FACILITATE ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATED WITH INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCES. THE MOUNTAIN WEST PROVIDES A FIRST-CLASS ATHLETIC AND ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE FOR MORE THAN 5,100 STUDENT-ATHLETES EACH YEAR. OVER THE PAST 18 YEARS, 42 MOUNTAIN WEST STUDENT-ATHLETES HAVE EARNED NCAA POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS, AND SINCE THE LEAGUE'S INCEPTION IN 1999, AN ADDITIONAL 36 STUDENT-ATHLETES HAVE BEEN NAMED MW SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AND AWARDED LEAGUE-SPONSORED POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS. FOUR MOUNTAIN WEST STUDENT-ATHLETES HAVE EARNED DISTINCTION AS RHODES SCHOLARS (JESSICA MELLINGER, WYOMING AND DELAVANE DIAZ, BRITTANY MORREALE AND REBECCA ESSELSTEIN, AIR FORCE).