UVU’s Nelson, Welling, Phillips earn major WAC awards
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- UVU’s Dominick Nelson (0) drives to the basket against Stanford in a men’s college basketball game in Stanford, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2024.
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- UVU head coach Todd Phillips directs his team during a game against Western Colorado at the UCCU Center in Orem on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024.
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- UVU sophomore Carter Welling hangs on the rim after dunking the ball during the non-conference game against North Dakota at the UCCU Center in Orem on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.
After a dominant season that saw Utah Valley University claim the outright WAC regular-season championship, the Wolverines have cleaned up in conference postseason honors, with Dominick Nelson earning WAC Player of the Year, Carter Welling being named WAC Defensive Player of the Year, and Todd Phillips selected as WAC Coach of the Year, the league announced Monday.
Nelson becomes just the third player in program history to be named WAC Player of the Year, joining Jake Toolson (2018-19) and Fardaws Aimaq (2020-21). Welling extends Utah Valley’s dominance in the WAC Defensive Player of the Year category, becoming the fourth Wolverine in five years to win the award, following Fardaws Aimaq (2020-21, 2021-22) and Aziz Bandaogo (2022-23).
Phillips, in just his second season, becomes the third Utah Valley head coach to earn WAC Coach of the Year honors, following Dick Hunsaker (2013-14) and Mark Madsen (2022-23).
In addition to the major awards, Nelson was named to the All-WAC First Team, Tanner Toolson, Carter Welling earned All-WAC Second Team honors, with Welling also landing on the WAC All-Defensive Team. Jackson Holcombe rounded out the Wolverines’ selections with a WAC All-Freshman Team nod.
2024-25 WAC Men’s Basketball Awards (as voted by the conference’s head coaches)
WAC Player of the Year: Dominick Nelson, G, Utah Valley
WAC Defensive Player of the Year: Carter Welling, F, Utah Valley
WAC Freshman of the Year: Keitenn Bristow, F, Tarleton State
WAC Sixth Player of the Year: Lök Wur, F, Grand Canyon
WAC Coach of the Year: Todd Phillips, Utah Valley
First Team All-Conference
Dominique Daniels Jr., G, California Baptist
JaKobe Coles, F, Grand Canyon
Tyon Grant-Foster, G, Grand Canyon
Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe, F, Seattle U
Dominick Nelson, G, Utah Valley
Second Team All-Conference
Duke Brennan, F, Grand Canyon
Jamir Simpson, G/F, Southern Utah
Lance Ware, F, UT Arlington
Tanner Toolson, G, Utah Valley
Carter Welling, F, Utah Valley
WAC All-Defensive Team
Duke Brennan, F, Grand Canyon
Collin Moore, G, Grand Canyon
Maleek Arington, G, Seattle U
Lance Ware, F, UT Arlington
Carter Welling, F, Utah Valley
WAC All-Freshman Team
Dontrez Williams, G, Abilene Christian
Bradey Henige, F, California Baptist
Keitenn Bristow, G, Tarleton State
Madiba Owona, G, Utah Tech
Jackson Holcombe, F, Utah Valley
