CAA Announces 2026 Men's Soccer Major Award Winners
RICHMOND, Va. (Nov. 5, 2026) – The Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) has announced its 2026 Men's Soccer major award winners, highlighted by Elon's Dominik Renz earning Player of the Year honors. Stony Brook's Alex Fleury was selected as Midfielder of the Year, while UNCW claimed three of the five major awards. Jake Roberts was named Defender of the Year, Cameron Keay earned Rookie of the Year honors, and Seahawks head coach Aidan Heaney rounded out the major award winners as Coach of the Year.
Renz was named CAA Player of the Year following a standout season in which he led the conference in both goals and points. The redshirt junior recorded 10 goals and 24 points for the Phoenix, ranking tied for 18th nationally in goals and tied for 21st in points. His 10 goals more than doubled his previous season total of four, while his 24 points doubled his 2025 production of 12. Renz was named CAA Rookie of the Year last season and earned All-CAA Second Team and All-Rookie Team honors. This season, Renz started all 17 games for the Phoenix and scored in four of his final six contests, helping the team carry a 13-game unbeaten streak into postseason play.
Fleury received the CAA Midfielder of the Year nod, marking the first major postseason honor of his career. The Lachine, Québec, Canada, native recorded five goals and 14 points in 1,210 minutes of action, starting all 15 games for Stony Brook and helping the Seawolves finish atop the North Division. Fleury registered at least one point in nine matches this season. His season was highlighted by a game-winning goal in the 86th minute that lifted the Seawolves to a 2-1 road win over Quinnipiac on Sept. 9, marking the first game-winner of his career.
Roberts was tabbed the CAA's top defender after anchoring a UNCW backline that opened the season with four consecutive shutouts and finished the regular season with six games in which opponents were held scoreless. UNCW allowed just 13 goals this season, tied with Stony Brook for the fewest in the conference. The senior defender started 13 games for the Seahawks, logging 1,153 minutes and scoring two game-winning goals in CAA play against Elon on Sept. 5 and Campbell on Sept. 19.
Keay earned CAA Rookie of the Year honors after pacing the Seahawks with 20 points on eight goals, both marks ranking among the top three in the conference. His eight goals ranked third in the CAA, while his three game-winning goals led the league. The Paisley, Scotland, native earned CAA Rookie of the Week honors three times this season (Sept. 14, Sept. 21, and Nov. 2) and scored in four of his final five contests. His eight goals marked the most by a Seahawk since Phillip Goodrum recorded 11 in 2019.
Heaney earned his sixth career CAA Coach of the Year honor after leading UNCW to an unbeaten 7-0-1 record in conference play, matching the program's 2019 mark for its best conference record. The Seahawks captured their fifth CAA regular-season championship and posted an 11-2-2 overall record, a six-win improvement from the previous season's 5-9-2 mark. Under Heaney's leadership, UNCW secured the South Division's top seed for the CAA Championship while allowing just 13 goals, tying Stony Brook for the fewest in the conference.
UNCW had a league-best five players on the All-CAA first team as Keay and Roberts were joined by Benjamin Gooding, Bryan Miralrio and goalkeeper Alex Kron. Three Stony Brook players made the squad as Ryan Farr and Nelson Reynoso joined Fleury. Elon’s Oscar Tonidandel made the team along with Renz and Charleson was represented by Matt Lenert.
