MARLBOROUGH, Mass. – The NEWMAC has released its Men’s Soccer postseason awards, as announced by the conference on Friday morning. The awards are determined by the conference’s nine coaches following the conclusion of regular-season play.
Winger
Gael Vera (Westminster, Mass.) of Wheaton College was voted NEWMAC Athlete of the Year, while teammate
Leao Nelson (Bar Harbor, Maine) earned Defensive Player of the Year honors. WPI’s
Adin Pezo (Everett, Mass.) was voted Rookie of the Year. WPI’s
Floris Huiskers (Amsterdam, Netherlands) was the Laurels of Academic Excellence honoree. The Wheaton coaching staff was selected as Coaching Staff of the Year by their peers.
Vera headlines the first team forward selections and is joined by Babson College’s
Alexander Yablonovskiy (Berkeley Heights, N.J.) and Springfield College’s
Parker Thornton (Malden, Mass.). Nelson leads the defender selections and is joined by teammate
Owen Kane (Pembroke, Mass.), Babson’s
Liam Goldstein (Princeton, N.J.), Emerson College’s
Daniel Bede (Framingham, Mass.), and U.S. Coast Guard Academy’s
Aidan Miles (Tampa, Fla.). Three midfielders were honored in Babson’s
Will Lloyd (Lexington, Mass.), Coast Guard’s
Cole Miller (Annapolis, Md.), and Wheaton’s
Joey Everett (Danbury, Conn.). Wheaton’s
Michael O’Gara (Ardmore, Pa.) rounds out the first team in the goalkeeper slot.
Declan Rhatigan (Holderness, N.H.) of Wheaton, Coast Guard’s
Aki Freeman (San Diego, Calif.), and MIT’s
Shikhar Motupally (Avon, Conn.) are the second team forward selections. Babson’s
Titus Charles (San Tan Valley, Ariz.) and Emerson’s
Dominic Reiter (Pittsburgh, Pa.) are midfield selections, along with MIT’s
Dilin Meloni (Needham, Mass.), Salve Regina University’s
Ben Tomas (Danbury, Conn.), Wheaton’s
Ben Kane (Pembroke, Mass.), and WPI’s
Eli Marden (Shelburne, Vt.) and
Mike Montabana (Jamison, Pa.). A trio of defenders earned a second team nod in
Joao Araujo (Boca Raton, Fla.) of Babson,
Austin Hoadley (South Kent, Conn.) of Wheaton, and
Evan Haas (Concord, N.H.) of WPI. Salve Regina’s
Adonis Santiago (Oakdale, Conn.) closes out the selections in the goalkeeper slot
.
Athlete of the Year- Gael Vera (So., F), Wheaton College
Vera currently sits in a tie for the conference lead in goals with nine, while his six conference goals are good for tops in the NEWMAC. His 13 points in conference play also led the league, while his 23 overall points are third in the league, behind two of his teammates. Vera is a dynamic attacking player whose speed and skill drew constant attention and opened up opportunities for teammates.
Defensive Player of the Year – Leao Nelson (Sr., CB), Wheaton College
Nelson was the defensive leader of a squad that allowed only 11 goals on the year, and only one in conference play, resulting in seven conference shutouts. Nelson added 3 goals and 1 assist on the season from the central back position, including one conference game winner.
Rookie of the Year- Adin Pezo (Fy., M), WPI
Pezo played in 18 games and started 13 for the Engineers, accumulating three goals, tying him for the team lead. He also added an assist for seven points on the season. Pezo was a major part of the WPI attack and is highly skillful, quick, and instinctive on the pitch.
Laurels of Academic Excellence- Floris Huiskers (Sr., M), WPI
The Laurels of Academic Excellence are awarded to the student-athlete with the highest GPA competing at the finals site. A Mathematical Sciences major, Huiskers boasts a perfect 4.00 GPA.
Coaching Staff of the Year – Wheaton College
The Lyons, led by head coach
Bryan Waggoner, went 14-1-4 overall and 7-0-1 in conference play. The Lyons are currently ranked No. 21 in the NCAA NPI rankings and earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Championship. The staff includes Waggoner and assistants
Josh Sousa,
Ethan Alfano,
Connor Cushing, and
Thomas Gatanis.
2025 NEWMAC All-Conference
| Team |
Name |
Position |
Institution |
| First Team All-Conference |
Alexander Yablonovskiy |
Forward |
Babson College |
| First Team All-Conference |
Parker Thornton |
Forward |
Springfield College |
| First Team All-Conference |
Gael Vera |
Forward |
Wheaton College |
| First Team All-Conference |
Will Lloyd |
Midfielder |
Babson College |
| First Team All-Conference |
Cole Miller |
Midfielder |
U.S. Coast Guard Academy |
| First Team All-Conference |
Joey Everett |
Midfielder |
Wheaton College |
| First Team All-Conference |
Liam Goldstein |
Defender |
Babson College |
| First Team All-Conference |
Daniel Bede |
Defender |
Emerson College |
| First Team All-Conference |
Aidan Miles |
Defender |
U.S. Coast Guard Academy |
| First Team All-Conference |
Owen Kane |
Defender |
Wheaton College |
| First Team All-Conference |
Leao Nelson |
Defender |
Wheaton College |
| First Team All-Conference |
Michael O'Gara |
Goalkeeper |
Wheaton College |
|
|
|
|
| Second Team All-Conference |
Shikhar Motupally |
Forward |
MIT |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Aki Freeman |
Forward |
U.S. Coast Guard Academy |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Declan Rhatigan |
Forward |
Wheaton College |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Titus Charles |
Midfielder |
Babson College |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Dominic Reiter |
Midfielder |
Emerson College |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Dilin Meloni |
Midfielder |
MIT |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Ben Tomas |
Midfielder |
Salve Regina University |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Ben Kane |
Midfielder |
Wheaton College |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Eli Marden |
Midfielder |
WPI |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Mike Montabana |
Midfielder |
WPI |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Joao Araujo |
Defender |
Babson College |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Austin Hoadley |
Defender |
Wheaton College |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Evan Haas |
Defender |
WPI |
| Second Team All-Conference |
Adonis Santiago |
Goalkeeper |
Salve Regina University |
About the NEWMAC
The NEWMAC is an association of 12 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Division III Philosophy. The conference also partners with eight Associate Members: Brandeis University (Women's Lacrosse, 2026-2027), New York University (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), SUNY New Paltz (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), and Vassar College (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), while sponsoring 20 sports.