BRIDGEPORT – Concord’s Kollin Tolbert headlines the Mountain East Conference Men’s Basketball awards as the 2024-25 Player of the Year, per a vote of the league’s head coaches.
In addition to Tolbert’s top honor, teammate Rene Diop is the recipient of the MEC’s inaugural Defensive Player of the Year award. Charleston’s Ja’Corey Lipkins took home Freshman of the Year honors, while West Liberty’s Ben Howlett was named the Coach of the Year by his peers.
Tolbert, a junior from Cincinnati, Ohio, showcased an impressive all-around game in 2024-25. He is the MEC’s leading scorer, while ranking sixth in rebounds per game, fifth in field goal percentage, third in free throw percentage, and seventh in assists. Tolbert’s hottest stretch came during Concord’s nine-game winning streak, including a 41-point outburst against the University of Charleston on Jan. 22.
Tolbert is joined on the All-MEC first team by Frostburg State’s Jaden Baker; Glenville State’s Devin Collins; West Liberty teammates Kyler D’Augustino and JJ Harper; Wheeling’s Sean Ealy; Fairmont State’s David Jolinder; and Charleston’s Dwaine Jones.
Diop averaged 2.4 blocks per game for the Mountain Lions to earn the league’s defensive prize. The 6-foot-8 forward from Senegal ranks No. 8 in Division II in blocks per game and No. 10 in total blocked shots. Diop posted a single-game high of six blocked shots against West Virginia State on Nov. 24, and also added 16 steals overall on the season.
Lipkins made an immediate impact for UC, appearing in all 27 games (15 starts). He leads the Golden Eagles in scoring (14.1 points per game) and 3-pointers (78 of 185, 42.2 percent). Lipkins ranks No. 15 in the MEC in scoring and second in 3-point percentage. His 78 made 3s is tops in the Mountain East.
Howlett picks up his third career MEC Coach of the Year honor. West Liberty enters this week’s MEC Basketball Tournament on a 13-game winning streak and ranked No. 6 nationally. The Hilltoppers are one of three programs in Division II averaging triple figures, and in the last six games WLU has averaged 116.0 points per game.
In addition to the All-MEC first team and postseason award winners, the conference also recognized second team and honorable mention all-conference teams (listed below).
| 2025 All-MEC First Team | |||||
| Name | School | Cl. | Pos. | Ht. | Hometown |
| Jaden Baker | Frostburg State | Jr. | G | 6-2 | Salisbury, Md. |
| Devin Collins | Glenville State | Gr. | F | 6-8 | Chapmanville, W.Va. |
| Kyler D’Augustino | West Liberty | So. | G | 6-1 | Albany, Ohio |
| Sean Ealy | Wheeling | Sr. | G | 5-11 | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| JJ Harper | West Liberty | Gr. | F | 6-5 | Orlando, Fla. |
| David Jolinder | Fairmont State | Jr. | F | 6-6 | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Dwaine Jones | Charleston | Sr. | G | 6-5 | Neptune, N.J. |
| Jae Slack | West Virginia State | Sr. | F | 6-6 | Fort Worth, Texas |
| Kollin Tolbert | Concord | So. | G | 6-2 | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| 2025 All-MEC Second Team | |||||
| Name | School | Cl. | Pos. | Ht. | Hometown |
| Corey Boston | Concord | Sr. | G | 5-10 | Lafayette, Ala. |
| Rene Diop | Concord | Jr. | F | 6-8 | Dakar, Senegal |
| Andre Harris | Fairmont State | Sr. | G | 6-4 | Cleveland, Ohio |
| Ja’Corey Lipkins | Charleston | Fr. | G | 6-1 | Canton, Ohio |
| Ammar Maxwell | Glenville State | Fr. | G | 6-4 | Beckley, W.Va. |
| Nicolas Silva | Davis & Elkins | Sr. | F | 6-7 | Sao Paulo, Brazil |
| Finley Woodward | West Liberty | Jr. | F | 6-7 | Bristol, England |
| 2025 All-MEC Honorable Mention | |||||
| Name | School | Cl. | Pos. | Ht. | Hometown |
| Koby Baptiste | Frostburg State | Sr. | F | 6-6 | New Carrollton, Md. |
| Arthur Cox | West Virginia State | Sr. | F/C | 6-8 | Fayetteville, Ark. |
| Alex Mirhosseini | West Virginia Wesleyan | Sr. | G | 5-10 | Arlington, Texas |
| Tommy Williams | Fairmont State | Gr. | G | 6-2 | Shady Spring, W.Va. |
Player of the Year: Kollin Tolbert (Concord) Defensive Player of the Year: Rene Diop (Concord) Freshman of the Year: Ja’Corey Lipkins (Charleston) Coach of the Year: Ben Howlett (West Liberty) | |||||
Previous Winners
Player of the Year
2014: Cedric Harris (West Liberty)
2015: Seger Bonifant (West Liberty)
2016: Seger Bonifant (West Liberty)
2017: Matt Bingaya (Fairmont State)
2018: Haywood Highsmith (Wheeling Jesuit)
2019: Will Vorhees (Notre Dame)
2020: Dalton Bolon (West Liberty)
2021: Dalton Bolon (West Liberty)
2022: Bryce Butler (West Liberty)
2023: Bryce Butler (West Liberty)
2024: Eddie Colbert III (Charleston)
2025: Kollin Tolbert (Concord)
Defensive Player of the Year
2025: Rene Diop (Concord)
Freshman of the Year
2014: Thomas Wimbush (Fairmont State)
2015: Pat Moseh (Wheeling Jesuit)
2016: David Dennis (West Liberty)
2017: Luke Layhew (West Virginia Wesleyan)
2018: Dalton Bolon (West Liberty)
2019: Will Yoakum (West Liberty)
2020: Dale Bonner (Fairmont State)
2021: Sam Rolle (Davis & Elkins)
2022: Jalen Knott (Alderson Broaddus)
2023: CJ Meredith (Charleston)
2024: Kyler D’Augustino (West Liberty)
2025: Ja’Corey Lipkins (Charleston)
Coach of the Year
2014: Jim Crutchfield (West Liberty)/Dwaine Osborne (Charleston)
2015: Kent McBride (Concord)
2016: Dan Sancomb (Wheeling Jesuit)
2017: Jerrod Calhoun (Fairmont State)
2018: Ben Howlett (West Liberty)
2019: Tim Koenig (Notre Dame)
2020: Dwaine Osborne (Charleston)
2021: Dwaine Osborne (Charleston)
2022: Ben Howlett (West Liberty)
2023: Daniel Mondragon (Davis & Elkins)
2024: Dwaine Osborne (Charleston)
2025: Ben Howlett (West Liberty)
