Fort Lewis College Athletics

Cassius Carmichael vs. Colorado Christian

Kaitlyn Silva

Cassius Carmichael (10) at the free throw line against the Cougars in Whalen Gymnasium (Jan. 22, 2026)

Carmichael crowned RMAC Defensive Player of the Week

1/26/2026 2:00:00 PM

By: Hayden Mangan, Assistant AD-Communications & Fan Engagement

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – For the third time in as many weeks, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week resides in Durango as Cassius Carmichael captures the league's week ten defensive honor.

Standing at six-foot-five, Carmichael hails from Glenwood, Ariz., where he graduated from Ironwood High School before beginning his collegiate career. A two-time RMAC Defensive Player of the Week last season (Feb. 3, 24), he joins Stewart Erhart as the only Skyhawks to garner weekly honors this season. This week's award marks Fort Lewis fifth of the year overall and third defensive. FLC ties Western Colorado University for the most weekly awards thus far, and leads the conference in defensive selections.

Carmichael made history last Thursday in a 73-56 win over Colorado Christian University (7-11, 2-8 RMAC), recording 11 steals in 29 minutes of action to tie Adam State University's Mike Reynold's 29-year-old RMAC single-game steals record set back on Dec. 14, 1996. His effort also clears Fort Lewis' program record by a pair of steals, surpassing Shane Berry's and Jeff Norton's previous record of nine steals set in 1996 and 1986, respectively. Carmichael owns the most steals in a game by a Division I or Division II player this season, as well as the second-most steals in a game by any player in the NCAA this year.

He also supplied the Skyhawks' offense with nine points on 4-of-7 shooting, four rebounds, and one assist. Carmichael made the start last Saturday in Fort Lewis' 90-84 win against the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (10-8, 5-5 RMAC), grabbing one steal in the opening minute, but an injury forced him out for the remainder of the contest.

Carmichael is now averaging an RMAC second-best 2.79 steals per game, a mark that also ranks eighth in NCAA Division II, as well as 5.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game.

Fort Lewis will complete the back-half of its four-game home stand this weekend, first welcoming Colorado School of Mines (11-10, 7-3 RMAC) on Thursday, Jan. 29, for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off ahead of Saturday's 3 p.m. matinee against Metropolitan State University of Denver (6-12, 4-6 RMAC) on Jan. 31.

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