed for a program-record-tying four touchdowns, leading the Orediggers to a 31-28 road win at Washburn on Saturday. His final touchdown came with 7:38 left in the third quarter and proved to be the game-winner. Walker ran for 142 yards on his 18 carries, with none going for a loss while averaging 7.9 yards per carry, and caught four passes for 19 yards. Walker’s four-touchdown day was the first by a Mines athlete since 2019.
Honorable Mention: Cameron Goods, Black Hills State; Devin Larsen, CSU Pueblo; Walker Stone, Fort Lewis; Orlando Westbrook-Sanchez III, South Dakota Mines; Drew Nash, Western Colorado.
Defensive Player of the Week:
Jacob Penney, Fort Lewis College (R-So., Linebacker, Sparks, Nevada)
Penney’s 14-tackle day helped Fort Lewis end the nation’s longest losing streak with a 17-12 victory against Arizona Christian on Saturday. He had six solo tackles in the outing and one tackle for loss. Penney paced a defense that shut out ACU in the first half and allowed only 239 yards of offense. The Skyhawks defense also stopped a pair of two-point conversion attempts in the win.
Honorable Mention: Mylic Ritchie, Black Hills State; Jon Nuschy, CSU Pueblo; Charlie Smith, Colorado Mesa; Quezon Villa, Colorado Mesa; Hunter Newsom, South Dakota Mines; Cameron Cooper, Western Colorado.
Special Teams Player of the Week
Sullivan Moon, Colorado Mesa (Jr., Kicker/Punter, Colorado Springs, Colorado)
Moon converted a pair of field goal attempts and averaged 38.0 yards on four punt attempts against nationally-ranked Central Washington on Saturday. He converted field goals of 20 and 35 yards to account for half of the Mavericks’ offense. Walker averaged 38.0 yards per punt, with two of his four kicks downed inside the 20-yard line, and he had a 67-yard punt. He also handled kickoff duties, with three of his four kickoffs going for touchbacks, averaging 63.3 yards per kickoff.
Honorable Mention: Derek Webster, Black Hills State; Zack Rakowsky, CSU Pueblo; Mike Jones, New Mexico Highlands; Connor Taylor, South Dakota Mines.
RMAC Football Week 2 Results
South Dakota Mines 17, Upper Iowa 10
St. Thomas (Minn.) 24, Black Hills State 14
Colorado School of Mines 31, Washburn 28
Central Washington 28, Colorado Mesa 12
Fort Lewis 17, Arizona Christian 12
Texas Permian Basin 67, Adams State 14
Grand Valley State 24, CSU Pueblo 21
Western Colorado 26, West Texas A&M 17
Western New Mexico 36, New Mexico Highlands 33
RMAC Football Week 3 Schedule
Saturday, Sept. 21
Colorado School of Mines at Chadron State
New Mexico Highlands at South Dakota Mines
Fort Lewis College at Black Hills State
Colorado Mesa at CSU Pueblo
Adams State at Western Colorado
About the RMAC
The RMAC is a premier NCAA Division II conference located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with 15 member schools. The RMAC sponsors 22 varsity NCAA sports and has produced 65 NCAA Division II national champions and 52 national runners-up since 1992.
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