JACKSON, Miss. - Ciaran Colvin has been named the 2026 CCS Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first Belhaven men's soccer player to win the award. The honor had gone to a Covenant player in each of the CCS's first four seasons.

For Colvin, it is the latest step in a college career that began with a place in Belhaven's back line as a freshman. He played in all 20 matches in 2024 and earned first-team All-CCS honors, but his first season is remembered most for how it ended.

In the 2024 CCS Semifinal against Asbury, Colvin scored in the second half of a 4-1 win that sent Belhaven to the championship match. A week later, the Blazers went to top-seeded Covenant and won 2-0 to claim their first CCS title and the program's first conference championship of its NCAA era. Colvin was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player as Belhaven earned its first NCAA Division III Tournament berth.

He remained a fixture in the lineup as a sophomore, appearing in all 19 matches in 2025 and earning another first-team selection. Both of his goals that season came in a 2-0 win over Hardin-Simmons. Belhaven returned to the CCS semifinals, and Colvin entered this fall as one of the conference's most experienced defenders.

His third season tested that experience early. The Blazers went winless through their first five matches before putting together six straight victories. Colvin scored five minutes into the win at Hendrix that extended the win streak to three. Three days later at Rhodes, with Belhaven trailing in the second half, he assisted Zachary Howard's equalizer. The Blazers went on to win 2-1, beating the Lynx for the first time since 2014.

Colvin then played every minute of shutout wins over LaGrange and Millsaps. His work in the Rhodes and LaGrange matches earned him the fourth CCS Defensive Player of the Week award of his career.

The junior from New Port Richey, Fla., finished the regular season with 1,243 minutes, more than any other Belhaven field player. He started 15 of 17 matches, scored twice and added two assists while helping the Blazers record four shutouts. He also earned his third consecutive All-CCS First Team selection, giving him a first team honor in each season of his Belhaven career.

Colvin and the third-seeded Blazers open the CCS Championship against Huntingdon today at 2:00 p.m. at Belhaven Bowl Stadium.

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