HBCUAC Champion Men's Soccer sweeps Major All-HBCUAC Awards

Following a historic run that culminated in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) Championship title, the Wiley University men's soccer program has announced its sweep of all four major individual awards and secured eight total All-HBCUAC selections.

The Wildcats demonstrated dominance across the pitch, highlighted by sophomore Anthony Ulloa being named Offensive Player of the Year and an All-HBCUAC Midfielder. Ulloa was a consistent offensive threat, netting six goals and recording four assists. Crucially, three of his goals were match-winners, and another tied a match, underscoring his clutch performance. He earned four HBCUAC Offensive Player of the Week selections throughout the season.

Defensive excellence was also recognized, with Juan Cayasso earning Defensive Player of the Year and All-HBCUAC defender. Cayasso was the anchor of a formidable backline that held opponents to less than two goals per game and contributed significantly to five total shutouts, earning him a Defensive Player of the Week accolade.

In the net, Kevin Nievas garnered the HBCUAC Goalkeeper of the Year and All-HBCUAC Goalkeeper honors. Nievas was instrumental in the team's success, making stops on 29 of 44 shots and maintaining a 1.92 goals against average while helping the program secure five wins. He was a four-time recipient of HBCUAC Weekly Honors.

The sweep of major awards was completed by Alejandro Barcena, who was named the HBCUAC Newcomer of the Year. Barcena was an immediate impact player, scoring all five of his goals during conference play or the 2025 HBCUAC Championship tournament. His timely scoring included the match-winning goals against Huston-Tillotson University on October 13 and against Paul Quinn College in the tournament semifinals.

In recognition of their commitment to academic excellence, Christopher Haeger was awarded the Elite 9 Academic Award for holding the highest grade point average (3.89) among all participants in the HBCU Athletic Conference.

The All-HBCUAC team also featured strong contributions from three additional Wildcats:

• Ian Hernandez earned All-HBCUAC Midfielder, providing two assists and being named HBCUAC Newcomer of the Week twice.

• Aaron Castillo was selected as an All-HBCUAC Forward after contributing four goals and two assists, including two critical match-winning goals.

• Jayce Graves joined Castillo as an All-HBCUAC Forward. Graves tallied six goals, highlighted by the two goals he scored in the regular season finale, which clinched the West Division title for Wiley.

The Wiley University men's soccer team now awaits the announcement of its opponent and site for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Men's Soccer National Championship First and Second Round. The information will be revealed at 5 p.m. CST on Friday during the NAIA Selection Show, which will be broadcast on the NAIA YouTube Channel.