2026 CAA Men’s Soccer Major Awards
Player of the Year: Dominik Renz, Elon
Midfielder of the Year: Alex Fleury, Stony Brook
Defender of the Year: Jake Roberts, UNCW
Rookie of the Year: Cameron Keay, UNCW
Coach of the Year: Aidan Heaney, UNCW
First Team
| Name |
School |
Class |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Ryan Farr |
Stony Brook |
So. |
F |
Saratoga Springs, N.Y. |
| Alex Fleury |
Stony Brook |
Sr. |
M |
Lachine, Québec, Canada |
| Benjamin Gooding |
UNCW |
So. |
D |
Raleigh, N.C. |
| Cameron Keay |
UNCW |
Fr. |
F |
Paisley, Scotland |
| Matt Lenert |
Charleston |
Sr. |
F |
Falls Church, Va. |
| Bryan Miralrio |
UNCW |
Sr. |
M |
Arlington, Texas |
| Dominik Renz |
Elon |
R-Jr. |
F |
Ulm, Germany |
| Nelson Reynoso |
Stony Brook |
R-So. |
D |
Brooklyn, N.Y. |
| Jake Roberts |
UNCW |
Sr. |
D |
Huntersville, N.C. |
| Oscar Tonidandel |
Elon
|
R-So. |
M |
Clemmons, N.C. |
| Alex Kron |
UNCW |
R-Jr. |
GK |
Louisville, Ky. |
Second Team
| Name |
School |
Class |
Pos. |
Hometown |
Joel Bona
|
Hofstra
|
Grad. |
D |
Barcelona, Spain |
| Gavin Carmichael |
UNCW |
Jr. |
D |
Baltimore, Md. |
| Jahmir Flowers |
Elon |
Sr. |
F |
Greensboro, N.C. |
| Raul Garcia |
Monmouth |
Sr. |
D |
Madrid, Spain |
| Aidan Gatchell |
William & Mary |
Fr. |
M |
East Greenbush, N.Y. |
| Brown Huffard |
William & Mary |
Fr. |
F |
McLean, Va. |
| Kortay Koç |
Northeastern |
Fr. |
M |
Katy, Texas |
| Gabe Ruitenberg |
William & Mary |
Sr. |
F |
Riverdale, N.J. |
| Pietro Santi |
Hofstra |
Grad. |
D |
Civitavecchia, Italy |
| Lucas Siikala |
UNCW |
So. |
F |
North Richland Hills, Texas |
| Ben Schulz |
Hofstra |
Fr. |
M |
Berlin, Germany |
| Drew Hartman |
Elon |
R-Jr. |
GK |
Washington, D.C. |
Third Team
| Name |
School |
Class |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Olsen Aluc |
Stony Brook |
Grad. |
F |
Bohemia, N.Y. |
| Stian Bendvold |
Charleston |
Jr. |
M |
Begby, Norway |
| Henrik Boer |
Charleston |
Grad. |
D |
Oegstgeest, Netherlands |
| Sebastian Drummond |
Stony Brook |
So. |
D |
Liverpool, England |
| Osei Gyamfi |
UNCW |
Jr. |
M |
Kumasi, Ghana |
| Beckham Harris |
William & Mary |
So. |
M |
Summerville, S.C. |
| Magnus Jacobsen |
Elon |
So. |
D |
Silkeborg, Denmark |
| Sean Keane |
Hofstra |
Grad. |
D |
Blarney, Cork, Ireland |
| Victor Moerck |
Drexel |
Sr. |
F |
Vaerloese, Denmark |
| Finlay Oliver |
Stony Brook |
Sr. |
F |
Oneonta, N.Y. |
| Diego Garciarena |
William & Mary |
Sr. |
GK |
Asuncion, Paraguay |
| Milo Risenhoover |
Hofstra |
Grad. |
GK |
Portland, OR |
All Rookie Team
| Name |
School |
Class |
Pos. |
Hometown |
Bemanzi Alibaruho
|
Charleston
|
R-Fr. |
M |
Jacksonville, Fla. |
Cormac Austin
|
UNCW
|
Fr. |
M |
Belfast, Ireland |
Tate Duax
|
Northeastern
|
Fr. |
M/D |
Ankeny, Iowa |
Aidan Gatchell
|
William & Mary
|
Fr. |
M/F |
East Greenbush, N.Y. |
Brown Huffard
|
William & Mary
|
Fr. |
F |
McLean, Va. |
| Cameron Keay |
UNCW
|
Fr. |
F |
Paisley, Scotland |
| Kortay Koç |
Northeastern
|
Fr. |
M |
Katy, Texas |
Aydin Pondeca
|
Campbell
|
Fr. |
D |
Dallas, Texas |
Ben Schulz
|
Hofstra
|
Fr. |
M |
Berlin, Germany |
| James York |
Hofstra
|
Fr. |
M |
Melbourne, Australia |