MACOMB, Ill. – Western Illinois football kicker Ronan Culkin has been named to the 2026 Fred Mitchell Award Midseason Watch List, recognizing 40 of the nation's top placekickers for their performance on the field during the first half of the season.

The Fred Mitchell Award honors the top placekicker across the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), NCAA Division II, Division III, NAIA and junior college levels. The award recognizes excellence on the field and contributions to the community. Culkin is among 18 FCS kickers included on this year's midseason watch list.

Through six games, Culkin has converted 10 of 12 field-goal attempts (83.3%) and 20 of 21 extra-point attempts. He connected on all four of his attempts from 20–29 yards and all six attempts from 30–39 yards, while recording a season-long field goal of 37 yards. Culkin has also handled kickoff duties, recording 17 touchbacks on 40 kickoffs.

Culkin's consistency has helped Western Illinois in the early stages of the 2026 season, as the Leathernecks enter the second half of the schedule at 3-3 overall and 1-0 in conference play. Western most recently earned a 28-21 victory over Tennessee State on Oct. 3 at Hanson Field.

The Fred Mitchell Award selection committee evaluates placekickers on field-goal accuracy, distance, performance in critical situations and contributions to their communities. The 2026 award recipient will be announced in December following the conclusion of the regular season.

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