Nov. 2, 2007

The Patriot League earned a distinguished level of recognition with a combined total of 24 student-athletes honored with First or Second Team status in the District 1 and 2 University Divisions on the 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District men's and women's soccer teams, it was announced Thursday.

Fourteen men's soccer student-athletes received recognition, while the women also reached double-digits with 10 honorees. Each of the eight Patriot League member institutions had at least one student-athlete receive accolades.

Student-athletes from Army, Colgate and Holy Cross are placed into the District 1 grouping, while student-athletes from American, Bucknell, Lafayette, Lehigh and Navy are grouped into District 2.

Army led the way with five honorees, three of which were on the men's side. Junior goalkeeper A.J. Glubzinski led the way with a 4.02 GPA in American Politics, while teammate Daniel Newell, a senior defender, posted a 3.77 GPA in Engineering Management. Senior forward John Kubeika, who is also an Engineering Management major, earned a 3.53 GPA. The Black Knight women's team was led by junior Sarah Goss, who received the honor for the second consecutive year. Sophomore Elizabeth Betterbed, who boasts an impressive 4.18 GPA in Mechanical Engineering, also received recognition. Glubzinski, Newell and Goss each earned First-Team accolades, while Kubeika and Betterbed were named to the Second Team.

Navy notched four honorees, all of whom were named to the First Team. Senior goalkeeper Evan Barnes, who is also a finalist for the Lowe's Senior Class Award, received recognition for the second consecutive year. Barnes has a 3.88 GPA in Honors Systems Engineering. The Navy women's team had three student-athletes named to the First Team, headlined by senior forward Kari Weniger. Weniger, who was also named to the First Team in 2006, has a 3.97 GPA in Ocean Engineering. Junior goalkeeper Lizzie Barnes earned First-Team status for the second consecutive season, and currently holds a 3.79 GPA in Information Technology. Rounding out the list of Midshipmen honorees was first-time recipient Lauren Bresnahan. The sophomore has posted a cumulative GPA of 3.89 in Ocean Engineering so far through her Navy career.

Bucknell, Colgate, Lafayette and Lehigh each had three student-athletes receive acknowledgment from CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America).

Bucknell was led by senior midfielder Justin Wolf, who also represented the Bison as a First Team member in 2006. Wolf has a 3.54 cumulative GPA in Management. The Bucknell women had two Second Team honorees, both of which are sophomores. Midfielder Chelsea Brinkman currently has a 3.83 GPA in Biology, while teammate Lauren Stoller has accumulated a 3.71 GPA in Psychology.

The Colgate men had two honorees, while the Raider women had one. Junior defender Daniel Kerley, an Economics major with a 3.87 GPA, earned First Team status, while teammate Dan Belke, a senior defender with a 3.37 GPA in Political Science, was named to the Second Team. The lone Colgate female to earn recognition was junior forward Josie Johnson. Johnson currently carries a 3.79 GPA in Psychology.

Lafayette had a trio of seniors earn recognition on the men's side, led by two First Team recipients. Defender Luke Sullivan earned his spot with a 3.67 GPA in Biology, while Mike Tilley made the First Team with a 3.76 GPA in Government and Law. Fellow senior Scott Hawkins earned Second Team status with a 3.43 GPA in Economics and Business.

The Lehigh Mountain Hawks were awarded with three Second Team honorees. Senior midfielder Joe Clemente, a Finance major with a 3.82 GPA, and senior defender Michael Hessemer, a Mechanical Engineering major with a 3.41 GPA, were the recipients on the men's side. Senior midfielder Jen Fetsick was the only women's nominee for Lehigh, as her 3.86 GPA in Sociology/Social Psychology placed her on the Second Team.

Holy Cross had two student-athletes from the men's team receive recognition, led by junior forward Felipe Castrillon. Castrillon, who also received Second Team honors in 2006, made the 2007 Second Team with a 3.70 GPA in Economics. He was joined on the Second Team by junior midfielder Andreas Andrews, who recorded a 3.24 GPA in Economics.

American rounded out the list of Patriot League honorees with one from the women's team. Junior forward Krystn Hodge found a spot on the Second Team with a 3.70 GPA in Psychology.

The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team members will now advance to the national Academic All-America ballot. To be eligible for Academic All-America honors, a student-athlete must have a minimum GPA of 3.20 and be a starter or key reserve on his team.