Wheaton, Ill. -- With the 2025 regular season concluding this week, the CCIW announced its annual All-Conference men's soccer teams on Friday, recognizing the standout players and coaching staff from the fall campaign to date. After securing this year's CCIW regular season title, the Wheaton program saw five of its student-athletes named to the All-CCIW First and Second Teams, with two of these players earning individual awards. Jack Krahel was named the CCIW Goalkeeper of the Year for the first time in his career, marking the third-straight season that Wheaton has been represented by the award recipient. Fellow senior Wes Seneff was voted the conference's Defensive Student-Athlete of the Year, becoming the first Thunder player in program history to receive the award. Krahel and Seneff are joined on the First Team by Craig Rusin and Luke Vander Kolk, while Garrett Belcher earned Second Team recognition. Additionally, the Wheaton men's soccer coaches were honored as the 2025 CCIW Joe Bean Coaching Staff of the Year, giving head coach Steve McCrath his third-consecutive managerial accolade from the conference.

McCrath, who was recognized as the CCIW Joe Bean Coach of the Year in 2023 and 2024, along with assistant coaches Andrew Wade, Pablo Arriaga, and Mason Escalante, (pictured left with conference trophy) guided Wheaton to an 11-2-4 overall record so far this fall and a 7-0-1 mark in CCIW play that secured the Thunder's second-consecutive regular season conference title. McCrath has led Wheaton to a top-two finish in the conference ​standings in each of his four seasons as head coach of the Thunder. This year's conference title was Wheaton's 22^nd in program history, the most trophies of any team in the CCIW. The Thunder rode a seven-game win streak to start conference play, including earning a key 3-2 victory over eventual runners-up Illinois Wesleyan University that proved to be the Titans' only defeat in league play. In addition to securing the #1 seed and semifinal hosting rights for the upcoming CCIW Tournament, Wheaton won all of its conference road matches for the second time in the past four seasons and went unbeaten at home through the entire regular season for the first time since 2018.

Wheaton sees four of its players named to the All-CCIW First Team this season, and 2025 is the second-straight year that the Thunder have had five All-Conference representatives in total. This campaign is also the first of Coach McCrath's tenure in which Wheaton placed four student-athletes on the First Team, the most of any program in the conference this fall.

First Team honoree Jack Krahel (pictured right) garners the CCIW Goalkeeper of the Year award after enjoying a towering run of form in conference play. In his debut season as a starter tending the net for the Thunder, the Georgia native has showed out in a big way, saving a league-high 89% of the shots he faced in CCIW play and keeping five shutouts, the most that any program has registered in  conference competition since 2013. His seven total shutouts for the season are currently tied for 19^th-most in the country, and his 0.63 goals-against average was the best in the conference this year. The grad student made seven saves in the aforementioned victory at Illinois Wesleyan, and one of his best performances came against Millikin University on Wheaton's Senior Night, when he became the first CCIW goalie to keep a clean sheet against the Big Blue and tallied 10 stops, the highest single-game save total by a Thunder shot-stopper since 2021. Additionally, Krahel was recognized as the CCIW Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week on October 7, October 14, and October 21, making him the first men's soccer player in CCIW history to ever earn three-consecutive conference player of the week accolades.

Fellow First Team member Wes Seneff (pictured left) becomes the first Wheaton player to earn the CCIW Defensive Student-Athlete of the Year honor since the conference divided its overall Player of the Year honor into offensive and defensive categories in 2018. The senior from Orlando, Florida has been an essential piece of Wheaton's stout defense that led the conference in goals-against average (GAA) this year with a 0.63 mark and allowed just five goals in eight contests. Seneff started in seven of the Thunder's eight CCIW fixtures and helped his side earn four clean sheets in the process. He was also able to make an impact on the offensive end, recording two assists, including one against North Central College on Wednesday night that helped ensure an unbeaten CCIW slate for the Thunder. Seneff's leadership and cognitive abilities on the pitch have been essential for the Thunder's success so far this season.

Sophomore midfielder Craig Rusin (pictured right) earns All-CCIW First Team honors in his debut season with the program after transferring from the University of Southern Indiana. Rusin led the Thunder with 10 points in conference play this fall and tied for the team lead in assists with four, both of which were fourth-highest totals in the league in CCIW play. The Crown Point  product also recorded two game-winning goals, including a decisive finish against Carroll last Wednesday which gave Wheaton a 2-1 victory and clinched the squad's outright regular season title. Rusin has recorded three multi-point games, including a two-goal, one-assist performance against Millikin on October 18. That five-point outing was the second-highest total in a single conference game this season and earned Rusin CCIW Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week honors on October 28. The Indiana native's passing range and ability to generate chances from set pieces was essential in the Thunder's offensive prowess throughout the season.

Another player making his first appearance on the All-Conference First Team for Wheaton is Luke Vander Kolk, a junior from Stamford, Connecticut. Vander Kolk (pictured left)  set career-highs in starts, goals, points, shots on goal, and minutes this season, leading the front line all year to help fire his team to a second-consecutive conference title. The forward tied for third in goals (4), attempted the fourth-most shots (24), put the sixth-most shots on goal (11), and was tied for sixth in points (9) among all players in conference play this fall. Vander Kolk enjoyed a six-game goal streak between September 13 and October 4 where he netted seven times, the longest consecutive scoring run by a Wheaton player since 2015. The Connecticut native also led the CCIW in game-winning goals in conference play with three, notching the decisive strikes against North Park, Augustana, and Carthage on Wheaton's route to the title. Vander Kolk was recognized as the CCIW Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week on September 2 after a two-goal, two-assist performance in the Thunder's season-opening win over Chapman University in the Bob Baptista Invitational.

Garrett Belcher notches his first All-CCIW recognition this season by receiving Second Team honors in his sophomore campaign. The Littleton, Colorado defender (pictured right) has stifled opposing offenses this fall as a key piece of the Thunder defensive machine. Belcher started in all eight of Wheaton's conference fixtures and played the full 90 minutes in all but two CCIW games this year. Alongside fellow All-Conference defender Seneff and All-Conference goalkeeper Krahel, the sophomore led Wheaton to the program's lowest opponent average score since 2018 and the Thunder's first unbeaten season in CCIW competition since 2013. Belcher helped his side post five shutouts in league play, and his throw-in abilities have also provided valuable versatility to the Wheaton attack throughout the season.

As part of this year's All-Conference announcement, senior defender Sam Grotelueschen (pictured left) has been named Wheaton's CCIW RESPECT Award winner for the 2025 season. At the conclusion of every sports season, each varsity program recognizes one student-athlete as their RESPECT Award honoree. 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.

After a highly successful regular season slate that featured a conference title win and no shortage of individual accolades, the Thunder men's soccer team will turn its attention to postseason play. Wheaton returns to the pitch on Wednesday, November 5 when it welcomes either Carroll University or North Park University to Joe Bean Stadium for a CCIW Tournament semifinal match.