UMW Athletics
Lindsey Branch
DILLON – The Frontier Conference has announced its postseason football awards for the 2024 season. Montana Western had 13 players receive all-conference honors, two honorable mentions, and two individuals given yearly awards. The all-conference teams are chosen in voting by the league’s coaches.
Head coach Ryan Nourse was the conference Coach-of-the-Year after guiding Montana Western to their back-to-back outright Frontier Conference title.
The Bulldogs are 9-1 overall record prior to their second round of NAIA Football Championship Series Second Round home contest versus Dickinson State (N.D.) on Saturday. UMW had won six straight games to conclude their regular-season and earned a No. 4 ranking in the final NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 national poll.
Bulldog first team all-conference selections:
Michael Palandri – QB (Maple Valley, Wash. / R-SO)
Eli Nourse – WR & PR (Dillon, Mont. / FR)
Marcus Lombard – OL (Laie, Hawaii / R-JR)
Rocco Beccari – OL (Kalispell, Mont. / SR)
Dylan Shipley – WR (Maple Valley, Wash. / JR)
Kenai Liua – DL (Hauula, Hawaii / SR)
Jace Fitzgerald – LB (Dillon, Mont. / R-JR)
John Mears – K (Belgrade, Mont. / R-JR)
Bulldog second team all-conference selections:
Jake Humphrey – RB (Walla Walla, Wash. / R-SO)
Eli Wells – OL (Hyrum, Utah / SR)
Keegen Muffich – LB (Butte, Mont. / JR)
Braden Swank – DB (Maple Valley, Wash. / SR)
Coby Tanioka – KR (Kaneohe, Hawaii / SO)
Bulldog honorable mention selections:
Brady Mounts – DB (Bozeman, Mont. / R-JR)
James Ochs – LB (Laurel, Mont. R-JR)
Montana Western Champions of Character selection:
Pete Gibson – RB (Dillon, Mont. / R-SR)