CEDAR CITY, UTAH -- The Western Athletic Conference has announced the 2025-26 postseason awards for the men's basketball season. Elijah Duval highlighted the way for the Thunderbirds, earning Freshman of the Year honors, as well as earning a spot on the All-Conference Second-Team and the All-Freshman team. Jaiden Feroah was the only other Thunderbirds player to earn an award, being recognized for his outstanding defensive season. Feroah earned a spot on the WAC All-Defensive team.

Head Coach Rob Jeter said

"Elijah is an incredibly talented player, but where he has impressed me the most is his growth as a leader and a teammate. He is a really good kid that loves to play the game of basketball, and he has a very bright future. And the same can be said for Jaiden. He was able to come back to Utah and play in front of a lot of his family and friends which was important to him. So to see how hard he worked to get to where he is now, it is really impressive. Both of these young men are incredibly deserving of the recognition they are receiving."

Elijah Duval - Freshman of the Year, All-Conference Second-Team, and All-Freshman Team

Duval has been unbelievably consistent throughout the entire season for the Thunderbirds. He leads the team in scoring at 15.2 points per game, which also checks in at sixth in the conference. He averaged four rebounds per game, good enough for 19th in the conference, and is seventh in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.03.

The true freshman is third in the conference in assists per game, averaging 3.67 dimes per contest. He is 15th in the league in steals per game with 1.23 and checks in at fourth in the conference in FG%, shooting 47% on the year. 

Elijah has scored at least 20 points eight different times this season, and has reached double-digits in 23 of his 30 games played.

Duval was also involved in the No. 1 highlight of the WAC regular season, throwing down a vicious dunk over Utah Tech's Ethan Potter that earned him the No. 2 spot on ESPN's SportsCenter Top-10 plays.

Jaiden Feroah - WAC All-Defensive Team

Jaiden Feroah has exceeded expectations since arriving at Southern Utah, both offensively and defensively. 

He has played over 900 minutes on the year, and leads the team in rebounding at 6.7 per contest, which is third in the WAC. He is the best shot-blocker in the league, leading the conference with 51 blocks this season, averaging 1.6 per game. He also averages just under one steal per contest.

Jaiden is eighth in the league in points per game, averaging just under 14, and is second in the league in FG%, at 56%.

He is third in the conference in double-doubles with six on the year, including an outstanding performance at Utah Tech, where he scored 35 points and corralled 12 rebounds.

He recorded at least two blocks in 15 of 31 games this season, including a massive eight against UTRGV, and he has recorded at least one block in 27 of 31 games.

Both Elijah and Jaiden have been key pieces to the success of the T-Birds this season and will look to continue that success in postseason play at the Air Force Reserve WAC Basketball Tournament.

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Tickets to the 2026 Air Force Reserve WAC Basketball Tournament are available. They can be purchased online at orleans.boydgaming.com.

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