SEC Soccer 2026 Awards: Vanderbilt standouts highlight major categories

Birmingham, AL – The Southeastern Conference unveiled the soccer coaches’ postseason awards for the 2026 season.

Vanderbilt’s Darren Ambrose was named SEC Coach of the Year, Georgia’s Kiera Staude was voted SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Vanderbilt’s Sydney Watts was selected as SEC Forward of the Year, Vanderbilt’s Courtney Jones was named SEC Midfielder of the Year, South Carolina’s Reagan Schubach was voted SEC Defender of the Year, Vanderbilt’s Alexa Gianoplus was picked as the SEC Goalkeeper of the Year, Texas A&M’s Ireland Churchill was awarded SEC Freshman of the Year, and South Carolina’s Sydney Middaugh was tabbed SEC Newcomer of the Year.

All voting was conducted by the league’s 16 coaches.

2026 SEC Soccer Awards

First Team All-SEC

• Forward: Ireland Churchill, Texas A&M
• Forward: Kayla Keefer, Oklahoma
• Forward: Ava McDonald, Texas
• Forward: Sydney Watts, Vanderbilt
• Midfielder: Sariyah Bailey, LSU
• Midfielder: Courtney Jones, Vanderbilt
• Midfielder: Olivia Stafford, Vanderbilt
• Midfielder: Amalia Villarreal, Texas
• Defender: Olivia Belcher, Alabama
• Defender: Margo Matula, Vanderbilt
• Defender: Mary Beth McLaughlin, Vanderbilt
• Defender: Reagan Schubach, South Carolina
• Goalkeeper: Alexa Gianoplus, Vanderbilt

Second Team All-SEC

• Forward: Kyla Dawn, Kentucky
• Forward: Ava Galligan, LSU
• Forward: Zoe Main, Florida
• Forward: Ashley Roni, Alabama
• Midfielder: Gabbi Ceballos, Georgia
• Midfielder: Juliette Rayo, Kentucky
• Midfielder: Melina Rebimbas, Alabama
• Midfielder: Kiera Staude, Georgia
• Midfielder: Adia Symmonds, Florida
• Defender: Taylor Bloom, South Carolina
• Defender: Bella Field, Arkansas
• Defender: Leah Klurman, Alabama
• Defender: Eva Pattison, Auburn
• Goalkeeper: Christina Tsaousis, South Carolina

Third Team All-SEC

• Forward: Dylan Driver, Auburn
• Forward: Mia Hebert, Vanderbilt
• Forward: Sydney Middaugh, South Carolina
• Forward: Larkin Thomason, Alabama
• Midfielder: Elle Canty, Oklahoma
• Midfielder: Ines Derrien, Tennessee
• Midfielder: Kennedy Husbands, Auburn
• Midfielder: Kiley Kukan, Alabama
• Defender: Gracie Brown, Auburn
• Defender: Maddy Herniter, Georgia
• Defender: Aniyah Nurse-Whyte, Arkansas
• Defender: Katherine Truitt, Kentucky
• Goalkeeper: Madi Munguia, Alabama

All-Freshman Team

• Ireland Churchill, Texas A&M
• Kyla Dawn, Kentucky
• Elise Ernest, Kentucky
• Mia Hebert, Vanderbilt
• Lael Hill, Florida
• Ayva Jordan, Tennessee
• Zamorah Malinoski, Alabama
• Kate McCallister, Oklahoma
• Rylie Morse, Missouri
• Kati Anne Shepherd, Mississippi State
• Caroline Swann, Texas
• Lauren Van Rhein, Arkansas

Individual Awards

• Coach of the Year: Darren Ambrose, Vanderbilt
• Forward of the Year: Sydney Watts, Vanderbilt
• Midfielder of the Year: Courtney Jones, Vanderbilt
• Defender of the Year: Reagan Schubach, South Carolina
• Goalkeeper of the Year: Alexa Gianoplus, Vanderbilt
• Freshman of the Year: Ireland Churchill, Texas A&M
• Newcomer of the Year: Sydney Middaugh, South Carolina
• Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Kiera Staude, Georgia