NEW YORK – Georgetown claimed four of the six major awards as the BIG EAST Conference announced its 2026 men's soccer regular-season honors. Junior forward Mitchell Baker was unanimously selected BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, while senior teammate Matthew Van Horn earned Midfielder of the Year recognition. Creighton senior Matthew Reed was named Defensive Player of the Year, and Xavier graduate student Jonny Mennell garnered Goalkeeper of the Year honors.

Georgetown freshman midfielder Terrance Reynolds collected BIG EAST Freshman of the Year accolades, while the Hoyas' coaching staff, led by Brian Wiese, was selected Coaching Staff of the Year for the second consecutive season and 10th time in program history.

Baker received all 11 possible votes for Offensive Player of the Year and was one of three unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team selections, joining Van Horn and Reed. The awards were determined by a vote of the league's 12 head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own student-athletes or coaching staffs.

Three BIG EAST programs are ranked in the latest United Soccer Coaches Top 25, led by No. 2 Georgetown, No. 4 Akron and No. 8 Creighton. The Hoyas finished the regular season 14-1-2 overall and unbeaten in conference play at 7-0-1, while Akron and Creighton shared the Midwest Division title with identical 4-1-3 league records.

Baker Earns Unanimous Offensive Player of the Year Honors

Baker becomes the fourth Georgetown player to earn BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year honors and the first since Steve Neumann in 2013. The Melbourne, Australia, native also earned unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team recognition for the second consecutive season.

• Baker recorded 28 points on 11 goals and six assists in 14 regular-season appearances, averaging a league-best 2.00 points per match. He added two game-winning goals and placed 25 of his 45 shots on target.
• Despite missing time while representing Indonesia at the inaugural 2026 FIFA ASEAN Cup, Baker contributed three goals and four assists for 10 points in six BIG EAST matches. His international stint included a championship and the tournament's Golden Boot after scoring five goals in a 9-2 victory over Bangladesh, including a decisive goal in the 97th minute that helped Indonesia reach the final.
• Baker joins Eric Kvello (1997), Ricky Schramm (2004) and Neumann (2013) as Georgetown's Offensive Player of the Year recipients. He also earned United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-America honors and was a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist in 2025.

Van Horn Claims Midfielder of the Year After Dominant BIG EAST Campaign

Van Horn was named BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year after leading the conference in overall scoring and producing an impressive eight-match stretch in league play. The senior becomes the second consecutive Georgetown recipient, following Zach Zengue in 2025.

• Van Horn led the BIG EAST with 33 points on 12 goals and nine assists in 17 appearances. His nine assists tied for the conference lead, while his 12 goals ranked second.
• The North Pole, Alaska, native scored 10 goals and added three assists for a league-leading 23 points in eight BIG EAST matches. He averaged 1.25 goals and 2.88 points per conference contest, finishing with twice as many league goals as any other player.
• Georgetown has now earned nine Midfielder of the Year selections since the award's introduction in 2000, including five in the last six seasons. Van Horn moves from All-BIG EAST Third Team in 2025 to unanimous First Team recognition in 2026.

Reed Makes Creighton History With Defensive Player of the Year Honors

Reed becomes Creighton's first BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year since the Bluejays joined the conference in 2013. The senior defender combined his presence along the back line with an exceptional scoring season, earning unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team recognition.

• Reed led all BIG EAST players with 13 goals in 18 matches, adding three assists for 29 points. The Felton, Del., native finished second in the league in total points, trailing only Georgetown's Van Horn.
• He added five goals and an assist for 11 points in eight conference appearances, helping Creighton finish 4-1-3 in BIG EAST play and share the Midwest Division title. His game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory over DePaul on Nov. 6 helped secure the Bluejays' No. 2 seed in the conference championship.
• Reed entered the season on the MAC Hermann Trophy Award Watch List and United Soccer Coaches' Defenders to Watch List. He earned All-East Region First Team and All-BIG EAST Second Team honors in 2025.

