TAMPA, Fla. – The 2026 All-Sun Conference Esports Teams and Specialty Award winners were announced Wednesday afternoon following a vote of the league’s eight head coaches.
Michael Parsons of Southeastern has been named the Overwatch 2 Player of the Year. A support player, Parsons led the team in healing this season, averaging over 9,000 healing per match. As stated by Head Coach Ethan Cadore, Parsons’ ability to manage engagements and stabilize team fights has been central to the team’s performance. He also noted Parsons’ communication, leadership, and team-first approach as key factors in the program’s success. Parsons helped guide the Fire to a berth in the conference Overwatch Tournament.
Malachi Lee of Loyola New Orleans has been named the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Player of the Year. Lee led the Wolf Pack to back-to-back SSBU Tournament Championships while averaging 7.50 stocks taken per game. He completed an undefeated season with a 17-0 record in sets, leading the league in win/loss ratio.
Tyrese Gordon of Keiser has been named the Rocket League Player of the Year. Gordon led the team in goals, assists, and saves, totaling 35 goals across seven matches while averaging over a 750 Rocket League score per game. He helped guide Keiser to a runner-up finish in the conference Rocket League Tournament. The Seahawks also suffered just one loss during the regular season.
Emmanuel Cartagena of Texas A&M–Texarkana has been named a Champion of Character recipient. A senior, Cartagena serves as team captain of the Overwatch team, President of the Esports Student Organization, and Esports Coordinator for the varsity program. He is enrolled in 17 credit hours while competing on the Overwatch, Super Smash Bros., and Apex teams, and also contributes to the program by producing and casting streams.
Ethan Cadore of Southeastern has been named Coach of the Year. Cadore guided the Fire to a third-place finish in the conference Rocket League Tournament while also securing berths in the Overwatch and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Tournaments, competing in all three championship events. SEU also claimed the 2025 Rocket League Championship under his leadership in the inaugural year of Sun Conference esports.
Specialty Awards
Award • Name • School
| Award |
Name |
School |
| Overwatch 2 Player of the Year |
Michael Parsons |
Southeastern |
| Super Smash Bros. Player of the Year |
Malachi Lee |
Loyola New Orleans |
| Rocket League Player of the Year |
Tyrese Gordon |
Keiser |
| Champion of Character |
Emmanuel Cartagena |
Texas A&M-Texarkana |
| Coach of the Year |
Ethan Cadore |
Southeastern |
Overwatch 2 All-Conference
Name • School
| Name |
School |
| Emmanuel Cartagena |
Texas A&M-Texarkana |
| Williams Nguyen |
Texas A&M-Texarkana |
| Michael Parsons |
Southeastern |
| Jonatan Solax |
SCAD Atlanta |
| Chandler Strohmeier |
Warner |
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate All-Conference
Name • School
| Name |
School |
| Aaron Fox |
Keiser |
| Gamathew Goglas |
St. Thomas |
| Isaiah Hernandez |
New College of Florida |
| Malachi Lee |
Loyola New Orleans |
| Jovan Michelsen |
New College of Florida |
Rocket League All-Conference
Name • School
| Name |
School |
| Lucca Alvim |
St. Thomas |
| Jonathan Galdamez |
Texas A&M-Texarkana |
| Tyrese Gordon |
Keiser |
| Andrew Wade |
Warner |
| Matthew Walser |
New College of Florida |
* - Repeat All-Conference honorees from last year
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