University of Hawaii punter Scott Harding was named to the All-Mountain West first team Tuesday, and he selected honorable metnion as a punt returner.
Kealakehe graduate and UNLV standout defensive back Peni Vea garnered honorable mention honors for a second-straight season. The junior defensive back had 56 tackles, 3.5 sacks, one interception and one forced fumble for the Rebels.
Harding, a senior from Brisbane, Australia, was the only Rainbow Warrior selected to either the first or second teams. Six others garnered honorable mention; offensive linemen Kody Afusia, Ben Clarke, and Sean Shigematsu; kicker Tyler Hadden, defensive back Taz Stevenson; and defensive lineman Beau Yap.
The teams were selected by the 12 head coaches and select media panel.
Colorado State senior quarterback Garrett Grayson was chosen as the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, while Utah State senior linebacker Zach Vigil was named MW Defensive Player of the Year. Air Force senior kicker/punter Will Conant earned the MW Special Teams Player of the Year award, while UNLV wide receiver Devonte Boyd was honored as the MW Freshman of the Year. Jim McElwain of Colorado State was selected as the MW Coach of the Year.
Harding, a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s top punter, was also a nominee for the Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player. He set a single-season school record with 86 punts with a 41.3 average and was among the nation’s leaders with 34 punts inside the 20, including 17 inside the 10. His unique punting style directly led to five turnovers while 85 percent of his punts were not returned.
As a punt returner, Harding averaged 8.8 yards per return while 10 of his 25 returns went for 10 yards or more. He tied the school’s single-game school record with seven returns (76 yards) against Northern Iowa, a game in which he was selected as the MW’s Special Teams Player of the Week.
Yap, a second-team all-MW pick last season, completed his UH career by recording 45 tackles, including 8.5 for loss and 4.5 sacks. The senior from Pearl City, Oahu scored his first career touchdown, recovering a fumble against Northern Iowa and finished his career with 14 career sacks, which ranks 11th in school history.
Clarke, a junior from Littleton, Colo., is a three-time honorable mention all-league selection.
In his first season at the left tackle position, he allowed only two sacks and graded out with a team-best 88 percent. The highlight of his season occurred in UH’s season-opener against Washington in which he held Huskies heralded defensive end Hau‘oli Kekahi without a sack.
Afusia, a senior from Midway City, Calif., and Shigematsu, a senior from Kapaa, Kauai, each closed out their careers having their best seasons. Afusia split time between center and left guard while Shigematsu started all 13 games at right tackle.
Hadden, a senior from Whittier, Calif., converted a career-best 18 field goals and was a perfect 28-for-28 in PAT attempts.
At one point in the season, he made nine straight field goal attempts, including four at Colorado. Nearly half of his kickoffs went for touchbacks.
In his only season at UH, Stevenson led the Rainbow Warriors with 88 tackles (69 solo). He also recorded one quarterback hurry and one forced fumble.
