DENVER-Tuesday, Utah Valley men’s basketball graduate forward Evan Cole was named to the preseason All-WAC  second team as selected by the media in Western Athletic Conference preseason honors Tuesday morning.

Furthermore, Dixie State senior forward Hunter Schofield was named to the second team as well.

Cole is a 6-10 230-pound forward out of Atlanta who spent the last three seasons at Georgia Tech.

In playing 27 games for the 17-14 Yellow Jackets last season, Cole averaged 4.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.

Cole shot 47.1 percent from the field and averaged 3.9 points and 3 rebounds per contest for Georgia Tech during his collegiate career.

Schofield, a 6-8 senior forward-center out of Spanish Fork, averaged 16.4 points and 6 rebounds last  season for the Trailblazers.

Cole and Schofield each were all-second team WAC selections in the coaches and media polls.

In the preseason media poll, New Mexico State was picked to win the WAC as the Aggies amassed 150 points.

The other schools were selected to finish as follows:

2. Grand Canyon

3. Texas-Rio Grande Valley

4. California Baptist

5. Seattle U.

6. Utah Valley

7. Dixie State.

8. Tarleton

9. Chicago State.

In the coaches poll, the Aggies were also slated to finish first, netting 64 points. The rest of the schools finished as follows:

2. Grand Canyon

3. Texas-Rio Grande Valley

4. California Baptist

5. Seattle U.

6. Tarleton

7. Utah Valley

8. Dixie State

9. Chicago State

The WAC preseason player of the year is New Mexico State redshirt junior guard Jabari Rice.

The 6-4 180-pound Houston native averaged 12.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game last season for the 25-6 Aggies, who went 16-0 in WAC play last season.

For his career at Las Cruces, N.M., Rice averages 8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game for New Mexico State.