RICHMOND, Va. – Headlined by two major award winners, the Elon University men's soccer team was well represented on the Colonial Athletic Association postseason awards list as announced by the league office on Wednesday, Nov. 2.
 
Senior Vemund Hole Vik was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year while Phoenix head coach Marc Reeves was the unanimous CAA Coach of the Year. Overall, Elon had seven players earn All-CAA accolades, including a league-best four first-team recipients.
 
Hole Vik was named first team All-CAA and was joined by teammates Mason Duval, Franc Gamiz Quer and Scott Vatne. Two more members of the team – goalkeeper Ryan Bilichuk and defender Kasper Lehm – were second-team honorees while freshman Majaliwa Msabaha was placed on the third team and the All-Rookie team.
 
Hole Vik becomes the second member of the program to be named CAA Defensive Player of the Year, joining Nathan Diehl in 2015. The Aalesund, Norway, native has helped the maroon and gold post a league-best 10 shutouts on the season while holding opponents to nine goals scored all year. Offensively, Hole Vik ranks third on the team in points with 10 with his three goals and four assists. He's also scored a pair of game-winners this season and twice was honored on the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week this year.
 
Duval earns his first All-CAA recognition from his striker position. The George Town, Cayman Islands, native leads the Phoenix in total points (14) and goals (seven). Duval has scored three game-winning goals this season, including one versus North Carolina on Oct. 18 that helped the maroon and gold to its first-ever victory over the Tar Heels. His three game-winning goals are tied for second in the league and he was named the CAA's Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 24.
 
In his first season at Elon, Gamiz Quer has made a huge impact on the Phoenix's backline this season. The graduate student has helped Elon to 10 clean sheets this season and only nine goals allowed from his center back position. The Sabadell, Spain, native has played every minute on the pitch this year and also added an assist versus Drexel in the Phoenix's 3-0 win over the Dragons.
 
Coming off an All-Rookie campaign a year ago, Vatne earns his second All-CAA accolade during his sophomore season. The Klepp, Norway, native has started 15 out of his 16 matches and is tied for the team-lead in assists with six and is second on the squad in points (12) and goals (three). He ranks third in the CAA in total shots with 37 with 16 of those coming on goal. Vatne was named the CAA Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 17.
 
Bilichuk earns second team All-CAA in his first season in goal for the Phoenix. The Greenville, S.C., native has tied the program's single-season record for clean sheets this season with 10, which is also currently tied for second in the nation. His 0.56 goals against average is sixth in the country while his .791 save percentage is second in the CAA. He earned CAA Defensive Player of the Week honors on Aug. 29 after helping the Phoenix to a pair of shutout wins at the John Rennie/Nike Classic at Duke University.
 
Lehm earns All-CAA honors for the third time in his career. The Odense, Denmark, native is tied for the team-lead in assists with six and has been a major contributor to a Phoenix backline that ranks as one of the best in the league and the country. He has had two multi-assist matches this year at Furman and versus College of Charleston and earned CAA Defensive Player of the Week accolades on Sept. 19. Lehm was also honored by Top Drawer Soccer and College Soccer News with both publications placing him on their National Teams of the Week.
 
In his first collegiate season, Msabaha has appeared and started all but one game for the Phoenix. The Randers, Denmark, native is third on the team in minutes played among position players and scored a goal versus San Diego at the John Rennie/Nike Classic. He also had the assist on the game-winning goal versus College of Charleston on Oct. 22 and has played the full 90 minutes in 11 matches this year.
 
Reeves receives his third conference Coach of the Year award in his career after helping the Phoenix to its first-ever outright CAA regular season championship and the first league title of any kind since 2015. In his sixth season at the helm of the maroon and gold, Reeves has coached the program to its first double-digit winning season since 2015 and the No. 1 seed at the league tournament. Elon has also been receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll for five weeks and is currently second in the Atlantic Region.
 
The Phoenix opens play at the CAA Tournament on Sunday, Nov. 6, hosting the winner between No. 4 seed Northeastern and No. 5 seed Drexel. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Rudd Field.