Elijah Duval has been named Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Freshman of the Year for the 2025-26 men’s basketball season, according to a Mar. 10 announcement from the conference. Duval also earned spots on the All-Conference Second-Team and the All-Freshman Team, while teammate Jaiden Feroah was selected for the WAC All-Defensive Team.
These awards highlight individual achievements for Southern Utah Thunderbirds players during a competitive season. The recognition reflects both players’ significant contributions to their team’s performance and standing in the conference.
Duval led his team in scoring with an average of 15.2 points per game, ranking sixth in the conference. He also averaged four rebounds per game and was seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.03. As a true freshman, he ranked third in assists per game with 3.67 and fourth in field goal percentage at 47%. Duval scored at least 20 points eight times this season and reached double digits in 23 out of his 30 games played. He was also featured on ESPN’s SportsCenter Top-10 plays for a dunk against Utah Tech’s Ethan Potter.
Feroah made his mark defensively by leading his team with an average of 6.7 rebounds per game, which placed him third in the WAC. He led the league with 51 blocks this season, averaging 1.6 per game, and recorded at least two blocks in fifteen games out of thirty-one played. Offensively, Feroah averaged just under fourteen points per game and was second in field goal percentage at fifty-six percent.
Both players have been key contributors to Southern Utah’s success this year and are expected to play important roles as their team heads into postseason competition at the Air Force Reserve WAC Basketball Tournament.
