BRENTWOOD, Tenn. --- Houston Christian University had five players named to the Ohio Valley All-Conference teams with Ricardo Garcia being named as the Midfielder of the Year as the league announced its year-end postseason accolades on Friday afternoon.
 
Garcia was joined on the first team by Ryan Okerayi, with Nico Kross, Harvey Heeps and Marcos Moore being named to the second team. Heeps and Moore were also named to the league's All-Newcomer team.
 
Garcia becomes the second HCU player to earn Midfielder of the Year honors, joining two-time honoree D'Alessandro Herrera. A mainstay mid-pitch for four seasons, Garcia earned his second straight All-Conference selection following a second-team choice in 2025. The Houston native has been solid all season roaming the entire field, controlling traffic on the offensive end while also providing strong defensive help out of the middle.
 
The 5'6 senior has two goals while starting all 18 matches for the Huskies. He has recently moved into seventh place all-time in minutes played with 5,259 for his career. Garcia becomes just the sixth HCU player ever to capture an end-of-season Player of the Year honor, joining former teammate Herrera, as well as 2010 ASC Player of the Year Lorne Cameron and Carlos Gill, who was selected as the Trans America Conference Player of the Year four consecutive years from 1982-85.
 
Okerayi adds to his trophy case once again by being named to the first team for the fourth straight season, the first player in league history to be so awarded. It is his fifth overall OVC honor in five seasons, having been named the Freshman of the Year in 2023.

A physical front man in the offense, Okerayi leads the team in goals, assists and points. The Houston native's six goals ranks tied for seventh in the league while he is the league leader in with six.
 
A 6'2 senior forward, Okerayi is one of just seven players in school history with over 20 goals for his career, now with 27. He is fifth all-time in assists and is just the second player in program history to earn four First-Team nods in the same league since the aforementioned Carlos Gil earned the distinction in the Trans America Conference from 1982-85.

Nico Kross was named to the All-OVC second team after being a first-team selection last season. The native of Heidenheim, Germany missed four matches in the middle of the conference slate, but returned to bolster the back-line down the stretch as the Huskies push for the postseason stretched for the finish line. It is the third career honor for Kross, who was named to the SoCon All-Freshman team in 2023 while at East Tennessee State.
 
Harvey Heeps and Marcos Moore were both named to Second Team All-Conference as well as to the All-Newcomer team. It is the first accolades for both players.
 
A 6'1 goalkeeper from Bedfordshire, England, Heeps stepped into the huge shoes of the departed Alex Aitken and posted a solid first season in the pipes for the Huskies. He was named Goalkeeper of the Week twice and posted four clean sheets on the campaign. He currently ranks second in the OVC in saves (60), saves per game (3.33) and shutouts (4) and third in GAA and save percentage.
 
Marcos Moore had a strong first campaign for the Huskies. The 6'1 forward from Houston was second on the team with five goals on the season, all coming in conference action. He ranks 10th in the OVC in goals.

"It's hard to put into words the work ethic of these young men and their desire to keep this program moving in the right direction. They truly deserve these honors, and as always, being recognized by the league is truly gratifying and is a testament to who they are and what they've meant to our team. We are so proud of them not only for what they do on the field, but how they represent us off of it as well."
 
– Head Coach Ryan Pratt
 
With Garcia being named Midfielder of the Year, the Huskies have now captured top individual accolades eight times in four seasons in the Ohio Valley. During that span, HCU has placed 18 players on the All-Conference teams, including five or more the past three seasons.

Regular season champion and defending league champs Lindenwood captured four of the leagues six accolades with UIW getting the other two, including Diego Robles, whose conference scoring heater helped him take home Forward of the Year honors.
 
HCU enters the postseason at 6-7-5 overall after finishing the OVC slate at 4-3-3, their third straight season with a winning mark in conference action. HCU will be the fourth seed in the tournament and take on fifth-seeded Western Illinois in the tournament opener on Sunday, November 8. The tournament is being played for the second straight season at Hunter Stadium on the campus of Lindenwood, who got past the Huskies in the championship final last year in double-overtime, penalty kick thriller.
 
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