LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Elijah Edelman and Cooper Gersch were named to All-SCIAC teams and Diego Cavalie was named the recipient of the Award of Distinction on Thursday, November 5.
This is the first career All-SCIAC selection for Edelman, a Portland, Oregon native who transferred from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN ahead of the 2025 season.
Edelman has left his mark on the Oxy men's soccer program over the past two seasons, setting the single season assists record with 11 assists in 2025 and being named the 2025 SCIAC Tournament Most Valuable Player to help lead the Tigers to their second title in three seasons.
The Tiger midfielder closes his Oxy career tied for the most career assists since 2011 with 15, tied with Joey Schwartz (2019-23) and Aiden Aley (2022-25). Edelman had both a goal and an assist in two different games in 2026, once against Caltech on September 30th and again on October 14th against Cal Lutheran.
Senior Cooper Gersch earned his second career All-SCIAC selection, being named to the second team in 2026 after being named to the first team in 2025. The defender has been a steady presence for the Tigers since transferring from Division III Whitman ahead of the 2024 season, starting in 48 of 51 games over the past three seasons.
Gersch helped the Occidental defense to five total shutouts throughout the 2026 season and has been a top back-line presence in the conference in his tenure with the Tigers.
Diego Cavalie rounds out the Tigers All-SCIAC honors as he was honored with the Award of Distinction in his senior year. The award recognizes a senior SCIAC soccer athlete for their character and achievements throughout their time in higher education.
The senior from Lima, Peru has displayed exemplary sportsmanship and character both on and off the pitch over his four years as a member of the Tiger's program. A member of the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee as well as the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee at Occidental, Cavalie consistently worked to help foster a positive and lasting impact on the Occidental community in and out of athletics.
In his time away from Oxy, Cavalie also volunteers at Huntington Hospital and has accumulated over 500 hours teaching and coaching children through KANTAYA, a nonprofit that seeks to serve underserved communities in his native Peru.
Cavalie joins Neython Streitz, who won the award in 2022, as the most recent recipients of the award at Occidental.
