WESTERVILLE, Ohio — Three Pioneers were recognized as part of the 2025 All-Ohio Athletic Conference Men's Soccer team announced Friday (Nov. 7) morning. Senior Parker Bolin (Albany, Ohio/Alexander) was named to the first team, junior Gavin Heighberger (Lagrange, Ohio/Elyria) earned second team status, and senior Sam Holthaus (Columbus, Ohio/University) was named to the third team.
 
"I am thrilled that the conference has recognized these players, even with the tough year that we had," said Marietta head coach Joe Bergin. "They are certainly deserving of the conference coach's recognition."
 
Bolin transferred in for his senior season and made an immediate impact for the Pioneers. In his second match for Marietta, Bolin put together a four-goal day which set the stage for a record-breaking season. Bolin was fifth in NCAA Division III and led the OAC in goals (19), setting the Marietta College single season record, and points (40). Bolin is also the first Pioneer to have two hat tricks in one season since 2000.
 
"Parker is a generational talent for us," Bergin said. "Never have we seen someone score as many goals as he scored this year and I am hard pressed to see this record being broken anytime soon. As the year went on, teams game planned to make it very difficult for him to get free and score. Yet, he adjusted and still found ways to score. Going into the last week of the season, I thought the chance to break the record was lost. Clearly, I was wrong. He scored five goals in the last two games, against playoff bound teams, to set the record. I hope this award is just the beginning for Parker."
 
This is the second time that Heighberger has received this honor. Two years ago, Heighberger was placed on the All-OAC third team as well as being named Freshman of the year. This year, Heighberger tallied one goal and led the Pioneers with five assists.
 
"Gavin has the highest soccer IQ on the field, and you can tell he is a coach's son," Bergin said. "Essentially he is a bit of an extension of the staff on the field. All year long other coaches have recognized his talent, and it is nice to see him get rewarded with an all-conference award."
 
Another former Freshman of the Year, Holthaus had not been recognized on the All-OAC team until this season. Holthaus played and started in all 19 matches, usually anchoring the back defensive line, but this year saw him become very active in the offensive side. He scored four goals which made him the second leading scorer on the team.
 
"Sam has been a solid defender for his whole career here at Marietta," Bergin said. "This year he added goal scorer to the mix as he was our second leading scorer for the season. Sam received Freshman of the Year his first year here at Marietta and this is a nice cap to his career."
 
The Pioneers finished the season with a 5-12-2 overall record and 2-6 in the Ohio Athletic Conference.  
 
Fans can follow all the Pioneer teams all year long at pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on X and Instagram.