RIVERSIDE, Calif. – UC Riverside put an additional stamp on a historic 2022 season with a smothering of All-Big West awards, as announced by the Big West on Tuesday. 

UCR set a program record for All-Big West honors for the second consecutive season with eight 2022 All-Big West honorees, including five on the First Team. 

"I am thrilled for our guys who have been honored on this year's All-Conference Team. These individuals are being recognized due to their own quality, but also the overall level of our entire team.  I'm proud of the entire group," said head coach Tim Cupello, who was named Big West Coach of the Year for the program's first such honor in its 22-year Division I history. 

Similarly, being named Coach of the Year is a tremendous honor. I wish it was a Staff of the Year award because all my assistant coaches deserve equal amounts of credit. They are a pleasure to work with every day, and as a collective, we're able to prepare our team to be the best versions of themselves."

Cupello led UC Riverside to its first top seed and Big West regular season in program history after the Highlanders were picked in the preseason to finish fourth. UCR sported a +8 goal differential against all three teams ahead of them in the preseason poll - UC Santa Barbara (1), UC Irvine (2) and UC Davis (3) - culminating in a 4-1 win over the Gauchos on Saturday that clinched the program's regular season title. 

Carlos Gonzalez was named Co-Goalkeeper of the Year after putting up a conference-leading .778 goals against average and ranking second in Big West play with an .825 save percentage. Gonzalez, who earlier this year entered the top five in career shutouts at UC Riverside, also earned his second consecutive First Team All-Big West recognition. 

Joining Gonzalez on the First Team list were Brendan Clark, Leopoldo Hernandez, Noah Lopez and Aleksander Vukovic. Issa Badawiya earned Second Team All-Big West honors, while Alfonso Ramirez and Westley Hastings were named to the All-Freshman Team. 

On the women's side, Alexandra Hargrave was named First Team All-Big West while Braelynn Llamoca earned All-Big West Honorable Mention. Hargrave ranked fourth in the Big West with 0.39 goals per match and second with 1.00 points per match, also ranking third in both goals (seven) and assists (18). 

UC Riverside will begin its quest for a Big West postseason title on Saturday, when the top-seeded Highlanders host the Big West Semifinal at 7:00 p.m. at the UC Riverside Soccer Stadium. Stay tuned to GoHighlanders.com for ticket information.