Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald
BYU junior quarterback Jake Retzlaff throws a pass during the Big 12 game against Oklahoma State at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024.
BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff received a couple of midseason honors on Tuesday.
He was named to the mid-season watch list for the prestigious Maxwell Award, presented annually by the Maxwell Football Club to the outstanding player in college football.
He was also named to the Davey O’Brien QB Class of 2024 by the Davey O’Brien Foundation. Each member of the group is now an official candidate of the 2024 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award.
Retzlaff has started every game for No. 9-ranked BYU, leading the Cougars to a perfect 8-0 start. The 6-1, 205-pound junior from Corona, California, has competed 137 of 229 passes for 1,872 yards and 18 touchdowns. He is also the Cougars’ second-leading rusher with 63 carries for 303 yards and three additional scores.
For his performance during the first half of the season, Retzlaff was previously named Midseason Big 12 Quarterback of the Year and All-Big 12 First Team by College Football Network. The Cougar co-captain was also named to the Davey O’Brien Great 8 list and placed on the official Davey O’Brien Award Midseason Watch List following BYU’s 38-35 comeback win over Oklahoma State in week seven.
Established in 1937, the Maxwell Award is one of the most prestigious honors in college football. The annual award was named in honor of Robert “Tiny” Maxwell who was a football standout at Swarthmore College and later a renowned sportswriter and football official.
Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced on Nov. 12, with the three finalists being unveiled on Nov. 26. The winner of the 88th Maxwell Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on Dec. 12.
The Maxwell Football Club was founded in 1935 and is the oldest football organization of its kind in America. The Club recognizes excellence in performance at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of the game.
In addition to Retzlaff, five other Big 12 quarterbacks were named to the Davey O’Brien QB Class of 2024, including Rocco Becht (Iowa State), Josh Hoover (TCU), Avery Johnson (Kansas State), Shedeur Sanders (Colorado) and Brendan Sorsby (Cincinnati).
Semifinalists selected from the 2024 Quarterback Class will be named on Nov. 12. The Foundation will then announce three finalists on Nov. 26. The winner of the 2024 Davey O’Brien Award will be unveiled live on ESPN on Dec. 12, during The Home Depot College Football Awards. Fan voting on social media will earn players bonus selection committee votes during the semifinalist, finalist and winner voting rounds.
The 48th Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner honoring the winner will be held Feb. 17, 2025, at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
Kemavor named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week
BYU women’s volleyball middle blocker Brielle Kemavor has been named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week, the conference announced on Tuesday morning.
A product of Bristow, Virginia, Kemavor paced the Cougars at the net with a career-high 12 blocks in their four-set win at Colorado this week. The middle blocker averaged a league-leading three blocks per set, with her 12 total blocks good for fourth-most among conference student-athletes on the week.
Tallying 14 kills (hitting .600) and 12 blocks against the Buffaloes, Kemavor recorded her second double-double of the season. She is just the seventh middle blocker to record a double-double in the rally scoring era at BYU, the fifth to post more than one in the same season and first since 2012.
Kemavor is the second Cougar to earn a Big 12 award this season after setter Alex Bower was named the league’s Rookie of the Week earlier this month.
No. 20 BYU is back home this week for games against No. 13 Arizona State and Arizona, beginning with the Sun Devils on Thursday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. MDT.
Five Cougar women’s soccer players earn All-Big 12 Honors
BYU women’s soccer earned six All-Big 12 honors for five athletes following the conclusion of the regular season. Allie Fryer, Avery Frischknecht, Mackenzee Vance, Mika Krommenhoek and Lucy Kesler earned First, Second and All-Freshman Team selections.
Honors were chosen by the league’s head coaches who were not allowed to vote for themselves or their own student-athletes.
In year two as members of the Big 12 Conference, the Cougars went 6-2-3, and posted an overall record of 8-5-5. BYU finished its season with a No. 4 conference ranking, earning a bye to advance to the Quarterfinals of the Sprouts Farmers Market Big 12 Soccer Championship on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 11:30 a.m. CT.
The following Cougars were All-Big 12 First Team selections:
Avery Frischknecht
As BYU’s starting center back, Frischknecht saw a team-high 1,620 minutes on the pitch. She tallied a career-high four goals on the year, the fourth-highest goals scored by a Cougar this season. All four goals by Frischknecht have come from headers, including her goal in the 90th minute against Texas Tech to give BYU the 2-1 win for its last game of the regular season.
Allie Fryer
As a starting forward for the Cougars, Fryer led her team with nine goals and 63 shots on the season. This is her second year in a row with nine goals in a single season. She also added two assists and 1,220 minutes on the pitch this year. Fryer has earned back-to-back All-Big 12 awards, being named to the All-Big 12 Second Team last year.
The following Cougars were All-Big 12 Second Team selections:
Mackenzee Vance
As a starting midfielder in her first season with the Cougars, Vance played 1,421 minutes on the pitch and tallied five goals, one assist and 36 shots. She is second in shots and goals for BYU just behind Fryer. After transferring to BYU from UCLA in the offseason, Vance has become a pinnacle midfielder for the Cougars, with quick transitions and two goals from free kicks outside the 18-yard box.
Mika Krommenhoek
As a true freshman, Krommenhoek earned All-Big 12 Second Team and All-Freshman Team honors. She started and played all 18 games this season for 1,459 minutes on the pitch in the center midfield position. She had her first-career goal against Oklahoma State and first career assists against Iowa State. She had three total assists and 28 shots on the year.
The following Cougars were All-Big 12 All-Freshman Team selections:
Lucy Kesler
After graduating high school early to join BYU’s soccer team, the 17-year old Kesler became a staple center midfielder for the Cougars. She has played 16 games, starting in nine for a total of 1,095 minutes on the pitch. Kesler scored her first collegiate goal against Houston on BYU’s last home game of the season. She also added three assists and 17 shots to her stat sheet.
Mika Krommenhoek
Krommenhoek earned All-Big 12 Second Team and All-Freshman Team honors as a true freshman midfielder for the Cougars.
