Tylan Timoteo and Tevia Tolutau have been named to the Big Sky All-Conference this past week. Big Sky sports officials and members of the media selected Timoteo, a senior offensive lineman, and Tolutau, a sophomore fullback, on July 15.

In his past three seasons with the Wildcats, Timoteo has played in 30 career games and has been the starter for each of the past two seasons. The Waianeae, Hawaii, native earned second-team All-Big Sky honors as a junior last season with the Wildcats.

Tolutau is the only returning Wildcat who earned first-team All-Big Sky honors last year. The Provo native was also the only freshman in the conference to earn those honors. Tolutau returns for his sophomore season as fullback after starting every game with WSU last season.

WSU finished last season with an average of 31.5 points per game and 205.5 rushing yards per game. Both Timoteo and Tolutau played major roles in the contribution to the 26 touchdowns the Wildcats scored on the ground and finished with a conference-leading 5.5 yards per carry.

Every Big Sky school had at least one player named to the All-Conference team. Montana State University led all schools with six players being selected to the team. MSU senior linebacker Jody Owens was named preseason Defensive MVP, and newly added Southern Utah University houses the preseason Offensive MVP senior quarterback, Brad Sorenson.

Along with SUU, the schools of California Polytechnic State University, the University of North Dakota and the University of California, Davis will join the conference for the 2012-13 season, giving the Big Sky a total of 13 football teams.

The preseason polls have WSU picked sixth in the coaches’ poll and seventh in the media poll for the upcoming season. WSU obtained 81 points in the coaches’ poll and 284 points in the media poll with one first-place vote. MSU earned the top spot in both the media and coaches’ preseason poll with seven first-place votes and 136 points in the coaches’ poll, and received 30 of 40 first-place votes and 502 total points in the media poll.

The Wildcats will have to wait for the postseason to play two-time defending Big Sky Conference football co-champion MSU, because they will not face each other in regular season play.

WSU finished last season with a 5-3 record in the Big Sky and a 5-6 record overall. The Wildcats will be under the direction of first-year Head Coach Jody Sears. They will begin the season Sept. 1 at California State University, Fresno. They will play in-state rival and second-year independent Brigham Young University the following week before the home opener against McNeese State University on Sept. 15.

WSU will open Big Sky play on Sept. 22 at home against Eastern Washington University.