The Hesston College men's soccer team punched their ticket to the 2026 Continental Athletic Conference Summit Division Championship tournament in Lawrenceville, Ga. from Nov. 8-10 earning the No. 4 seed. The Larks (12-3-2) return to the conference tournament for the second year in a row after joining the NAIA last year. Under head coach Dante Texeira, Hesston has reached double digit wins in each of the last two seasons which previously hadn't been done since 1992. The Larks will face top-seeded host Georgia Gwinnett in the first round on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 11 a.m. eastern time.
The Larks earned the No. 6 seed in the 2025 CAC Championship in their first year as an NAIA program, falling to No. 3 seed Florida National University 2-1 in the opening round.
The Larks are led offensively by junior Alex Radu with 12 goals (T-3rd in the conference) and four assists for a total of 28 offensive points which ranks third in the conference as well. Santi Llanos leads the team in assists with eight and ranks second in the conference.
Other key contributors for the Larks include Jaiden Trevelyan (six goals, three assists) and Saul Pineda (four goals and two assists).
In the midfield, the Larks have seen strong contributions from Llanos, Pineda, Paul Torres and Jaiden Chaiyote recording eight goals and 16 assists between the four of them.
Defensively, the Larks back line consisting of James Hori, Mateo Gonzalez, Oliver Taylor and Michihiro Koga along with goal keepers Luis Jimenez and Harry Morris have been solid this season, helping the Larks to the program's best record since 1992 including seven shutouts and averaging just over one goal allowed per match.
