BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Head men's soccer coach Tony Setzer, along with assistant coach Ali Al-Gashamy, has announced the first wave of the program's 2019 recruiting class.

"We're very excited about this year's incoming group," said Setzer. "We worked to identify areas that we thought we needed to strengthen within the program, and we have accomplished that with our 2019 class. These young men will represent Gardner-Webb well on and off the pitch, and our staff looks forward to having them as part of the Runnin' Bulldog family."

Olawale Arogundade (Olney, Md. / Sherwood HS) spent the majority of his time on the pitch with the OBGC Rangers White 01 squad. Arogundade, a forward, played for Darren Beasley and led the squad to a championship appearance in the 2019 NCAA College Cup Showcase. He was awarded the Man of the Match award following the team's victory in the semifinals thanks to his three goals. Since 2017, he has helped the OBGC Rangers to a 15-8-3 record and has scored 21 goals. His club team won the 2019 Mclean Premier Cup and the 2017 Columbia Fall Classic Championship. At Gardner-Webb, he plans to major in biology with a minor is business. Follow him @Olliewalle124

Jarek Barrera (Chula Vista, Calif. / Otay Ranch HS) is the oldest of three siblings and will come to Gardner-Webb from the west coast where he played soccer at Otay Ranch High School (Calif.). The 6-foot-2, 165-lb Barrera has appeared in 91 matches on the club level since 2015 and has scored three goals. The majority of his experience on the club circuit came with the Albion SC U16/17 and U18/19 teams. Between those teams, he appeared in 42 matches with 33 starts and two goals.  

Pedro Benito (Cadiz, Spain / Oklahoma Wesleyan University) comes to Gardner-Webb after spending time at Oklahoma Wesleyan University where he played forward and scored nine goals to go along with nine assists for 27 points. Benito was named Second-Team All-KCAC during his freshman campaign and boasts an impressive 4.0 GPA. He plans to major in marketing at Gardner-Webb.

Edafe Evivie (Charlotte, N.C. / Charlotte Catholic HS) led Charlotte Catholic to a 59-14-3 record during his three years as a starter on the varsity squad. The 6'2, 185-pound forward helped CCHS to a conference championship in 2018. During his time with the Charlotte Soccer Academy on the club level, his CSA team won the 2015 Disney Showcase and the 2016 Presidents State Cup. Evivie intends to major in business. Follow him @Edafe_2020 

Abel Gebrekiros (Austin, Minn. / Iowa Lakes Community College) played his first two years of collegiate soccer as a midfielder at Iowa Lakes Community College and led the Lakers to a 25-10-1 record in two seasons, including a 15-3-1 mark as a sophomore. The Lakers advanced to the National Junior College Athletic Association Region XI championship where they fell to Marshalltown Community College. Last season, Gebrekiros scored seven goals and had eight assists. In two years with the Lakers, he played in 35 games (28 starts) and scored 14 goals while assisting on 12 others for 40 points. Follow him @AGebrekiros 

Mason Graham (Charlotte, N.C. / Mountain Island Charter School) was a four-year starter in goal for coach Ted Perna at MICS and was named Conference Player of the Year following his senior season. He also earned All-Conference honors as a junior. Graham played for two club teams – Charlotte Soccer Academy and Carolina Rapids. He is a 2^nd degree black belt in Taekwondo and will graduate with a 4.1 GPA. At Gardner-Webb, his intended major is business administration.  

Elvar Kristjansson (Sandvika, Norway / Donski VGS) is a 6-foot-2, 165-lb midfielder from Sandvika, Norway where he played at Donski VGS and was among the top players on his club team. Kristjansson led the Baerum Sports Club  to a championships in the Lyn Cup B16 (2015) and U19 Division championship as well. He is the club record holder for most goals in a year and was also the top scorer for the U19 team and B99 area squad in 2015. Follow Elvar @elvarkristjansson

Misael Martinez (Conroe, Texas / Conroe HS) played for head coach Victor Trejo at Conroe High School as a defender and midfielder where he was a four-year letter winner. While playing midfield, Martinez tallied 13 career goals and nine assists in four seasons while maintaining a 3.1 GPA in the classroom.

