RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Rogers State men's soccer hauled in multiple All-GAC/MIAA awards, racking up six individual awards with 10 Hillcats named to the all-conference team, the league announced on Wednesday.
 
Marcos Vasallo was named Midfielder of the Year. The Madrid, Spain native finished the regular season leading the Hillcats with eight goals and four assists for 20 points. These marks place him fifth in the league in goals, sixth in points and 10th in assists. Vasallo was also named Offensive Player of the Week for the final week of the regular season after scoring three goals with an assist in two wins over Northeastern State and Ouachita Baptist on the road.
 
Trindon Turner was named Defensive Player of the Year. The senior anchored the Hillcat defense that only allowed just 1.11 goals per game. Offensively, the Edmond, Okla. native scored two goals for four points. Turner also earned Defensive Player of the Week honors twice during the regular season.
 
Noah Preston-Watkins was named Newcomer of the Year. The freshman from Pontypool, Wales made a huge splash as he scored five goals with three assists for 13 points in his first season on the Hill.
 
Derek Larkin earned his third Coach of the Year award after leading RSU to a share of their second GAC/MIAA Regular Season Championship in his final season on the sidelines.
 
In total, four Hillcats were named First Team All-GAC/MIAA. Joining Vasallo and Turner on the first team were Declan Viljoen and Brandon O'Rourke. A native of Auckland, New Zealand, Viljoen led the league with five shutouts and finished second in goals against average (1.149), save percentage (.767) and fifth in saves per game (3.67). A product of Bartlesville, Okla., O'Rourke finished second on the team with six goals and three assists for 15 points and ranked third in the league in game winning goals (3) and seventh in total goals.
 
Preston-Watkins headlined the Second Team All-GAC/MIAA. He was joined by Louis Bassett, Erik Hjertsson, Artur Carvalho and Alex Laing. Bassett finished his first year in the red and navy with three goals and five assists for 11 points. Hjertsson racked up five goals and five assists for 15 points was named GAC/MIAA Offensive Player of the Week after scoring two goals with an assist in games against Newman and Fort Hays State. Carvalho and Laing were both critical parts of the Hillcat defense that logged six shutouts during the regular season. Laing also scored twice during the season.
 
Sam Ryder was named an All-GAC/MIAA Honorable Mention. The freshman was the fourth piece of the dominant RSU backline and also added a goal and assist for three points.
 
On the academic side, both Turner and O'Rourke earned the prestigious Elite Scholar Athlete Award, presented by Conway Regional Health System. They were joined by eight others on the GAC/MIAA Academic Honor Roll, including Carvahlo, Casey Copenhaver, Ulisses Costeira, Alex Fletcher, Grayson Horsley, Kaleb Trussell, Vasallo and Viljoen.
 
The Hillcats enter the GAC/MIAA Tournament as the No. 2-seed due to a tiebreaker with Southern Nazarene and face off against No. 3-seed Fort Hays State on Thursday, Nov. 7 in Bethany, Okla. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.