Where the good news shines

Western Colorado University senior wrestler Dean Noble was named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference’s Man of the Year on Wednesday.

Noble, a Wellington native, becomes the first Western Colorado student-athlete and first RMAC men’s wrestler to receive one of the RMAC’s four major individual awards.

Noble finished his career on the mat with a fourth-place finish in the 149-pound weight class at the NCAA Division II Men’s Wrestling Championships. It capped a stellar season that saw him earn first team All-RMAC and finish third at the NCAA Division II Super Region VI Championships.

The fifth-year senior recently earned two bachelor’s degrees as a double major in business administration and exercise sports science with a 3.50 grade-point average. He was a two-time National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-American (2023-24 and 2024-25) and a three-time RMAC Academic Honor Roll honoree.

(“Colorado Sunshine” celebrates the good news in sports. Suggestions encouraged through Denver Gazette sports editor Paul Klee at [email protected].)