Kauschke Named Preseason BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year, Lejbowicz Nabs All-BIG EAST Nod

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Junior midfielder Til Kauschke (Hamburg, Germany) was named the BIG EAST's Preseason Midfielder of the Year and to the Preseason All-BIG EAST, the conference announced Tuesday. Additionally, junior forward Mikkel Lejbowicz (Farum, Denmark) also earned preseason All-BIG EAST honors.

The Pirates are one of seven teams with at least one player on the Preseason All-BIG EAST team, tied for the second-most selections with Akron and Providence. This also marks the first time the Pirates have had multiple Preseason All-BIG EAST selections since CJ Tibbling and Lucas Dahn ahead of the 2021 season.

Kauschke lands the first-ever BIG EAST Preseason Midfielder of the Year honor, as well as the Preseason All-BIG EAST nod, after serving as the driving force of the Pirates' offense for the last two seasons. Last season, the German led the team in assists for the second consecutive season and added a career-high four goals en route to All-BIG EAST Second Team and United Soccer Coaches All-East Region Second Team honors. This preseason, Kauschke was also named to the United Soccer Coaches MAC Hermann Trophy Midfielders to Watch list.

Lejbowicz lands on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team after a stellar sophomore season in South Orange. The Danish winger notched a team-leading seven goals and one assist, the former of which ranked seventh in the conference and tied for second-most among returning BIG EAST players. For his major role over his 16 games last season, Lejbowicz was named to both the All-BIG EAST Second Team and United Soccer Coaches All-East Region Second Team.