KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Adrian Gutierrez (SR/Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain) continues to build on an astounding senior campaign after being named the United Soccer Coaches Assocation (USCA) NAIA Division National Player of the Year in an announcement on Thursday by the association.

"I'm very happy about Guti. He was the first player I recruited when I got to Central Methodist, so seeing him leave on this note is a special thing," said head coach Alex Nichols. "Guti put a lot of heart into this program and into CMU so it makes it that much more special. This is a great honor for Guti and for the entire team that is responsible for these types of awards."

Gutierrez closes out his senior season with a stellar resume: the 2018 NAIA Men's Soccer National Player of the Year, an NAIA First Team All-America honoree, an NAIA All-Tournament Team selection, a First Team All-Heart honoree, the Heart of America Athletic Conference Player of the Year, and the Heart of America Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Gutierrez is also one of only two men's soccer players in program history to become a two-time NAIA All-American.