NEW YORK-- (
www.YORKATHLETICS.com) York College sophomore defender
Chris Cruz has been named the 2026 CUNYAC Men's Soccer Sportsmanship Award recipient, as voted on by conference coaches. Cruz's selection marks the third consecutive year a Cardinal men's soccer player has earned the conference's top sportsmanship honor, following
Ernest Bawilliam (2025) and Alex Conde (2024).
Starting 11 matches in 2026, Cruz led the squad with 955 minutes, providing solidity in individual duels and attacking runs from the full-back position. In attack, Cruz recorded his first career assist in the Cardinals' 9-0 victory over Gallaudet University on September 11.
"Chris Cruz is an outstanding teammate and leader both on and off the field. He consistently demonstrates respect, teamwork, and a positive attitude while setting a great example for his teammates," said York College head coach Brahim Chhab.
2026 CUNYAC Men's Soccer All-Conference
- Player of the Year: Josh Clemas (John Jay College)
- Rookie of the Year: Shackoneal Myrurrie (Medgar Evers College)
- Coach of the Year: Kevin Blackstock (Medgar Evers College)
- Sportsmanship Award: Chris Cruz (York College)
- Sportsmanship Team: Ailey Dawson (Baruch College), Lucas Sauco (Brooklyn College), Juan Lucero (CCNY), Max Tsigalnitsky (Hunter College), Charlie Metz (John Jay College), Abdoul Cisse (Lehman College), Marlan Evariste, Jr. (Medgar Evers College)
First Team All-Conference
- F: Ashraf Abubakar (Lehman College)
- F: Josh Clemas (John Jay College)
- F: Shackoneal Myrurrie (Medgar Evers College)
- M: Kevin Blackstock, Jr. (Medgar Evers College)
- M: Samuel Jacobs (Baruch College)
- M: Sekou Sheriff (John Jay College)
- D: Gabriel Arful (Lehman College)
- D: Alejandro Barreto (Brooklyn College)
- D: Marlan Evariste, Jr. (Medgar Evers College)
- D: Blake Paves (John Jay College)
- D: Diego Sachun (Baruch College)
- GK: Matthew Fridburg (Hunter College)
- GK: Davio Rossi-levin (John Jay College)
*-additional defender and goalkeeper moved up to first team due to first team voting ties
Second Team All-Conference
- F: Andreas Kotronis (Baruch College)
- F: Konstantinos Psomaras (CCNY)
- F: Georgios Tsiakas (Hunter College)
- M: Jacob Davis (Hunter College)
- M: Brandon Dennis (Lehman College)
- M: Gabriel Tillmon-Guerth (Brooklyn College)
- D: Jose Cazanas Castro (Baruch College)
- D: Seydina Ka (CCNY)
- D: Alejandro Vargas (Lehman College)
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