CARMEL, Ind. - The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) announced the 2026 Men’s Soccer All-Conference and major awards winners on Monday afternoon.
 
Earning this season’s top offensive honor was Rose-Hulman’s Ryan Shapiro, who led all HCAC goal-scorers in conference play with eight and was named Offensive Player of the Year. With the addition of three assists, he also led the conference in points with 19 in HCAC play. His 14 total goals placed him among the nation’s best at No. 9 on the national leaderboard, while his 32 points placed him at No. 12 in all of NCAA Division III. Four of his total goals also were the deciding factor, registering as game-winners.

On the defensive end, McLain Barber from Hanover was named Defensive Player of the Year. Barber was the Panthers leader on both sides of the ball and was a major part of why they conceded the fewest goals in conference play with only two goals allowed in nine games. Those defensive efforts helped Hanover wrap up the No. 1 seed in the HCAC Championship Tournament with an undefeated 8-0-1 record.
 
Last season’s Newcomer of the Year Stone Work from Transylvania proved that his rookie season was not a fluke as he picked up the Midfielder of the Year award. Work finished second in the league in points in HCAC play with 17 thanks to his five goals and seven assists, which were also top-10 performances. In fact, his seven helpers tied him for the league lead. Nationally, Work’s play-making prowess ranked him among the Division’s best. His nine assists overall ranked him No. 14 in DIII.
 
This year’s Newcomer of the Year went to Hanover back Gustavo Ramos. Like his partner on the backline, Ramos also made serious defensive contributions to the league’s best defensive squad. He was a dominant left back, winning many fifty-fifty balls in the air. He even managed to get forward and registered one assist on the year.
Offensive Player of the Year: Ryan Shapiro, Rose-Hulman
Defensive Player of the Year: McLain Barber, Hanover
Midfielder of the Year: Stone Work, Transylvania
Newcomer of the Year: Gustavo Ramos, Hanover
Coach of the Year: Matthew Wilkerson, Hanover

The HCAC also honors an All-Conference First Team, Second Team and Third Team. The members of those teams are selected by a vote of league coaches and are listed below. All-Conference First Team

Name	POS	Institution
McLain Barber	D	Hanover
Kunal Chawla	M	Hanover
Gus Dickman	F	Transylvania
Ethan Drew	GK	Transylvania
Ethan Gudorf	D	Transylvania
Jack Harris	D	Anderson
Cole Hubert	M	Hanover
Charles Nichols	D	Transylvania
Andrew Pavlisko	F	Hanover
Ryan Shapiro	F	Rose-Hulman
Tobore Takpor	F	Berea
McKay Wheatley	M	Transylvania
Stone Work	M	Transylvania

 
All-Conference Second Team

Name	POS	Institution
Wil Bell	D	Rose-Hulman
Russell Bilohlavek	F	Franklin
Jackson Briley	D	Hanover
Joany Chavez	M	Transylvania
Oliver Fila	M	Rose-Hulman
Ramesh Gorantla	F	Berea
Braydon Kennedy	GK	Anderson
Emmett Kindler	D	Anderson
Mason Paul	M	Earlham
Gustavo Ramos	D	Hanover
JT Roden	F	Mount St. Joseph
Cole Varela	F	Transylvania
Gavin Yearwood	M	Hanover

All-Conference Third Team

Name	POS	Institution
Jacobo Alarcon Salazar	D	Franklin
Joshue Casas Montoya	D	Berea
Alan Galvez	D	Manchester
Nick Haskins	F	Transylvania
Jacob Hoffmann	M	Bluffton
Zach Johnson	GK	Bluffton
Landon Kangas	D	Rose-Hulman
Ashton Kuss	D	Anderson
Rhoi Phulusa	F	Earlham
Aidan Sweeney	D	Mount St. Joseph
Quentin Taylor	M	Manchester
Dugan Webster	GK	Hanover

 
For more information on HCAC Men's Soccer, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the HCAC's home on the internet at www.heartlandconf.org. Be sure to stay up to date on all of your Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference news by following @HCACDIII on X and Instagram and by liking the "HCAC DIII" Facebook page.