Mennell Earns Goalkeeper of the Year; Extends Xavier Shutout Record

Mennell was named BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year after anchoring one of the conference's top defensive units. The Xavier graduate student becomes the fourth Musketeer to receive the award and the first since Cole Jensen in 2022.

• Mennell finished the regular season with a .838 save percentage and 0.70 goals-against average, allowing 11 goals while collecting 57 saves and seven shutouts in 16 appearances.
• The Asheville, N.C., native led BIG EAST goalkeepers with a .854 save percentage in conference play, making 41 saves and recording three shutouts while posting a 0.88 goals-against average.
• Mennell established Xavier's career shutout record earlier this season and extended the mark to 26 clean sheets. His 25 career victories are tied for second in program history, while his 210 saves rank seventh. He joins Eric Osswald (2014), Dallas Jaye (2015) and Jensen (2022) as Xavier's BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year winners.

Reynolds Collects Freshman of the Year Honors

Reynolds earned BIG EAST Freshman of the Year honors after making an immediate impact in Georgetown's unbeaten conference campaign. The Brentwood, Tenn., native becomes the fifth Hoya to receive Rookie or Freshman of the Year recognition since the 2013 realignment.

• Reynolds appeared in all 17 regular-season matches, making 16 starts and totaling 14 points on four goals and six assists.
• All four of his goals came against BIG EAST opponents, as Reynolds added four assists for 12 points in eight conference appearances. His 12 points ranked second in league play behind teammate Van Horn, while his four goals tied for third.
• Reynolds scored his first collegiate goal and added an assist in Georgetown's 6-1 victory over Providence on Oct. 2, earning BIG EAST Freshman of the Week honors. He joins Arun Basuljevic (2014), JT Marcinkowski (2015), Derek Dodson (2017) and Tate Lampman (2024) as Georgetown's recipients since realignment.

Georgetown Coaching Staff Honored Following Record-Setting Campaign

Head coach Brian Wiese and the Georgetown coaching staff earned the program's 10th BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honor and second consecutive selection after guiding the Hoyas to a 14-1-2 regular-season record and an unbeaten 7-0-1 mark in conference play.

• Georgetown captured its second consecutive East Division title and the No. 1 overall seed in the BIG EAST Championship, finishing with 22 points in eight league matches while outscoring opponents 28-7.
• The Hoyas totaled 28 goals, 33 assists and 89 points in BIG EAST play, establishing single-season conference highs in all three categories since the 2013 realignment. Georgetown's 28 goals are the fourth-most in BIG EAST single-season history, trailing Louisville (32 in 2009) and St. John's (31 in 1998 and 29 in 1996).
• Georgetown averaged 3.50 goals per conference match, the highest mark by a BIG EAST team since 1989. The Hoyas also averaged 4.13 assists and 11.13 points per league contest.
• The Hoyas have earned Coaching Staff of the Year honors in five of the last six seasons (2021, 2022, 2023, 2025 and 2026) and enter the BIG EAST Championship seeking their third consecutive tournament title.

All-BIG EAST Teams Announced

In addition to the six major award winners, the BIG EAST recognized 39 student-athletes across its three All-Conference teams. Georgetown led all schools with eight selections, followed by Creighton with seven and Akron with five. UConn and Xavier each placed four players on the teams, while Marquette had three honorees.

Baker, Van Horn and Reed were the three unanimous First Team selections. Ties in voting resulted in 16 Second Team honorees and 12 Third Team selections. The complete list follows below.

The 2026 BIG EAST Men's Soccer Championship Presented by Jeep begins Thursday, Nov. 12, at the Maryland SportsPlex in Boyds, Md. No. 2 seed Creighton faces No. 3 seed Akron at 5 p.m. ET, followed by No. 1 seed Georgetown against No. 4 seed Seton Hall at 7:30 p.m. ET. Both semifinals will stream live on ESPN+. The championship match is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 15, at 2 p.m. ET on ESPNU.