Kai Tsakiris Earns All-SEC Honors
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida soccer standout Kai Tsakiris, the Gators’ leader in goals, assists, and points, has been recognized with All-Southeastern Conference and SEC All-Freshman honors, the league office announced Thursday morning.
Tsakiris is one of only four freshmen across the conference to earn All-SEC recognition, landing a spot on the All-SEC Third Team. She joins fellow first-year honorees Vailana Tu’ua of Arkansas, Ava McDonald of Texas (Second Team) and Sariyah Bailey of LSU (Third Team). They represent just under 10 percent of all on 2025 All-SEC teams, as 78 percent of the honorees are junior, seniors or graduates.
Just before Tsakiris of Newport Beach, Calif., started her collegiate career in August, she was named the ECNL U18/19 National Player of the Year.
Next up, the Gators head to Pensacola, Fla., for the SEC Tournament. UF opens tournament action Sunday at 3 p.m. versus Kentucky. All SEC Soccer Tournament action can be found on the SEC Network.
Here’s a look at Tsakiris’ season notes:
All-SEC Third Team | All-SEC Freshman Team:
Kai Tsakiris – Midfield
· Leads Florida in points (13) and assists (5). Shares goals lead (4).
· Sept. 29 co-SEC Freshman of the Week after drawing penalty kick and successfully converting kick for third goal of season.
· First collegiate goal off a free kick versus North Florida and added second after earning penalty kick versus No. 9 Arkansas
· Penalty kick at Texas was team-leading fourth goal of 2025
· First collegiate assist earned on Charlotte McClure’s goal at Maryland. Also earned assist on Skye Barnes’ goal at No. 24 Oklahoma, Addy Hess goal versus RV Kentucky, Sophia Sindelar’s goal versus No. 12 Mississippi State and Tatum O’Coyne’s goal at LSU.
· One of two Gators to start every match this season with top minutes (83) played versus Mississippi
In other awards announced Thursday, Colby Hale of SEC champion Arkansas was named Coach of the Year. Vanderbilt took a pair of individual honors – Sydney Watts (Forward of the Year) and Sara Wojdelko (Goalkeeper of the Year). Mississippi State’s Ally Perry is the Midfielder of the Year and South Carolina’s Gracie Falla claims the Defender of the Year honor.
Newcomer of the Year went to Alabama’s Larkin Thomason and Texas’ Ava McDonald is the Freshman of the Year. The Scholar-Athlete of the Year went to Ally Brown of Tennessee.
Tsakiris is one of only four freshmen across the conference to earn All-SEC recognition, landing a spot on the All-SEC Third Team. She joins fellow first-year honorees Vailana Tu’ua of Arkansas, Ava McDonald of Texas (Second Team) and Sariyah Bailey of LSU (Third Team). They represent just under 10 percent of all on 2025 All-SEC teams, as 78 percent of the honorees are junior, seniors or graduates.
Just before Tsakiris of Newport Beach, Calif., started her collegiate career in August, she was named the ECNL U18/19 National Player of the Year.
Next up, the Gators head to Pensacola, Fla., for the SEC Tournament. UF opens tournament action Sunday at 3 p.m. versus Kentucky. All SEC Soccer Tournament action can be found on the SEC Network.
Here’s a look at Tsakiris’ season notes:
All-SEC Third Team | All-SEC Freshman Team:
Kai Tsakiris – Midfield
· Leads Florida in points (13) and assists (5). Shares goals lead (4).
· Sept. 29 co-SEC Freshman of the Week after drawing penalty kick and successfully converting kick for third goal of season.
· First collegiate goal off a free kick versus North Florida and added second after earning penalty kick versus No. 9 Arkansas
· Penalty kick at Texas was team-leading fourth goal of 2025
· First collegiate assist earned on Charlotte McClure’s goal at Maryland. Also earned assist on Skye Barnes’ goal at No. 24 Oklahoma, Addy Hess goal versus RV Kentucky, Sophia Sindelar’s goal versus No. 12 Mississippi State and Tatum O’Coyne’s goal at LSU.
