INDIANAPOLIS – University of Indianapolis junior Alejandro Steinwascher, sophomore Makel Rasheed, and head coach John Higgins, as well Drury University freshman Jayd Hamdaoua, earned 2020-21 All-GLVC major postseason awards for men’s soccer, the league office announced on Thursday.
Steinwascher was named Offensive Player of the Year, Rasheed earned Defensive Player of the Year, Hamdaoua was voted Freshman of the Year, and Higgins dubbed Coach of the Year by his peers. In all, 33 student-athletes garnered All-GLVC honors, while 15 were chosen as James R. Spalding Sportsmanship nominees for the sport and University of Missouri-St. Louis selected as the team sportsmanship winner.
Steinwascher became the first Greyhound to earn Offensive Player of the Year honors since Ngwese Ebangwese in 2013, notching his third All-GLVC selection and first nod to the First Team. The junior, who was named the GLVC Co-Freshman of the Year in the fall of 2018, totaled 20 points this spring to rank second in the category, as well as goals with nine in 13 matches. Steinwascher scored on eight occasions, including a two-goal contest against Lewis on March 7. The Sterling Heights, Mich., product also recorded three points twice: vs. Southern Indiana (2/28) and vs. Truman (3/19).
Rasheed was named UIndy’s first Defensive Player of the Year recipient, as the sophomore makes the third straight back to earn the league’s top defensive honor. The Rockville, Md., native finished the regular season with eight points, including three goals and two assists. Rasheed led a Greyhound defense that surrendered just five goals this spring, as well as posted 10 shutouts over the course of the season. On March 22, Rasheed was named GLVC Defensive Player of the Week, following a defensive effort that allowed just one shot on goal in two matches while adding an assist on the weekend. Rasheed also earned All-GLVC First Team distinction, his first Conference honor.
Hamdaoua earned Drury’s first Freshman of the Year honor on Thursday after finishing a rookie campaign in which he finished fourth in the GLVC with seven goals and fifth with 16 points. The Paris, France, native made quite the impression as a rookie in Springfield, scoring in five matches and recording multi-goal performances on two occasions. In addition, Hamdaoua netted a pair of game-winners, including the season opener against William Jewell College (2/26) and at McKendree (3/26).
Higgins claimed his second GLVC Coach of the Year award, and first since 2013. In his 11th season, Higgins guided the Greyhounds to the top seed in the GLVC Championship Tournament and an 11-0-3 regular season record following the team’s historic run to the national semifinals in the fall 2019. Higgins coached a league-high 10 All-Conference performers, including first teamers Cole Rainwater, Jeremy Fechtman, and Dimitrios Karousos, in addition to Steinwascher and Rasheed.
Joining UIndy’s five All-GLVC First Team selections are: Lewis University senior Jimmy Mwanga (unanimous) and junior Domenic Baumann; Quincy University senior Aubrey Reis; and Maryville University seniors Iwan Webster and Dom Riggio, as well as junior Mirza Hasecic.
The league also recognized 15 GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award honorees and one Team award winner: Missouri-St. Louis. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These individuals must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. The honorees are now eligible to become one of their school’s two Spalding Sportsmanship Award winners, which will be announced at the end of the academic year.
A complete list of the 2020-21 All-GLVC teams and postseason honors can be found below.
Offensive Player of the Year: Alejandro Steinwascher, F, Jr., UIndy
Defensive Player of the Year: Makel Rasheed, D, So., UIndy
Freshman of the Year: Jayd Hamdaoua, F, Fr., Drury
Coach of the Year: John Higgins, UIndy
All-GLVC First Team
ALEX STEINWASCHER, JR., F, UINDY
JIMMY MWANGA, Sr., F, LEWIS
Aubrey Reis, Sr., F, QU
Cole Rainwater, So., F, UINDY
Mirza Hasecic, Jr., MF, MU
Jeremy Fechtman, Sr., MF, UINDY
Domenic Baumann, Jr., MF, LEWIS
Makel Rasheed, So., D, UINDY
Iwan Webster, Sr., D, MU
Dom Riggio, Sr., D, MU
DIMITRIOS KAROUSOS, SR., GK, UINDY
UNANIMOUS SELECTION
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All-GLVC Second Team
Zach Barton, So., F, USI
Ben Brodie, Sr., F, MU
Jayd Hamdaoua, Fr., F, DU
Tommy Naumann, So., MF, UMSL
Adem Hamadoua, So., MF, DU
Cedric Sengl, Jr., MF, MU
Mason Stearn, Jr., MF, UINDY
Josh Lewis-Evans, Sr., D, DU
Vincent Stone, Sr., D, UINDY
Jakub Olczyk, Sr., D, UINDY
Anton Mukhin, Sr., GK, UMSL
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All-GLVC Third Team
Raul Artega, Sr., F, MCK
Jason Jorgensen, Jr., F, S&T
Cole Hayes, Jr., F, QU
Eddie Davis, Sr., MF, MCK
Eli Dulle, Fr., MF, UINDY
Alsadiq Hasan, So., MF, QU
Ricardo Andrade, Sr., MF, MU
Abdul Ganiyu-Iddrisu, Sr., D, LEWIS
Nick Schreiber, So., D, UMSL
Kendall Allen, Jr., D, UINDY
Pijus Petkevicius, Jr., GK, UIS
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2020-21 JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP NOMINEES
Trevor Cairns, DU
Marvin Zott, UIS
Mathias Skjeseth, UINDY
Matt Beaulieu, LEWIS
Jose De Gregorio, LWU
Andrew Schulz, MU
Brett Niedzwiecki, MCK
Andrew Heider, S&T
Kyle Coleman, UMSL
Kyle Swanner, QU
Victor Gonzalez, RU
Josef Winkler, USI
Jakob Stillwell Jr., SBU
Zac Nay, TSU
Keaton Wiley, WJC
2020-21 JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM AWARD
Missouri-St. Louis