Hoyas earn unanimous top billing in BIG EAST preseason poll
The BIG EAST Conference released its 2026 preseason men’s soccer coaches’ poll this week and Georgetown was the unanimous choice to finish first in the East Division. The Hoyas received 66 points and all 11 first-place votes from the league’s coaches, continuing momentum built during a successful 2025 season.
Georgetown’s perfect showing in the poll was matched by a string of preseason individual honours for the program. Forward Mitchell Baker was voted the BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while defender Tate Lampman received Preseason Defensive Player of the Year recognition.
“A unanimous selection reflects the respect of league coaches for a program that finished 2025 as regular-season and tournament champion,”
The coaches’ poll underscores how Georgetown’s 2025 campaign — which included winning the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament titles and advancing to the NCAA Championship quarterfinals — has shaped expectations entering the new season. The Hoyas closed out 2025 with an overall record of 14-4-4, a performance cited by coaches in allocating first-place votes.
Conference standings in the preseason poll
Behind Georgetown in the East Division, UConn was chosen second with 46 points. Providence was third with 45 points, and claimed the lone non-Georgetown first-place vote. The remainder of the East Division polling placed St. John’s fourth with 37 points, Seton Hall fifth with 36 points and Villanova sixth with 16 points.
| East Division (preseason) | Points |
|---|---|
| Georgetown | 66 |
| UConn | 46 |
| Providence | 45 |
| St. John’s | 37 |
| Seton Hall | 36 |
| Villanova | 16 |
In the Midwest Division, Akron was the unanimous preseason favourite, also receiving 66 points and 11 first-place votes. Creighton took second with 56 points, including the single first-place vote not cast for Akron, followed by Xavier with 43 points, Marquette with 34, DePaul with 27 and Butler with 20.
Preseason awards highlight returning leaders
Alongside his offensive preseason recognition, Mitchell Baker enters 2026 after a decorated 2025 year: he earned United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-America honours and was a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist. He led the conference with 14 goals in 2025, added three assists for 31 points, and started all 21 matches in which he appeared. His 14 goals ranked eighth nationally and his five game-winning goals led the BIG EAST.
Other preseason positional awards went to Seton Hall’s Til Kauschke as Preseason Midfielder of the Year and UConn’s Kyle Durham as Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year. The recognitions signal which individual players coaches expect to influence the coming season, and they set a narrative around returning contributors and program depth.
What this means locally
For soccer followers in Georgetown, Ontario, and the surrounding Halton Hills area, the poll is a reminder of the prominence of programmes that carry the Georgetown name in North American collegiate sport. While the Hoyas are a U.S.-based institution, their standing in national college soccer competition often filters into local interest — among parents, youth coaches and players tracking pathways and benchmarks for high-performance soccer.
- Georgetown enters 2026 as the East Division preseason favourite after a 14-4-4 2025 season.
- Mitchell Baker is the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year after leading the BIG EAST with 14 goals in 2025.
- Akron was unanimous favourite in the Midwest Division, mirroring Georgetown’s perfect point total.
The coaches’ poll and preseason awards set expectations, but results will be decided on the field. For local fans watching the broader landscape of collegiate soccer, the coming season offers a benchmark for talent and program trajectories across the BIG EAST.
