HADLEY, Mass. – The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) announced its men's basketball awards for the 2025-26 season on Wednesday, and Connecticut College senior Elias Espinosa (Leonia, N.J.) and junior Dylan Watson (Mount Kisco, N.Y.) were both selected to the All-NESCAC Second Team.
It marked the second time in three seasons that multiple Camels earned All-NESCAC honors. Espinosa was recognized for the third time in his career while Watson garnered accolades for the first time. All awards were determined by a vote of the league's head coaches.
Espinosa averaged 13.0 points per game and knocked down 61 three-pointers in his final season with the Camels. He netted his 1,000th career point at Bowdoin on January 10 and finished his career with 1,159 points over 98 games, good enough for 14th place all-time in program history. He also ranks second all-time at Conn with 231 career threes.
"We're thrilled for Elias being recognized for all his hard work and achievements over the course of his fantastic four-year career here as a Camel," said head coach Tim Sweeney. "He truly represents the highest standard of excellence both on and off the floor for us here at Conn."
Watson averaged career highs of 11.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game and ranked third in the NESCAC in rebounding. He also ranked among the conference leaders in both field goal percentage (.495) and free throw percentage (.811), and over the course of 25 games he stacked up a team-high eight double-doubles.
"Dylan does so many things to help our team, and we are excited that he was recognized for this by the conference," said Sweeney. "His commitment to improving himself—and doing whatever it takes to help us succeed—sets a great example, and we can't wait to help him continue to build on his progress."
Conn, which made its fifth-straight NESCAC Championship appearance, finished the season with an overall record of 16-9 (4-6 NESCAC). It marked the fourth-straight winning season for the Camels under Sweeney, the program's longest streak since 2002.
2026 NESCAC Men's Basketball Awards
Player of the Year: Scott Gyimesi, Tufts
Defensive Player of the Year: Drew Lazarre, Trinity
Rookie of the Year: K.J. Neville, Amherst
Coaching Staff of the Year: Wesleyan University (Joe Reilly, Noah Tyson, Nicky Johnson)
All-NESCAC First Team
G, Ray Cuevas, Bowdoin, So., Ipwich, Mass.
F, Scott Gyimesi, Tufts, Sr., Fair Haven, N.J.
F, Jarrel Okorougo, Trinity, Sr., Stoneham, Mass.
G, Sam Pohlman, Wesleyan, Sr., New York, N.Y.
F, Babcar Pouye, Bates, Jr., Carpinteria, Calif.
G, Henry Vetter, Trinity, Sr., Kenilworth, Ill.
G, Zach Wolinski, Wesleyan, So., North Andover, Mass.
All-NESCAC Second Team
C, Joshua Bernstein, Tufts, Sr., Miami, Fla.
G, Elias Chin, Amherst, So., Thousand Oaks, Calif.
C, Dan Civello, Colby, So., South Weymouth, Mass.
F, Elias Espinosa, Conn. College, Sr., Leonia, N.J.
F, Chris Hammond, Amherst, Sr., Los Angeles, Calif.
G, Drew Lazarre, Trinity, Sr., West Haven, Conn.
F, Dylan Watson, Conn. College, Jr., Mount Kisco, N.Y.
