Kansas City, MO – After closing out the 2025 season with their first trip to the NAIA National Championship game and finishing as the national runner-up, four Patriots players earned NAIA All-American honors, it was announced last Thursday.  Cumberlands led the way with three NAIA First Team All-Americans as Nick Kava, Ty Grooms, and Gabe Schwaiger garnered that honor, while Taylor Long was a Second Team All-American.
 
For the second straight year, Kava earns First Team honors after a strong senior campaign.  The Hoschton, GA native tallied 47 goals, 24 assists, and a team best 71 points on the season.  Kava was dominant down the stretch with 29 points, including 21 goals during the postseason.  He has tallied multiple points in every game this season and netted at least three goals 11 times.  The senior broke the program's record for points in a game when he notched 12 points in UC's AAC Quarterfinal win over (RV) SCAD.  He also broke the career goals record in the NAIA National Semifinal win over Madonna.  Kava closed out the season with five game-winning goals and notched 196 career points as a Patriot.
 
Grooms earned First Team All-American honors as a defensive midfielder after scooping 47 ground balls to go along with 10 caused turnovers.  The junior scooped multiple ground balls in 11 games,  including tallying a season-high six ground balls in back-to-back wins over Point and Thomas More.  He also notched a season-best three caused turnovers in the win over Tennessee Wesleyan.  Grooms earned NAIA All-Tournament honors after a strong performances to close out the championships.  He also went 29-50 on faceoffs this season.
 
Schwaiger garnered NAIA First Team All-American honors for the second straight year. The West Bloomfield, MI native has notched 32 caused turnovers and 62 ground ball on the year.  Schwaiger notched a season-high six caused turnovers and four ground balls in the win over Montreat, while adding four caused turnovers against the Bulldogs.  He also scooped multiple ground balls in all 17 games he played in.  He scooped 17 ground balls along with seven caused turnovers during the NAIA Tournament to earn NAIA All-Tournament honors.  Schwaiger has been pivotal for the Patriots defense that limited opponents to 8.94 goals per game this season.
 
Earning All-American honors for the second consecutive season, Long is the NAIA Second Team Long Stick Midfielder.  The senior has scooped a career-high 67 ground balls to go along with 29 caused turnovers this season.  Long notched multiple caused turnovers in seven games, including four caused turnovers and eight ground balls in UC's win over Tennessee Wesleyan.  He also scooped seven ground balls in consecutive games against Life and Montreat.  Long scooped seven ground balls in the NAIA semifinal win over Madonna.  Long was instrumental in Cumberlands posting an 88.6% clear rate, which ranks third in the NAIA this season.  The senior notched 101 caused turnovers and 196 ground balls over his career.
 
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