Contact: Rachel Balinao, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant, rabalinao@noctrl.edu
Oct. 30, 2026- The North Central College men's soccer team collected six All-College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) honors, highlighted by Griffin French being named Defensive Player of the Year and the Cardinal coaching staff earning Coaching Staff of the Year honors, as announced in the conference's 2026 postseason awards.
The awards and all-conference selections are determined by votes from the conference's head coaches and are based on each student-athlete's performance against CCIW opponents during the regular season.
French, Aleks Duncevic, Jonas Mund and Marco Costabile earned All-CCIW First Team honors, while Ivan Hooshmand and Trey Zakeri were named to the second team.
French becomes just the second player in program history to earn CCIW Defensive Player of the Year honors while collecting his first All-CCIW First Team selection. A key presence in the Cardinals' backline, French has started every game and played every minute of the 2026 regular season while helping North Central record four conference shutouts. He also contributed offensively, scoring his most recent goal against North Park University on Oct. 14 with a 37-yard strike to secure the equalizer.
Duncevic earns his second All-CCIW First Team selection after receiving the honor as a freshman in 2025. A key contributor in the Cardinal midfield, Duncevic leads the team with nine goals and five assists, ranking among the conference's top five in both categories. He also ranks tied for No. 1 nationally in successful penalty kicks, converting all five of his attempts this season.
Mund earns his first All-CCIW honor as a Cardinal after anchoring the North Central backline alongside French. He has contributed to four of the team's shutouts this season while setting a career high with two goals. Mund scored his first goal of the season off a corner kick against Carroll University on Oct. 10, finding the back of the net to help lead the Cardinals. His second goal came from a finish on a cross Oct. 17 against Carthage College as the goal to give North Central the lead.
Costabile joins French and Mund in earning his first All-CCIW First Team selection after receiving second-team honors as a freshman in 2025. A key component of the Cardinal midfield, Costabile has recorded three goals and four assists this season. He also scored the game-winning goal against Carthage in North Central's 3-2 victory.
Hooshmand and Zakeri earned their first All-CCIW selections as members of the Cardinal program, both receiving second-team honors. Hooshmand, a freshman forward, has made three starts this season and scored in each appearance. He recorded a career-high two goals against Wheaton College, helping the Cardinals secure a 4-2 victory.
Zakeri, a senior captain, has started every game and played every minute this season as a member of the Cardinal backline alongside French and Mund. He scored his first career goal against Wheaton, providing the equalizer and helping spark North Central's victory.
Led by head coach Enzo Fuschino, the North Central coaching staff was named CCIW Coaching Staff of the Year, sharing the honor with North Park University's coaching staff. Fuschino has guided the Cardinals to three regular-season conference titles, including this season, and four CCIW Tournament appearances, with this year's tournament marking the program's fifth appearance under his leadership. He is joined by assistant coach Tito Jaimes, who is in his first season, and second-year graduate assistant coach Alex Lundin.
North Central's RESPECT Award winner went to Trey Zakeri. RESPECT Award recipients have distinguished themselves as an integral member of the team, their institution, and community by upholding the values of Responsibility, Enthusiasm, Service, Pride, Excellence, Collaboration, and Trust. The RESPECT Award recognizes the intangible traits a student-athlete possesses that exemplify great character and encourages inclusiveness and a positive culture.
As the No. 1 seed in the CCIW Tournament, which begins Oct. 31, the Cardinals earned a first-round bye. North Central will return to action Nov. 4 at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium, hosting the winner of the No. 4 versus No. 5 quarterfinal matchup at 5 p.m.
