SAN BRUNO, Calif. - A pair of Gonzaga University seniors brought home a lot of the hardware as midfielder Nick Hamer and defender Josh Phillips were named the West Coast Conference men's soccer Player of the Year and Defender of the Year, respectively, Tuesday.

Six other Bulldogs also received honors. Senior goalkeeper Ryan Caballero and junior forward Clark Phillips were second-team selections; sophomore forward Conner Bevans, senior defender Greg Carter and junior midfielder Lars Ludwigs were honorable mention picks, and Jakob Granlund was named to the All-Freshman team.

Hamer, a local product out of Spokane's Mead High, becomes the second WCC Player of the Year for the Bulldogs, joining Jeff McAllister in 1997. He scored three goals and had a team-leading six assists, all three of his goals and half of his assists coming in WCC play. He was one of four Bulldogs to start all 19 matches this season. It's the second straight first-team honor for Hamer after being a second-team pick as a sophomore in 2011 and making the WCC All-Freshman team in 2010.

Hamer got the news from his mother who saw it on social media.

"I was in class. I found out through my mom. She called me and was practically crying she was so excited for me. It's a huge honor that all my hard work has paid off and people noticed it," Hamer said.

He said the decision to attend Gonzaga was a no brainer.

"Obviously, I'm from Spokane, so I didn't have to go too far. My old coach was Tim Seeley who coached a good group of Spokane guys that grew up together, played together. A lot of those guys came to Gonzaga; like John Palladino, our assistant coach last year, I grew up with him," Hamer recalled of making his collegiate decision.

He said he didn't know what to expect his first season and is humbled by this honor.

"I came in my freshman year really not expecting too much. I thought I'd play but I didn't think I would be getting the significant minutes I did get my freshman year. Going from that and being the nervous kid I was then to the player I am now; noticing that progression is humbling and nice to see that change and that progression. To have it with the team I did just means that much more," he noted.

Gonzaga head coach Einar Thorarinsson said Hamer has plenty of qualities that make him Player of the Year material.

"His skill on the ball, his leadership and his high work ethic," Thorarinsson said of the traits Hamer possesses. "He has a never-die attitude, a relentless chasing of the ball and just a quality in his game shown this year with his goals and his assists. He's not only a hard working kid but a quality player."

Phillips (Olympia, Wash.) joins Nick Barclay in 2008 as the only other Bulldog to earn Defender of the Year accolades. A mainstay on the Bulldog defense he was instrumental in Gonzaga allowing opponents just 0.95 goals/match. The 10 wins for the Bulldogs this season marked the first double-digit wins season since 2000, and Gonzaga's 5-4-3 WCC record for third place is the highest finish since 2008. He earned All-WCC second-team honors in 2011.

Phillips said it's a great honor to be chosen.

"I was pretty excited when I heard the news. It's a great honor to be recognized with this award, not only for me but as a program we really turned things around this year. It's been a wonderful ride this year," he said.

He said the turnaround was a team effort.

"I think I attribute that to the team in general. We had a lot of disappointments last year. When we had a chance to show the nation what we had to offer; I think after the first weekend when we went down to play Santa Barbara and Cal Poly we knew we could hopefully create something special this year that people would remember," he said.

Defenders don't get the glory of the goal scorers, but Phillips said he likes the defensive side of things.

"I like the fact myself and Greg Carter kind of led the entire team. When you're in the back you can organize the team. I like the leadership role you play as a center defender on the team," he explained.

Phillips, who has had some hamstring injuries in his career, thought his season and his career might have ended when he hobbled off the field in pain three weeks ago with a hamstring injury. But he was able to return.

"I was extremely nervous after that injury. I was thankful enough to have the Gonzaga training staff getting me in to see the doctor the next day. The doctor was shocked as to how well it had responded. I was excited there was a chance of me getting back out there and when I heard there was a chance I knew I'd be out there," he said of his emotions in those first hours following the injury.

Thorarinsson said there's nobody better than Phillips than leaving everything he has on the pitch.

"He plays with his heart on his sleeve. He comes to play every practice and every match and puts it all on the line. You can't find a better header of the ball. I've not seen him lose a challenge in the air since he came here," Thorarinsson said.

Caballero (Sunnyvale, Calif.) returned for a fifth season with the Bulldogs and had his best season, recording a 0.90 goals-against-average with seven shutouts, three of them in West Coast Conference play. He led the nation in GAA and save percentage early in the season. He still ranks 51^st in GAA at 0.916 and 24^th in save percentage at 0.818. His 322 career saves rank first on the Gonzaga chart, his 12 career shutouts rank fourth and his 1.52 career GAA is fifth. His 18 goals allowed this season is seventh on the single-season fewest goals allowed list and his 0.92 GAA is fifth. His 93 saves in 2011 rank first on the all-time single-season list.

Clark Phillips (Portland, Ore.) led Gonzaga in scoring for the second straight season with 9 goals and an assist for 19 points. He had four match-winning goals in his career, all of them this season. His 9 goals tie for ninth on the Gonzaga single-season list. His 18 career goals ranked tied for fifth and his 42 points rank eighth on the all-time Gonzaga lists.

Carter (Davis, Calf.) was another stalwart on the Bulldogs defense, the Zags posting 12 shutouts during his career. He was one of just four players to start all 19 matches this season. Ludwigs (Woellstein, Germany) scored three goals and had three assists, two of the goals match winners. He was an All-WCC second-team pick a year ago. Bevans (La Habra Heights, Calif.), an All-Freshman team selection a year ago, got more involved in the Gonzaga offense this season, finishing with four goals and four assists to tie for second on the team in scoring with 12 points. Granlund (Ikast, Denmark) is one of the bright young stars on the team, scoring two goals and collecting three assists in his rookie season.

Other major awards went to LMU sophomore Paul Blanchette who earned WCC Goalkeeper of the Year selection, while midfielder Eddie Sanchez of Portland was tabbed as the WCC Freshman of the Year. LMU's Paul Krumpe was chosen by his peers as Coach of the Year for the second time overall and the first since 1999.

All five individual awards - including the all-conference teams - were voted on by the WCC's 10 head coaches.

2013 All-WCC First Team

2013 All-WCC Second Team

Honorable Mention: Conner Bevans, Gonzaga; Derek Boggs, Portland; Alex Braman, Saint Mary's; Greg Carter, Gonzaga; Michael D'Arrigo, San Diego; Ryan Felix, Loyola Marymount; Connor Gaal, San Francisco; Elijah Galbraith-Knapp, San Diego; Justin Howard, Saint Mary's; Liam Kelly, San Francisco; Lars Ludwigs, Gonzaga; Jack McCracken, Loyola Marymount; Kendall McIntosh, Santa Clara; Hugo Rhodes, Portland; Dylan Seedman, Loyola Marymount; Michael Semenza, Saint Mary's; Joshua Smith, San Francisco; Keegan Smith, San Diego

2013 WCC All-Freshman Team

Coach of the Year: Paul Krumpe, Loyola Marymount

Player of the Year: Nick Hamer, Gonzaga

Defender of the Year: Josh Phillips, Gonzaga

Goalkeeper of the Year: Paul Blanchette, Loyola Marymount

Freshman of the Year: Eddie Sanchez, Portland