Big Ten Announces 2024 Men’s Soccer Postseason Awards

ROSEMONT, Ill. (Nov. 8, 2024) – The Big Ten Conference announced the 2024 Men’s Soccer All-Big Ten teams and individual honors, according to a vote of the league’s 11 head coaches.

Five schools were represented among the Big Ten’s six awards. Ohio State claimed a pair of awards, as senior Michael Adedokun and head coach Brian Maisonneuve were unanimous selections as Midfielder and Coach of the Year.  

Indiana senior Tommy Mihalic was named Offensive Player of the Year, while Maryland senior William Kulvik claimed Defensive Player of the Year honors. Michigan State junior Zac Kelly secured the Goaltender of the Year, with Wisconsin’s Dean Boltz earning Freshman of the Year accolades.

Adedokun was named the Big Ten’s top midfielder after leading the conference with 27 points and 11 assists, while his eight goals ranked second in the league. The Eruwa, Nigeria native also ranked in the nation’s top 20 in five statistical categories, including points per game and shots per game. This marks the third consecutive year a player from Ohio State has been named Big Ten Midfielder of the Year, as Laurence Wootton claimed the honor in 2022 and 2023.

Himself a former Big Ten Player of the Year in 1993, Maisonneuve led the Buckeyes from unranked in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll to the No. 1 spot at the end of the regular season. Sporting a 12-1-3 overall record, including 7-1-2 in the Big Ten, Maisonneuve led Ohio State to its fifth conference title and the number one seed in the Big Ten Tournament. Maisonneuve joins four-time honoree John Bluem (1999, 2004, 2009, 2014) and Gary Avedikian (1992) as Buckeye head coaches named Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Mihalic was right on Adedokun’s heals for the league lead in points, as the Indiana senior tallied 25 points and 10 goals, tied for the Big Ten lead. The Skokie, Ill. native recorded three braces on the season en route to becoming Indiana’s third Offensive Player of the Year, joining Victor Bezerra (2020) and Eriq Zavaleta (2012).

Kulvik anchored the Terps defensive effort, missing just six minutes of action through Maryland’s 17 regular season matches. The senior from Oslo, Norway added two goals and two assists to the Terps’ coffers and becomes Maryland’s first Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year since Alex Crognale in 2016.

Kelly was a stalwart between the Spartans’ pipe in 2024, boasting a league best six clean sheets and a .743 save percentage and 52 saves, both good for second in the conference. The redshirt junior from Holt, Mich. who saw action in 98.6 percent of Michigan State’s minutes this season, including every second of its 10 league fixtures, joins Jimmy Hague in 2017 as Spartans to win the award.

Boltz, the first Badger ever to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, made an immediate impact for the Badgers, recording a hat trick in his collegiate debut. The Palatine, Ill. native recorded 10 goals on the season, tying Mihalic for the league high, while his 25 assists were good for third in the conference.

Adedokun, Mihalic, Kulvik, and Kelly were also named to the All-Big Ten First Team. Joining the quartet on the First Team are Indiana’s Quinton Elliot, Patrick McDonald, and Samuel Sarver, Maryland’s Leon Koehl, Ohio State’s Siggi Magnusson and Deylen Vellios, and UCLA’s Andre Ochoa.

The Big Ten also recognized 11 Sportsmanship Award honorees. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These student-athletes must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. 

The 2024 Big Ten Tournament will return to action on Sunday, with a pair of semifinal matches at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Ill. No. 6 seed UCLA will face No. 7 seed Michigan at 3 p.m. ET, followed by a match-up between No. 1 seed Ohio State and No. 4 seed Washington at 5:30 p.m. ET. Sunday’s winners will meet at 3 p.m. ET on Nov. 17 in the Big Ten Tournament championship.

Both Big Ten Tournament semifinals and the championship match will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network and the Fox Sports App. The winner of the 2024 Big Ten Tournament will earn the conference’s automatic berth into this year’s NCAA Tournament.

2024 Big Ten Men’s Soccer Postseason Honor
Offensive Player of the Year: Tommy Mihalic, Indiana
Midfielder of the Year: MICHAEL ADEDOKUN, Ohio State
Defensive Player of the Year: William Kulvik, Maryland
Goalkeeper of the Year: Zac Kelly, Michigan State
Freshman of the Year: Dean Boltz, Wisconsin
Coach of the Year: BRIAN MAISONNEUVE, Ohio State

All-Big Ten First Team
Quinton Elliot, Indiana, D
Patrick McDonald, Indiana, M
Tommy Mihalic, Indiana, F
Samuel Sarver, Indiana, F
Loen Koehl, Maryland, M
William Kulvik, Maryland, D
Zac Kelly, Michigan State, GK
MICHAEL ADEDOKUN, Ohio State, M
Siggi Magnusson, Ohio State, D
Deylen Vellios, Ohio State, D
Andre Ochoa, UCLA, M

All-Big Ten Second Team*
JT Harms, Indiana, GK
Jansen Miller, Indiana, D
Max Rogers, Maryland, F
Colin Griffith, Maryland, F
Bryce Blevins, Michigan, D
Collin McCamy, Northwestern, M
Nigel Prince, Northwestern, D
Marko Borkovic, Ohio State, F
Luciano Pechota, Ohio State, M
Curt Calov, Rutgers, M
Nico Cavallo, UCLA, D
Peter Kingston, Washington, M
Caden Buckley, Washington, D
Dean Boltz, Wisconsin, F

All-Freshman Team
Charlie Heuer, Indiana
JOSH MAHER, Indiana
Laurin Mack, Maryland
Kamau Brame, Michigan
Brandon Munson, Michigan State
DAVID AJAGBE, Ohio State
Nick McHenry, Ohio State
Malick Daouda, Penn State
Allan Legaspi, UCLA
Zach Ramsey, Washington
DEAN BOLTZ, Wisconsin
Matthew Zachemski, Wisconsin

Sportsmanship Honorees
Jack Wagoner, Jr., Indiana
Alex Nitzl, Gr., Maryland
Ethan Wood, Gr., Michigan
Jonathan Stout, Jr., Michigan State
Thaddaeus Dewing, Gr., Northwestern
Parker Grinstead, Sr., Ohio State
Ben Liscum, R-Jr., Penn State
Aidan Flynn, Sr., Rutgers
Andre Ochoa, Sr., UCLA
Chris Peretti, R-Jr., Washington
Ryan Keefe, Sr., Wisconsin

Unanimous selections in ALL CAPS 
* - additional players added due to ties in voting