Oct. 30, 2008

Center Valley, Pa. - Patriot League men's and women's soccer student-athletes were recognized for accomplishments in the classroom and on the field on Thursday, as 20 men and women were selected to the 2008 ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District teams.

The Patriot League notched 12 selections on the women's side, and eight on the men's list. Fourteen of those 20 student athletes received First-Team Academic All-District honors, placing them on the ballot for Academic All-America consideration. That group includes Navy women's senior goalkeeper Lizzie Barnes, who is part of the 10-person finalist group for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in women's soccer.

The Patriot League selections came in the University Division from District 1 and District 2, with student-athletes from Army, Colgate and Holy Cross placed in District 1 and those from Lehigh, Lafayette, American, Bucknell and Navy grouped into District 2.

Bucknell led all schools with six honorees, all of whom received First-Team status. Army had five student-athletes honored, while Colgate had three and American and Navy each had two student-athletes on the list.

Bucknell's selections were evenly divided, with three First-Team Academic All-District honorees on both the men and women's teams. Senior Mathematics major Jennifer Dervarics, junior Psychology major Lauren Stoller and junior Biology major Chelsea Brinkman all made it on the women's list, while senior Economics major Jason Soto, junior History major Chris Hennings and junior Philosophy and Religion major Patrick Selwood earned recognition on the men's team. Brinkman and Stoller both make the Academic All-District team for the second year in a row after receiving Second-Team recognition in 2007.

Army had three First-Team selections among its five honorees. Senior Sarah Goss and junior Elizabeth Betterbed, both Mechanical Engineering majors with grade-point averages above 4.0, made the First-Team on the women's list, while junior Operations Research major Bryan Connolly was a First-Team selection on the men's side. Senior American Politics with Honors major A.J. Glubzinski received Second-Team honors on the men's team, while senior Engineering Management major Caroline Miller was a Third-Team choice on the women's side. Goss and Glubzinski both earned Academic All-America honors in 2007.

Colgate's First-Team honoree came on the men's squad, with senior Economics major Daniel Kerley named to the squad after receiving Academic All-America recognition in 2007. The Raiders' remaining selections were on the women's side, with senior Psychology major Johanna Johnson on the Second Team and junior Sociology and Anthropology major Jillian Arnault on the Third Team.

Navy's two honorees both earned First-Team Academic All-District recognition on the District 2 women's team. Barnes, a senior Computer Science Information and Technology major, was joined by junior Shelly Moeller, an Oceanography major.

American also had a pair of All-District recipients in women's soccer, with senior Mathematics major Krystn Hodge on the First Team and junior Political Science major Kelsey Brasher on the Second Team.

Lafayette and Holy Cross each had one honoree. Lafayette junior Civil Engineering major Matthew Reichenbach earned a First-Team selection on the District 2 men's team, while Holy Cross senior Economics major Andreas Andrews received a Second-Team spot on the District 1 men's squad.

Nine of the 20 student-athletes also received Academic All-District honors a year ago, including Glubzinski, Goss and Kerley who went on to earn their Academic All-America awards.

To be nominated, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at his/her current institution. Nominated athletes must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's games at the position listed on the nomination form (where applicable).

For the full Men's All-District teams, click here. To read the Women's All-District teams, click here.