DURHAM, N.C. — The street to the 2025 CIAA soccer title is formally underway. On the HBCU soccer league’s annual Soccer Media Day, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Affiliation (CIAA) dropped its extremely anticipated Preseason All-CIAA Soccer Crew and the projected order of end, and there’s no scarcity of storylines.
The checklist, chosen by the CIAA Sports activities Info Administrators Affiliation and head soccer coaches, reads like a spotlight reel of HBCU soccer expertise. Twelve returning preseason honorees are again to make noise in 2025, together with eight first-teamers and 4 main award winners.
Amongst them? Final 12 months’s breakout freshmen—Micah Robinson of Bowie State and Marquis Edmond of Virginia State—who return as reigning Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Yr. Becoming a member of them are two game-changers: Bruno Onwuazor, the Lineman of the Yr out of Virginia State, and Zyaire Tart, who earned Particular Groups Participant of the Yr honors final season and now fits up for defending champs Virginia Union.
Virginia Union Leads the Pack — However It’s a Tight Race
Contemporary off their 2024 CIAA Championship run, Virginia Union leads the 2025 predicted order of end with 103 factors. However proper on their heels is a hungry Johnson C. Smith squad with 101 factors, signaling they’re not simply contenders—they’re coming for the crown.
Virginia State, final 12 months’s runner-up and loaded with returning expertise on either side of the ball, sits in third with 92 factors. These high three applications seem poised for a season-long slugfest on the high of the CIAA standings. In the meantime, groups like Fayetteville State, Winston-Salem State, and Bowie State will certainly have one thing to say about that heading into 2025.
Right here’s how the total predicted end shakes out:
Virginia Union
Johnson C. Smith
Virginia State
Fayetteville State
Winston-Salem State
Bowie State
Livingstone
Shaw
Elizabeth Metropolis State
Lincoln (PA)
Bluefield State
Preseason Stars to Watch
All-CIAA Quarterback honors went to Daylin Lee (Winston-Salem State), whereas the backfield is stacked with Travon Tensley (VUU, previously Shaw) and sophomore standout Micah Robinson.
On the sides, wideouts Brevin Caldwell (JCSU) and Zyaire Tart headline the receiving corps, whereas Devin Cunningham holds it down at tight finish.
The trenches are owned by names like Bruno Onwuazor, Tyleek McCoy, and Benjamin Hicks—a bruising group that might outline this season’s id.
Defensively, Virginia State is in every single place. 4 VSU defenders, together with Marquis Edmond, Donavan Howard, and KJ McNeil, make the checklist. Keep watch over Davion Watkins (Livingstone) and Quewon Hilliard (Shaw) so as to add warmth.
HBCU Soccer Is Outdoors Once more—And It’s Up for Grabs
With stars returning, rivalries deepening, and rosters loaded throughout the board, the CIAA’s 2025 soccer season is shaping as much as be one for the books.
Let the countdown start.
Quarterback
1. Daylin Lee (WSSU)
Operating Backs
1. Travon Tensley (VUU, beforehand Shaw)
2. Micah Robinson (Bowie)
Vast Receivers
1. Brevin Caldwell (JCSU)
2. Zyaire Tart (VUU, beforehand Lincoln (PA))
Tight Finish
1. Devin Cunningham (WSSU)
Offensive Linemen
1. Bruno Onwuazor (VSU)
2. Tyleek McCoy (VSU)
3. Benjamin Hicks (FSU)
4. Adrian Crespin (VUU)
5. Elijah Gordon (WSSU)
Defensive Lineman
1. Lamone Hill Jr. (JCSU)
2. Davion Watkins (Livingstone)
3. Jayshaun Alston (VSU)
4. Cameron Davis (VSU)
Linebackers
1. KJ McNeil (VSU)
2. Quewon Hilliard (Shaw)
3. Jamari Slade (FSU)
Defensive Backs
1. Donavan Howard (VSU)
2. Marquis Edmond (VSU)
3. Jordan Williams (Bowie)
4. Keyshawn Monk (FSU)
Kick Returner
1. Zyaire Tart (VUU)
Place Kicker
1. Brady Myers (VUU)
Punt Returner
1. Terrance Holland (ECSU)
Punter
1. Darius Satterfield (ECSU)
