NEW YORK - Akron senior forward Emil Jaaskelainen has been voted the 2024 BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year. DePaul sophomore midfielder Noeh Hernandez has been named Midfielder of the Year and Georgetown defender Tate Lampman garnered Freshman of the Year honors. Rounding out the major awards, Akron senior defender Roberto Ydrach has been named Defensive Player of the Year, his junior teammate Mitch Budler collected Goalkeeper of the Year accolades and Jared Embick and the Akron staff earned BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honors.
Leading the nation with 51 points, Jaaskelainen was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year. It marks the second consecutive season a Zip has collected the major award, with Jason Shokalook garnering the honor in 2023.
Overall, Jaaskelainen enters Thursday’s BIG EAST semifinal contest as the nation’s current leader in points per game (2.83), total goals (22) and goals per game (1.22), as well as third nationally in shots per game (4.61) and shots on goal per game (2.28). In eight conference games, Jaaskelainen tied the BIG EAST record for both points (28) and goals (12) in a season. Jarrod Smith of West Virginia capped the 2006 season with 12 goals and 28 points in 10 outings, while Ryan Finley of Notre Dame tallied 12 goals in eight games in 2012.
A sophomore for the Blue Demons, Hernandez has started 17 games with 18 appearances, while seeing the field for 1,226 minutes in 2024. Playing an integral part in setting up the scoring offense for DePaul, Hernandez led the conference with nine assists, as well as tied for third with eight goals. In league action, he tallied four goals, dished out three assists and ranked third with 11 points.
Ydrach anchored a Zips defense that combined for six shutouts in league play and allowed a league-low five goals in eight games. Ydrach has started 16 games in 2024 and has played 1,286 minutes thus far for the Zips and helped limit opponents to just 65 shots on goal and a .154 shot percentage. The defender also dished out three assists in the regular season.
Budler has started all 18 games in 2024 for the Zips and ranks tied for fifth in the nation with eight registered shutouts. The junior netminder owns an 11-3-4 (0.722) record and the Zips have outscored their opponents 46-17. Budler has gone the distance in every contest this season and has amassed 1,620 total minutes. Budler has played an integral part in Akron’s ongoing 11-game unbeaten streak (10-0-1), notching seven shutouts, corralling 31 saves and allowing just seven goals against.
Playing a key role on Georgetown’s stout back line, Lampman immediately earned the trust of the coaching staff playing 1,602 minutes and starting all 18 games to date. Lampman and the Georgetown defense is tied for sixth nationally having allowed just 0.722 goals per game. In addition, the Hoyas lead the nation with 11 shutouts and rank second with .611 shutouts per game.
Embick and the Akron coaching staff picked up their first BIG EAST honor since joining the league. In 2024, Akron has claimed the BIG EAST Midwest Regular Season title and the top-overall seed in the BIG EAST Championship, capping the regular season 7-0-1 in conference action and 11-3-4 overall. Currently ranked 13th in the United Soccer Coaches poll, Akron will face No. 24 Georgetown Thursday in the semifinal of the BIG EAST Championship Presented by JEEP.
Announced alongside with the regular season awards were the 2024 All-Conference teams. The All-BIG EAST First and Second Teams are positional with nine positional players, a goalkeeper and an at-large vote. The All-BIG EAST Third Team is made up of at least 11 at-large bids.
Joining Jaaskelainen, Hernandez, Ydrach and Budler on the All-BIG EAST First Team was Akron defender Dyson Clapier, Creighton midfielder Jackson Castro, Georgetown’s Maximus Jennings, Matthew Van Horn and Zach Zengue, Providence defender Bernardo Prego and Villanova midfielder Jason Bouregy.
See below for a full listing of the award winners.
2024 BIG EAST Regular Season Awards
BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year
Emil Jaaskelainen, Akron, Sr., F ^
BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year
Noeh Hernandez, DePaul, So., M
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
Roberto Ydrach, Akron, Sr., D
BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year
Mitch Budler, Akron, Jr., GK
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year
Tate Lampman, Georgetown, Fr., D
BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year
Akron ^
All-BIG EAST First Team
Mitch Budler, Akron, Jr., GK
Dyson Clapier, Akron, Sr., F
Emil Jaaskelainen, Akron, Sr., F ^
Roberto Ydrach, Akron, Sr., D
Jackson Castro, Creighton, Sr., M
Noeh Hernandez, DePaul, So., M
Maximus Jennings, Georgetown, Sr., D
Matthew Van Horn, Georgetown, So., M
Zach Zengue, Georgetown, Jr., F
Bernardo Prego, Providence, Gr., D
Jason Bouregy, Villanova, Gr., M
All-BIG EAST Second Team
Malik Henry, Akron, Sr., F
Wan Kamal Wan Kuzri, Akron, Sr., M
Palmer Ault, Butler, Jr., F
Joost De Schutter, Butler, R-So., M
Scott Testori, UConn, Sr., F
Mark O’Neill, Creighton, Sr., D
Lukas Burns, Providence, Gr., GK
Bruno Rosa, Providence, Jr., F
Rodrigo Vaza, Providence, Gr., M
Thomas Lamaille, St. John's, Sr., D
Agustin Resch, Seton Hall, Jr., D
All-BIG EAST Third Team *
Jonas Buechte, Akron, Sr., D
Josemir Gomez, Butler, Jr., F
Kieran Chandler, UConn, So., D
Sabri Hanni, UConn, So., M
Max Kerkvliet, UConn, R-Fr., GK
Miguel Arilla, Creighton, So., M
Roman Torres, Creighton, Jr., M
Joe Buck, Georgetown, Sr., M
Tate Lampman, Georgetown, Fr., D
Tenzing Manske, Georgetown, Jr., GK
Marlon Tabora, Georgetown, Gr., F
Diego Batista, Providence, Jr., M
Ernest Mensah Jr., Xavier, Jr., D
*Denotes a Tie in Voting
^Unanimous Vote