After winning its second consecutive University Athletic Association championship, the Emory University men's soccer team was well-represented on the All-Association Teams that were announced Monday morning.
Graduate student Ryan Winkler highlighted two major award wins for the Eagles as he was chosen as the Offensive Player of the Year. It is the second time in team history the Eagles have had an Offensive MVP in back-to-back seasons and first since Patrick Carver was a two-time winner of the award in 2007 and 2008. Colton Myers was the 2023 recipient of the award.
Head Coach Cory Greiner and his staff of Clayton Schmitt, Felipe Quintero and Jose Casique, Tyler Sherman were tabbed as the Coaching Staff of the Year for a second time after previously winning the honor in 2023. It is the second time Greiner and company have earned the honor and is the second time in program history the Eagles have won the award in back-to-back seasons; doing so previously in 1988 and 1989 with then Head Coach and Emory Hall of Famer Mike Rubesch and assistant coach Stephen Taylor.
Winkler was one of three Eagles to land on the All-UAA First Team as he was joined by junior Josh Grand and sophomore Lorenzo Avalos. The Second Team featured graduate student Jake Atallah and sophomore Julian Hee. Sophomore Michael Constant rounded out the Emory honorees with his second straight Honorable Mention.
In his first season with the Eagles, Winkler was a figurehead in the offense as he led the conference with 10 goals – the first Eagles since 2017 to reach double-digit goals – and was second with 22 points. During conference play, he notched five goals and one assist for 11 points. He was a three-time selection of the Offensive Athlete of the Week, including twice in conference play after notching a brace in the win over WashU and scoring in the closing minutes as Emory tied Rochester in the regular season finale.
Grand makes his third appearance on the All-UAA and first on the First Team after earning spots on the Second Team in each of his first two seasons. As a junior, Grand excelled as a facilitator in the midfield with a UAA-leading 10 assists – the most by an Eagle in a single-season since 2008 – and added three goals for 16 points. He registered one assist in five of the seven conference matches and scored a goal in the UAA opener over WashU for a season-high three points. He collected his first Athlete of the Week honor after assisting on both goals in 1-0 road wins at Brandeis and NYU. Grand had at least one point in 11 of his 17 matches.
Avalos draws his first career All-UAA honor following a sophomore season where he was second on the team in goals scored and third in points. Inside UAA action, Avalos had four assists and added one goal for six points as they all came within wins over WashU, Case Western Reserve and Chicago. Avalos picked up his first Athlete of the Week honor following a career-high three points in Emory's title-clinching win over Chicago.
Atallah earns his second All-UAA recognition after drawing a First Team nod last season. He was one of the team leaders in minutes played as he made 16 appearances to go along with 14 starts. His work on the backline contributed to four clean sheets throughout the season, including three inside UAA play against CWRU, Brandeis and NYU.
In his second season, Hee made 17 appearances including seven as a member of the starting lineup. In his role, he finished fourth on the team with seven points thanks to a pair of goals and three assists. After recording assists in non-conference wins over Lynchburg and UT-Dalla, Hee finished strong in UAA play to help the Eagles win the title. He scored his first collegiate goal as the GWG at NYU before adding a season-high three points in the title-clincher over the Maroons.
For the second straight season, Constant has been a defensive mainstay as he was one of five Eagles to start every game of the season. He finished second in minutes played among field players and drew 15 starting assignments. The Eagles held opponents to 19 goals during the regular season and had four shutouts.
The Eagles concluded the season with an 8-7-2 overall record and were 5-1-1 in UAA play – marking the best conference record for an Emory squad since 2008.