· One of two Gators to start every match this season with top minutes (83) played versus Mississippi
In other awards announced Thursday, Colby Hale of SEC champion Arkansas was named Coach of the Year. Vanderbilt took a pair of individual honors – Sydney Watts (Forward of the Year) and Sara Wojdelko (Goalkeeper of the Year). Mississippi State’s Ally Perry is the Midfielder of the Year and South Carolina’s Gracie Falla claims the Defender of the Year honor.
Newcomer of the Year went to Alabama’s Larkin Thomason and Texas’ Ava McDonald is the Freshman of the Year. The Scholar-Athlete of the Year went to Ally Brown of Tennessee.
| 2025 Southeastern Conference Soccer Awards | |
| Forward of the Year: | Sydney Watts, Vanderbilt |
| Midfielder of the Year: | Ally Perry, Mississippi State |
| Defender of the Year: | Gracie Falla, South Carolina |
| Goalkeeper of the Year: | Sara Wojdelko, Vanderbilt |
| Newcomer of the Year: | Larkin Thomason, Alabama |
| Freshman of the Year: | Ava McDonald, Texas |
| Scholar-Athlete of the Year: | Ally Brown, Tennessee |
| Coach of the Year: | Colby Hale, Arkansas |
| First Team All-SEC | ||
| Forward | Katie Shea Collins | South Carolina |
| Forward | Ava Galligan | LSU |
| Forward | Gianna Paul | Alabama |
| Forward | Sydney Watts | Vanderbilt |
| Midfielder | Kennedy Ball | Arkansas |
| Midfielder | Summer Denigan | Georgia |
| Midfielder | Courtney Jones | Vanderbilt |
| Midfielder | Ally Perry | Mississippi State |
| Defender | Ally Brown | Tennessee |
| Defender | Hayden Colson | Auburn |
| Defender | Gracie Falla | South Carolina |
| Defender | Hannah McLaughlin | Vanderbilt |
| Goalkeeper | Sara Wojdelko | Vanderbilt |
| Second Team All-SEC | ||
| Forward | Bella Field | Arkansas |
| Forward | Ida Hermannsdottir | LSU |
| Forward | Ava McDonald | Texas |
| Forward | Vailana Tu’ua | Arkansas |
| Midfielder | Mac Midgley | Tennessee |
| Midfielder | Nadia Ramadan | Alabama |
| Midfielder | Kiera Staude | Georgia |
| Midfielder | Amalia Villarreal | Texas |
| Defender | Sydney Cheesman | LSU |
| Defender | Cate Hardin | Georgia |
| Defender | Grace Hoytink | Kentucky |
| Defender | Makenzie Malham | Arkansas |
| Goalkeeper | Cayden Norris | Tennessee |
| Third Team All-SEC | ||
| Forward | Sariyah Bailey | LSU |
| Forward | Zoe Main | Mississippi State |
| Forward | Jenna Stayart | Tennessee |
| Forward | Tanner Strickland | Kentucky |
| Midfielder | Erin Flurey | Auburn |
| Midfielder | Melina Rebimbas | Alabama |
| Midfielder | Kai Tsakiris | Florida |
| Midfielder | Cuyler Zulauf | South Carolina |
| Defender | Taylor Bloom | South Carolina |
| Defender | Riley Brown | Oklahoma |
| Defender | Jazmin Ferguson | LSU |
| Defender | Hannah Jibril | Mississippi State |
| Defender | Avery Wren | Arkansas |
| Goalkeeper | Caroline Duffy | Oklahoma |
| All-Freshman Team | ||
| Sariyah Bailey | LSU | |
| Riley Crooks | Texas A&M | |
| Lily Devereaux | Auburn | |
| Hannah Folliard | Georgia | |
| Mackenzie Johnson | South Carolina | |
| Ally Laccinole | Oklahoma | |
| Ava McDonald | Texas | |
| Reagan Pentz | Vanderbilt | |
| Gabi Poretto | Kentucky | |
| Olivia Stafford | Vanderbilt | |
| Adia Symmonds | Mississippi State | |
| Mya Townes | Georgia | |
| Kai Tsakiris | Florida | |
| Vailana Tu’ua | Arkansas | |
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