ROCK HILL, S.C. (theSAC.com) – Catawba midfielder João Magalhães was voted the 2026 South Atlantic Conference Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Year, while teammate Guilherme Quintas earned SAC Defensive Player of the Year honors. Quintas was also named the Freshman of the Year, and Catawba head coach Alex Morais was selected as the Coach of the Year, giving the Catawba Indians a sweep of the conference's four major individual awards.

Magalhães was one of the conference's top offensive performers this season, recording eight goals and five assists for 21 points in 16 matches. His eight goals ranked second in the SAC, while his five assists tied for third. He also scored three game-winning goals, tied for second-most in the conference, helping lead a Catawba offense that averaged a league-best 2.63 goals per match.

Quintas anchored a Catawba defensive unit that allowed just 11 goals in 16 matches, the second-fewest in the conference. Catawba posted eight shutouts and held opponents to a 0.69 goals-against average, ranking second in the SAC in both goals allowed and goals-against average. Quintas also earned Freshman of the Year recognition, becoming the only player to claim two of the conference's major individual awards this season.

Morais guided Catawba to a 13-1-2 overall record and an 8-1-1 mark in conference play, finishing second in the SAC standings. The Catawba Indians led the conference with 42 goals in 16 matches and outscored their opponents 42-11. Catawba also ranked first in the league in scoring average (2.63), shots per match (16.31) and assists per match (2.06).

Catawba and Emory & Henry led all conference programs with eight All-Conference selections apiece. Joining Magalhães and Quintas on the first team for Catawba were Alex Payton, Juan Camilo and Luis Rodrigues.

Emory & Henry, which captured the SAC regular-season championship with an unbeaten 8-0-2 conference record, placed three players on the first team, including defenders Marcelo Lopes and Jorge Garcia and goalkeeper Baptiste Berthozat.

Lincoln Memorial followed with five All-Conference selections, while Carson-Newman earned four. Anderson, Coker, Lenoir-Rhyne and Mars Hill each placed three players on the All-Conference teams, while Wingate earned two selections.

2026 South Atlantic Conference Men's Soccer All-Conference Teams
First Team
F – Alexis Abalam, Coker
F – Christian Johnson, Coker
F – Luis Munoz, Anderson
F – Filipe Ribeiro, Lincoln Memorial
MF – João Magalhães, Catawba
MF – Alex Payton, Catawba
MF – Mitchell Honcoop, Carson-Newman
MF – Juan Camilo, Catawba
D – Guilherme Quintas, Catawba
D – Marcelo Lopes, Emory & Henry
D – Luis Rodrigues, Catawba
D – Jorge Garcia, Emory & Henry
GK – Baptiste Berthozat, Emory & Henry

Second Team
F – Shunsuke Nakamoto, Emory & Henry
F – Jonas Zethofer, Anderson
F – Xairo Villalon, Lenoir-Rhyne
F – Adrian Faus, Mars Hill
MF – Adel Kessas, Emory & Henry
MF – Enrique Martin, Lincoln Memorial
MF – Hector Taboada, Lenoir-Rhyne
MF – Camilo Salazar, Wingate
D – Alvaro Bonet, Coker
D – Marcos Baez Juarez, Emory & Henry
D – Leo Souza, Catawba
D – Dan Coles, Carson-Newman
GK – Hector Vara, Catawba

Third Team
F – Antoine Torrent, Carson-Newman
F – Logan Knight, Mars Hill
F – Oskar Dahlberg, Lenoir-Rhyne
F – Adrian Castillo, Anderson
MF – Carlos Zapata, Catawba
MF – Titouan Itier, Emory & Henry
MF – Hamza El Goundoul, Emory & Henry
MF – Kai Stolp, Mars Hill
D – David McDougall, Lincoln Memorial
D – Pau Aleixandre, Lincoln Memorial
D – Bailey Rhodes, Wingate
D – Niklas Lohrer, Carson-Newman
GK – Daniel Benedek Miklosi, Lincoln Memorial

Individual Awards
Offensive Player of the Year – João Magalhães, Catawba
Defensive Player of the Year – Guilherme Quintas, Catawba
Freshman of the Year – Guilherme Quintas, Catawba
Coach of the Year – Alex Morais, Catawba
  All-Conference Selections by School
Catawba – 8
Emory & Henry – 8
Lincoln Memorial – 5
Carson-Newman – 4
Anderson – 3
Coker – 3
Lenoir-Rhyne – 3
Mars Hill – 3
Wingate – 2