High Point's Daniel Lugo Voted 2025-26 Howard Bagwell Male Athlete of the Year
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – High Point men’s soccer player
Daniel Lugo (St. Petersburg, Fla.) has been voted the Big South Conference Howard Bagwell Male Athlete of the Year for the 2025-26 season by the league’s Athletics Directors, Senior Woman Administrators and Athletics Communications Directors, it was announced today by the conference office. The candidates for the annual award consist of the Players of the Year from each sport, and must be deemed eligible for the honor by their respective school. Lugo is the second consecutive High Point student-athlete to be voted the Howard Bagwell Male Athlete of the Year and the second overall, and is the first soccer player to earn the honor since 2011-12.
Lugo earned United Soccer Coaches (USC) Third-Team All-America honors after being voted the 2025 Big South Offensive Player of the Year, Big South Newcomer of the Year, Big South Tournament MVP and Big South First-Team All-Conference, in addition to being named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List and a TopDrawerSoccer.com (TDS) Player of the Year Finalist, as well as a spot on the TDS “Best XI” First Team. Ranked No. 4 on the TDS Postseason Top 100 Players list, Lugo started 19 of 20 matches while scoring a league-best 14 goals -- including a single-season program-best seven game-winning scores -- and assisted on five for a team and conference-leading 33 points in 1,191 minutes played. High Point’s fourth all-time USC All-American scored in 12 matches, two of those with a brace, en route to the Panthers' best season in program history that featured a 14-2-4 record, two Big South Conference trophies and first-ever Sweet Sixteen appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Lugo was selected in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft by the Vancouver Whitecaps FC with the 29th overall pick.
He earned 75 points and eight first-place votes in this year’s balloting, just ahead of Winthrop basketball player
Logan Duncomb (72 points, six first-place votes) and High Point pole vaulter
Ricardo Montes de Oca (63 points, five first-place votes).
In March 2000, the Big South Conference Executive Committee voted to create an annual Male and Female Student-Athlete of the Year award, and named the male award in honor of former Charleston Southern Athletic Director
Howard Bagwell, who was one of the founders of the Big South Conference and an inaugural inductee into the league’s Hall of Fame. The Athlete of the Year awards have been presented annually since 1999-00, with the exception of 2019-20 due to the season being incomplete and eventually canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The annual Bagwell Male Athlete of the Year honorees are listed below.
HOWARD BAGWELL MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
2025-26 - Daniel Lugo, High Point (soccer)
2024-25 - Konni Durschlag, High Point (baseball)
2023-24 - Drew Pember, UNC Asheville (basketball)
2022-23 - Drew Pember, UNC Asheville (basketball)
2021-22 - Athanas Kioko, Campbell (cross country/track & field)
2020-21 - Athanas Kioko Campbell (cross country/track & field)
2018-19 - Chris Clemons, Campbell (basketball)
2017-18 - Amon Kemboi, Campbell (cross country/track & field)
2016-17 - Amon Terer, Campbell (cross country/track & field)
2015-16 - Andrew Beckwith, Coastal Carolina (baseball)
2014-15 - Quinn Backus, Coastal Carolina (football)
2013-14 - Lorenzo Taliaferro, Coastal Carolina (football)
2012-13 - Miguel Maysonet, Stony Brook (football)
2011-12 - Ashton Bennett, Coastal Carolina (soccer)
2010-11 - Sam Chelanga, Liberty (cross country/track & field)
2009-10 - Sam Chelanga, Liberty (cross country/track & field)
2008-09 - Sam Chelanga, Liberty (cross country/track & field)
2007-08 - Josh McDougal, Liberty (cross country/track & field)
2006-07 - Josh McDougal, Liberty (cross country/track & field)
2005-06 - Josh McDougal, Liberty (cross country/track & field)
2004-05 - Mike Costanzo, Coastal Carolina (baseball)
2003-04 - Joseph Ngwenya, Coastal Carolina (soccer)
2002-03 - Joseph Ngwenya, Coastal Carolina (soccer)
2001-02 - Justin Owens, Coastal Carolina (baseball)
2000-01 - Jason Colson, Winthrop (baseball)
1999-00 - Keith Butler, Liberty (baseball)