While Wyoming Cowboy and Cowgirl basketball have had relatively polar opposite seasons–the Cowboys finished ninth place in the Mountain West with just five league wins, as opposed to the Cowgirls who finished in second place with an impressive 14 league wins– both teams are bringing home some impressive individual accolades for some of their star performers.
The Cowgirls’ roster had players littered throughout the post-season All-Mountain West awards, which were released on March 9.
To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Allyson Fertig took home the honor of being the player of the year in the conference after being recognized in the preseason for the same honor. Fertig, who has pulled down the most rebounds in Cowgirl basketball history, leads the Mountain West and the Cowgirls in both scoring and rebounding.
The Cowgirls’ talented senior point guard Emily Mellema took home the defensive player of the year honors after being a standout lock-down defender all year long. Mellema averages two-plus steals a game and is commonly tasked with defending the opposing team’s top offensive player.
Junior Malene Pederson received All-Mountain West for the first time in her career, but Pederson was elected as the Mountain West freshman of the year during her freshman campaign in 2022-2023. Pederson is currently the second-leading scorer on this Cowgirls’ squad averaging 13.9 points per game.
Those three, plus the rest of the Cowgirls’ talented roster helped in winning the most conference games in program history, as the Cowgirls finished second in the league with a 14-4 record.
On the Cowboys’ side of things, standout senior Obi Agbim was the only player on the roster to receive an All-Mountain West nod, being selected for the third team. Agbim was also recognized as the Newcomer of the Year in the conference, as he averaged 17.8 points and 3.5 assists. Agbim was the only player on the roster who averaged double-figures as well.
