HILLSBORO, Ore. -- The 2025-26 All-Northwest Conference volleyball rosters and major awards have been announced by the conference office, with one Bruin named to a team and one Bruin earning a major award.

Sydney Natche became the first Bruin to be named NWC Rookie of the Year since the award debuted in 2017 after a standout freshman campaign. Natche scored 23 points in his first game and went on to reach double-digits in all but two of the 22 games he appeared in. The freshman's signature moment was a December 19 game against Asbury, where he scored the most points by any GFU freshman in program history with a 40-point game against the Eagles.

For the season, Natche averaged 18.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game, shooting 47% from the field and 32% from deep. He becomes the second straight Bruin to earn a major award following Momo Stokes' NWC Player of the Year honor in the 2024-25 season.

"I'm super proud of both of these young men," Bruin head coach Maco Hamilton said, "We knew [Syd] was a talented kid when we got him, and he lived up to those expectations with great humility and great joy."

While Natche was named Rookie of the Year, Donovan Cooks was the lone Bruin to be put on an All-NWC roster, picking up a Third Team honor (the conference officially debuted the Third team in 2025-26, replacing the Honorable Mention category). The transfer from Division II San Francisco State missed the first seven games of the season but quickly made an impact when he arrived, scoring over 20 points eight times and over 30 twice.

Cooks led the team in points per game, averaging 19.3, and shot 82.5% from the line — good for eighth in program history. In addition to his scoring, the junior averaged 3.8 rebounds per game and led the team with 3.5 assists per game. 

"DC came in and had some big shoes to fill," Bruin head coach Maco Hamilton said, "And I thought he did so admirably. He was a guy who changed the competitive nature of our program. Really, both of these guys are deserving of the accomplishments and continue to help bring recognition to our program."

The Bruins will look to build off of these accomplishments and reach new heights in the 2026-27 season.