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Patriot League Announces Men's Soccer Academic Awards
Nov. 9, 2011
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - American senior goalkeeper Matt Makowski, who helped lead the Eagles to the No. 1 seed and hosting responsibilities in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament, was named Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the second year in a row and garnered one of the 11 spots on the Academic All-League Team in men's soccer, it was announced Wednesday. Voting was conducted by the eight men's soccer sports information directors in the League who could not cast a ballot for their own student-athletes. Now in its second year, the Academic All-Patriot League Team was added for all sports beginning in the 2010-11 season to honor additional student-athletes who excel both on and off the field. The Women's Soccer Academic All-Patriot League Team has 11 student-athletes to equal the size of the sport's All-Patriot League first team. American and Bucknell tied for the most Academic All-League honorees with three apiece. Army and Lafayette were next with two each, while the team was rounded out by one selection from Navy. Makowski is the first back-to-back Scholar-Athlete of the Year in men's soccer since Bucknell's Jonathan Hemmert in 2003-04 and is just the third ever in League annals to be named to the honor in consecutive seasons. A native of Quakertown, Pa., Makowski has compiled a 4-9-1 overall mark in 15 appearances for the Eagles entering this weekend's League Tournament with a 1.54 goals-against average and a .726 save percentage. He played his best during League matches, going 3-1-0 in five appearances with 16 saves, a 0.45 GAA and an .889 save percentage. Both of his shutouts on the season came during League play. A four-year starter for the Eagles, Makowski was the 2008 Patriot League Rookie of the Year and was named Second-Team All-League a year ago. Makowski's performance in the classroom has been even better. He owns a 3.94 cumulative grade-point average majoring in biology at American. At the conclusion of last year, he was recognized as the schools "Outstanding Honors Junior" and is one of the university's two Rhodes Scholar nominees this year. A Lowe's Senior CLASS candidate at the start of the season, Makowski has been a five-time member of the Dean's List at American and has appeared on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll in all three of his eligible years so far. He has logged a perfect 4.0 semester GPA three times.
One student-athlete named Academic All-League Wednesday was also an All-Patriot League honoree Tuesday. Bucknell junior Brendan Burgdorf earned Second-Team laurels one day ago. He owns a 3.41 cumulative GPA majoring in physics. The nine remaining members of the Academic All-League team have all made strong contributions to their teams both on the pitch and in the classroom. Joining Makowski on the team from American are senior Michael Roberts and sophomore Colin Seigfreid. Roberts has a 3.852 GPA majoring in physics while minoring in economics, and Seigfreid majors in business administration with a 3.616 GPA. Joining Burgdorf with Academic All-League laurels from Bucknell are seniors Tommy Caso and Ryan Sappington. Caso, a goalkeeper, owns a 3.82 GPA majoring in mechanical engineering with a minor in economics, and Sappington boasts a 3.87 GPA studying philosophy and psychology. Army's two selections are senior Tanner Robertson and junior Mitch Johnson. Robertson majors in mathematical sciences at West Point with a 3.565 GPA, while Johnson has a 4.103 GPA at the Academy majoring in mechanical engineering. Senior Graham Heydt and junior Blake Fink represent Lafayette. Heydt has accumulated a 3.69 grade-point average as a mathematics and economics major for the Leopards, while Fink boasts a 3.78 GPA studying government and law. Navy's Sam Miller rounds out the team. He is a mechanical engineering major at the Academy with a 3.95 GPA and is a senior. Makowski, Roberts, Robertson, Johnson, Sappington and Miller are appearing on the Academic All-League Team for the second straight year. To be eligible for the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award and the Academic All-Patriot League Team, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average and be a starter or key player in his/her sport. Freshmen or students in their first academic year at their school are not eligible for the honor. The Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year for each individual sport comprises the pool of nominees for the Patriot League Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards given out over the summer. One male and one female are selected for this honor. Patriot League Men's Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year Matt Makowski, Sr., American Academic All-Patriot League Team in Men's Soccer |
