BOSTON, Mass. -- The Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Men's Soccer awards and All-Conference honors were announced on Tuesday afternoon with seven Christopher Newport Captains earning the postseason accolades for their performances in 2026. Three CNU players -- Carson Friedlein, Michael Hackworth, and Drew McWhinney -- earned first team All-C2C recognition while four more were selected to the second team. 

The four second team All-Conference picks were midfielder Colin Skwirut, forward Riley Usher, defender Yazan Yaghmmour, and goalkeeper Matt Yates. It marks the second straight year that CNU has featured at least seven All-Conference selections and the 13th time in the 51-year history of the program. 

McWhinney and Yaghmmour each collect their third career All-Conference recognition while Friedlein accepted his second certificate as a first team defender. The other four Captains earned All-C2C honors for the first time in his career. 

On the offensive side of the ball, Hackworth and McWhinney helped lift Christopher Newport to one of its most successful offensive seasons in the last decade. The Captains are averaging nearly 7 points per game which is the most since CNU scored 181 points in 18 games during the 2017 season. McWhinney ranks second on the team in scoring with 14 points including six goals and two assists. Three of his six scores held up as the game-winning goal for the Captains as he led the team in that category while also leading the team in total shots with 28. 

Hackworth was the team's leader in assists and also reached double-digits in scoring with 10 points on three goals and four assists. He logged a breakout senior season that featured 14 corner kicks, 16 total shots, and one game-winning goal in 13 starts. 

Leading the defensive unit for his third straight season was Friedlein at center back. The junior started 12 games and played in all 14 as he helped CNU log a goals-against average of 0.93. The Captains picked up six shutouts during the season and allowed just 9.8 shots per game. Friedlein led all Captains with 1,116 minutes played for an average of just under 80 minutes per game. Additionally, he chipped in a pair of goals and one assist for five points this season.

Helping lock down the opposing attack were Skwirut and Yaghmmour as the seniors had exceptional final regular seasons and are poised to contribute to the Captains' postseason run.  Skwirut started 13 of 14 games played and led all midfielders with 854 minutes played. He scored one goal and added three assists for five points while putting two of his three shots on frame. The defensive midfielder was pivotal in shutting down the opposing attack before it could begin and also organized the Captains' offensive movement forward. Yaghmmour's physical presence on the outside was an asset both offensively and defensively. He scored eight points on tree goals and two assists while taking 20 shots in his senior season. 

Second team All-Conference forward Riley Usher led the Captains in scoring during the 2026 season and ranked sixth in the conference with 15 total points. He burst out of the gates with a pair of goals in a season-opening win against Moravian and had goals in three of the first four games of the season. He added a career-best five-point effort against Regent and showed off a deadly accurate shot during the season with a .619 SOG% after putting 13 of his 21 total attempts on target. 

Finally, between the pipes for his first season as the starter at CNU, Matt Yates hauled in second team All-Conference plaudits for the Captains. Yates started all but one game during the 2026 campaign and posted a pair of solo shutouts while contributing to four. His GAA never rose above 1.23 for the year and he ended the regular season with a 0.92 GAA in over 977 minutes of action. Yates is 8-2-2 this season as the starting keeper and has made 31 saves including a career-high six against Moravian. 

The seven All-Conference selections and the rest of CNU men's soccer team is preparing to travel to New Jersey for the first round of the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship. The Captains will face Cortland in the opening round at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, November 13. 


2026 Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Postseason Awards
Offensive Player of the Year - David Brunetti, Salisbury
Defensive Player of the Year - Nicolas Chinchilla, Salisbury
Rookie of the Year - Andrew Brittain, Mary Washington
Scholar-Athlete - Soren Groessl, UC Santa Cruz
Coaching Staff of the Year - Salisbury (Zack MacDougall)

FIRST TEAM
F - Andrew Brittain, Mary Washington
F - Noah Blankensop, Salisbury
F - David Brunetti, Salisbury
F - Soren Groessl, UC Santa Cruz
F - Drew McWhinney, Chris. Newport
M - Dale Gordon, Salisbury
M - Michael Hackworth, Chris. Newport
M - Michael Lenhard, Mary Washington
D - Michael Braun, UC Santa Cruz
D - Nicolas Chinchilla, Salisbury
D - Carson Davis, Mary Washington
D - Carson Friedlein, Chris. Newport
GK - Clif Nehman, Salisbury

SECOND TEAM
F - Elliot Berg, Mary Washington
F - Niklas Seguin, Johnson & Wales Charlotte
F - Riley Usher, Chris. Newport
M - Tanner Calzado, Salisbury
M - Michelangelo Parravano, Salisbury
M - Colin Skwirut, Chris. Newport
M - Jack Sturman, Mary Washington
M - Facundo Escalante, Warren Wilson
M - Gael Hernandez, Johnson & Wales Charlotte
D - Noah Dillon, Johnson & Wales Charlotte
D - Brogan Eastlack, Salisbury
D - Yazan Yaghmmour, Chris. Newport
GK - Matt Yates, Chris. Newport