The Dr. Hal Charnofsky Memorial Award was presented to Samuel Villanueva of men’s soccer and Makeila Yancey of women’s soccer. Villanueva completed one of the most accomplished careers in program history, earning Academic All-America honors while finishing second in NCAA Division II with 13 assists. He set both the single-season and career assists records at Stan State, earned multiple All-America and All-Region honors, and was named the CCAA Tournament Offensive MVP. His leadership helped guide the Warriors to a program-record 17 wins, a conference tournament championship, and the deepest NCAA postseason run in school history.
Yancey, a senior defender and two-time team captain, was the cornerstone of a back line that recorded eight shutouts and limited opponents to just 19 goals all season. She started all 20 matches, earned All-CCAA honorable mention honors, and was recognized on multiple academic teams, including United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-Region. She was also named the CCAA/FloCollege Defensive Player of the Week during the season, further highlighting her impact and consistency as one of the conference’s top defenders.
