KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Union College men's and women's soccer teams were both recognized for their success in the classroom last year by earning College Team Academic Awards from United Soccer Coaches, the organization announced on Friday afternoon.
 
To qualify for the honor, teams must post a team grade point average of 3.0 or higher for the entirety of the 2025-26 academic year. Union is one of only 175 schools in the entire NCAA (Divisions I, II and III) to have both its men's and women's teams recognized this year.
 
The women's soccer team earned the honor for the sixth straight season and the eighth time in program history after a fantastic year in the classroom, achieving a cumulative GPA of 3.60 under sixth-year head coach Karen Perron. The team had 16 players named to the Liberty League Fall All-Academic Team and also had four players earn All-Liberty League honors, helping the team return to the postseason for the first time since 2021 and reaching the nine-win mark for the third time in five seasons.
 
The men's soccer team is recognized for the second time ever and the first time since 2020 after boasting a team GPA of 3.20, helped by the team's 11 Liberty League All-Academic Team honorees. Under first-year head coach John Ciano, the Garnet Chargers also excelled on the field and posted their best season in over a decade, dropping just one regular-season match in conference play and advancing to the Liberty League Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2015.