ROCHESTER, Mich. - UMKC's Bryan Perez was named Summit League Offensive Player of the Year, while Oakland goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt claimed Defensive Player of the Year honors to headline the league's 2009 men's soccer awards. Perez's teammate David Sarabia, a freshman, earned Newcomer of the Year while Hildebrandt's coach Eric Pogue was selected as Coach of the Year. UMKC and Oakland combined for nine of the 12 first team selections. 

Perez leads The Summit League with 23 points and 10 goals on the season and became UMKC's second consecutive Offensive Player of the Year recipient following Brian Harris' selection last season. Hildebrandt, who leads the league in goals against average (0.66), save percentage (.891) and shutouts (7), is the third consecutive Golden Grizzlies' player to receive the Defensive Player of the Year award after Ian Daniel (2007) and Steve Clark (2008).

Sarabia, the Newcomer of the Year, ranks second in The Summit League in points (19) and goals (9) while owning the top spot for game-winning goals with three. In his first season as head coach at Oakland, Pogue led his squad to the regular season title and matched the school's best Summit League record with a 5-0-1 mark.

UMKC led the way with five first team selections as midfielders Chris Markey (5 pts.) and John Bayron Sosa (9 pts.), the league's assists leader with seven, along with defender John David Hernandez, joined Perez and Sarabia on the league's top 11. Oakland was second with four first teamers, led by Hildebrandt, freshman midfielder John Dreshaj (3 G, 8 pts.), who tied for the league-lead with three game-winning goals, defender Machel James and forward Stefan St. Louis (4 G, 9 pts.). Rounding out the first team was IPFW defender Raphael Martinez (3 pts.) and Western Illinois' midfielder Diego Zemudio.

Martin Browne, Jr., of Western Illinois, who ranks third in the league in points with 14, headlined the second team. He was joined by teammates Oskar Gasecki (2 G, 5 pts.), a freshman defender, and goalkeeper Stephen Paterson (1.45 GAA). Oakland also had three players voted to the second team in forward Makeski Lewis (3 G, 8 pts.), defender Vuk Popovic and midfielder Leshorn Woods-Henry (1 G). Also earning second team nods were IUPUI teammates Nate Ohmer (4 G, 9 pts.) and Yogi Snider (2 G, 6 pts.) along with IPFW teammates Liridon Qafleshi (1 G, 3 pts.) and Max Touloute (6 G, 14 pts.) and Oral Roberts' defender Tyler Vining.

Sarabia led an all-newcomer team that featured a quartet of Oakland players in Dreshaj, Woods-Henry, James Leutzinger and Shane Lyons (4 G, 8 pts.). Also on the team were WIU's Gasecki, UMKC's Tom Black (3 G, 7 pts.), Oral Roberts' Sterling Copeland (4 G) and Kalen Ryden (1 G, 3 pts.), IUPUI's Michael Wignot (3 G) and IPFW goalkeeper Donovan Dowling (1.53 GAA).

The 2009 Summit League Championship begins Friday with a pair of semifinals games at the Oakland University Soccer Field in Rochester, Mich. Top-seeded Oakland faces No. 4 seed UMKC in the opening match at 11 a.m. EST while No. 2 Western Illinois and No. 3 IUPUI meet at 2 p.m. The winners will meet Sunday at noon for The Summit League Championship and an automatic berth to the NCAA College Cup.

2009 SUMMIT LEAGUE MEN'S SOCCER AWARDS

First Team
John Dreshaj, Oakland, Fr., MF
John David Hernandez, UMKC, Sr., D
Mitch Hildebrandt, Oakland, Sr., GK
Machel James, Oakland, Sr., D
Chris Markey, UMKC, Jr., MF
Raphael Martinez, IPFW, Jr., D
Bryan Perez, UMKC, Sr., F
Stefan St. Louis, Oakland, Sr., F
David Sarabia, UMKC, Fr., F
John Bayron Sosa, UMKC, Jr., MF
Diego Zamudio, Western Illinois, Sr., MF

Second Team
Martin Browne, Jr., Western Illinois, Sr., F
Oskar Gasecki, Western Illinois, Fr., D
Makesi Lewis, Oakland, Jr., F
Nate Ohmer, IUPUI, Jr., MF
Stephen Paterson, Western Illinois, Sr., GK
Vuk Popovic, Oakland, So., D
Liridon Qafleshi, IPFW, Jr., MF
Yogi Snider, IUPUI, So., D
Max Touloute, IPFW, So., F
Tyler Vining, Oral Roberts, So., D
Leshorn Woods-Henry, Oakland, Fr., MF

All-Newcomer
Tom Black, UMKC, Fr., MF
Sterling Copeland, Oral Roberts, Jr., F
John Dreshaj, Oakland, Fr., MF
Donovan Dowling, IPFW, Jr., GK
Oskar Gasecki, Western Illinois, Fr., D
James Leutzinger, Oakland, Fr., D
Shane Lyons, Oakland, Fr., F
Kalen Ryden, Oral Roberts, Fr., D
David Sarabia, UMKC, Fr., F
Michael Wignot, IUPUI, Fr., D
Leshorn Woods-Henry, Oakland, Fr., MF

Player of the Year
Bryan Perez, UMKC

Defensive Player of the Year
Mitch Hildebrandt, Oakland

Newcomer of the Year
David Sarabia, UMKC

Coach of the Year
Eric Pogue, Oakland

-SUMMIT-