Deji Onitiri (North Bethesda, Md. / Walter Johnson HS) played two years of varsity soccer as a forward and midfielder for a pair of coaches – Hector Morales and Chad Bridges. As a senior, despite being limited to eight games due to injury, Onitiri made a significant impact on the pitch scoring five goals and adding two assists. His club team – Baltimore Celtic – was the top-ranked team in the country for much of his tenure with the squad. He also spent time with the Olney Roadrunners, a team that was ranked as high as eighth in the country in its respective age group. Follow him @Deji_Onitiri

Mallel Rios (San Diego, Calif. / Kearny HS) will come to Gardner-Webb from the west coast, where he spent time as a goalkeeper at Kearny High School in San Diego. He played club soccer for Albion SC DA 19 The oldest of two siblings, Rios will graduate with honors from Kearny and boasts an impressive 3.4 GPA and was a member of the Honor Roll. He intends to major in business law at Gardner-Webb. Follow him @MallelRios 

Alexios Rodriguez (Silver Spring, Md. / DeMatha Catholic HS). The DaMatha Catholic product was a four-year varsity member and spent time as a defender and midfielder. He was a captain his senior year and was named All-Conference. He also played for the Pipeline SC club team. In the classroom, Rodriguez was an Honor Roll student and received the Thomas Eastman Book Scholarship for 2017-18 and the DeMatha Gentleman award in 2017. He intends to major in business. Follow him @21arodriguez

Dorian Samo (Raleigh, N.C. / Heritage HS), a 5-foot-10, 150-lb forward, comes to Gardner-Webb from Heritage High School where he was an All-Conference and All-Region selection in 2018. During that campaign, he scored 22 goals in 23 games and also tallied nine assists. He led Heritage to a pair of conference championships, as well as a regional runner-up finish and helped the school earn the third seed for the state playoffs. He also played for the NCFC 2001 Boys Elite squad. He intends to major in psychology. Follow him @doriansamo

Eli Solomon (Travelers Rest, S.C. / Travelers Rest HS), a forward, will become the second member of his family to play for head coach Tony Setzer. From 1995-96, his father Anthony was a member of the Runnin' Bulldogs soccer program. Solomon played three years of varsity soccer at Travelers Rest as a right wing and was a captain during his final two seasons. He was named 2019 All-Region, All-Upstate and All-State. He also played for the Speed Street Nitros where he was the 2016 Midfielder of the Year and 2018 Offensive Player of the Year. Follow him @EliSolomon11.

Robert Stanovich (Holly Springs, N.C. / Wake Christian Academy) played two years of varsity soccer at Wake Christian Academy and a captain for the 2018 season. At the conclusion of WCA's 2018 campaign, Stanovich earned First-Team All-Conference and All-State accolades. He played club soccer for 2019 Wake FC 01 Blue where he started at a variety of positions across the midfield.

Tybalt Thornberry (Camas, Wash. / Camas HS) is a three-year member of Camas' varsity squad. During his first two years on the varsity team he scored nine goals and had five assists as a forward, while also playing as a defender. During his sophomore year, he led Camas to the Washington High School state quarterfinals, and after transferring to Oregon's La Salle Catholic College Prep School, he led them to the state semifinals. On the club level, Thornberry competed with the Westside Timbers B01 Copa and was a 2018 Oregon State Champion.

Felipe Velez (Meddelin, Colombia / Oakland City University) comes to Gardner-Webb following a stint at Oakland City University. The 5-foot-7 midfielder also played at The Columbus School where he was a four-time First-Team All-Conference honoree.  He was also named Best Male Athlete and his club team were the binational champions in 2013 and 2015. Correra also played for the Molino Viejo travel team which made the Elite Eight in Liga Antioquena de Futbol in 2016.   

Reece Winters (League City, Texas / Clear Creek HS) was a three-sport athlete at Clear Creek High School and will graduate Magna Cum Laude. Winters ran cross country and played football. On the pitch, he played under the direction of Chris Cobb. Winters was an All-District and All-County selection as a freshman and sophomore at forward. He also played for the Houston Dynamo Youth DA club team. He intends to major in nursing at GWU.