GREENVILLE, S.C. – Conference Carolinas announced their men's lacrosse all-conference awards prior to the start of the 2026 Men's Lacrosse Championship semifinals on Friday.
The all-conference awards were chosen by the league's head coaches.
Chowan University's Reed Low, Harry Edwards, and Michael Litchfield earned Second Team All-Conference honors after serving as key contributors to the Hawks' offensive and defensive success this season.
Low led both the team and the conference in goals per game, averaging four and totaling 52 goals across 13 contests. The junior from Sherwood Park, Alberta delivered a season-best performance with eight goals against Davis & Elkins. He also etched his name into the Chowan record book, setting single-game program records with nine assists and 16 total points in a home conference matchup against Shorter. Low surpassed the 100-career point milestone this season and finished third in the conference in points per game.
On the defensive side, Edwards earned Second Team honors after leading the team in both ground balls and caused turnovers. The Adelaide, Australia native recorded 51 ground balls and forced 37 turnovers, anchoring the Hawks' defensive efforts throughout the season.
Litchfield was also named to the Second Team as a long stick midfielder, showcasing his intensity and versatility on both ends of the field. Offensively, he tallied three goals and two assists. Defensively, the Baltimore, Maryland native ranked second on the team behind Edwards with 36 ground balls and 29 caused turnovers.
Conference honors also included Offensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year going to Lees-McRae, while Lees-McRae and Belmont Abbey shared Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors. Belmont Abbey's head coach was named Coach of the Year.
Cayden Onagi of Lees-McRae College was selected offensive player of the year. Onagi led Conference Carolinas with 52 goals and an average of 4.00 goals per game. He also led the league with 38 assists for an average of 2.92 assists per game. Onagi led Conference Carolinas by more than one point per game with an average of 6.92 points per game with 90 total points.
Connor Costigan of Lees-McRae and Belmont Abbey College's
Eddie Kielkopf were tabbed co-defensive players of the year. Costigan leads Conference Carolinas with an average of 3.21 caused turnovers per game with 45 total caused turnovers. He also ranks ninth with an average of 4.14 ground balls per game and 10th with 58 total ground balls. Kielkopf leads Conference Carolinas with a goals against average of 8.06 and second with a save percentage of .550. He also ranks ninth with an average of 7.33 saves per game.
Carter Whissell of Lees-McRae was tabbed freshman of the year, the second straight Bobcat to earn that honor. In his first year on campus, Whissell scored 17 goals for an average of 1.31 per game. He added 10 assists as he ranked in the league's top 25 in both goals and assists.
Belmont Abbey head coach
Chris Barrett was selected coach of the year. Barrett led the Crusaders to the Conference Carolinas regular season title, going 8-0 in league games. The Crusaders are 12-3 overall and ranked 19th in the USA Lacrosse Magazine poll and 18th in the USILA poll. Belmont Abbey is the top seed in the Conference Carolinas Men's Lacrosse Championship
2026 Men's Lacrosse All-Conference Carolinas Selections
Offensive Player of the Year
Cayden Onagi, Lees-McRae
Defensive Player of the Year
Eddie Kielkopf, Belmont Abbey
Connor Costigan, Lees-McRae
Freshman of the Year
Carter Whissell, Lees-McRae
Coach of the Year
Chris Barrett, Belmont Abbey
First Team
Attack – Cayden Onagi, Lees-McRae
Attack – Brendan Boschi, Belmont Abbey
Attack – Nate Lorenzo, Belmont Abbey
Attack – Cole Morris, Lees-McRae
Attack – Caden Castle, North Greenville
Midfield – Ryland Laturell, Emmanuel
Midfield – Aydan Sizemore, North Greenville
Midfield – Adam Ross, Lees-McRae
Defense – Connor Costigan, Lees-McRae
Defense – Matthew Peterson, Belmont Abbey
Defense – Dalton Wilkins, North Greenville
Faceoff – Kyler Donahue, Lees-McRae
Long Stick Midfielder – Cole Jenkins, North Greenville
Defensive Midfielder – John Valetto, Belmont Abbey
Goalkeeper – Eddie Kielkopf, Belmont Abbey
Second Team
Attack – Reed Low, Chowan
Attack – Benjamin Vanderkley, Mount Olive
Attack – Steven Huls Jr., North Greenville
Midfield – Marvin Johnson, Barton
Midfield – Colburn Connelly, Young Harris
Midfield – Jeremy Mahoney, Belmont Abbey
Defense – Harry Edwards, Chowan
Defense – Zach Kashubara, Barton
Defense – Reid Harkins, North Greenville
Faceoff – Nicolas Logue, Mount Olive
Faceoff – Michael Aber, Belmont Abbey
Long Stick Midfielder – Michael Litchfield, Chowan
Long Stick Midfield – Brendan Bedell, Barton
Defensive Midfielder – Lucas Betz, North Greenville
Goalkeeper – Alex Epple, Lees-McRae
