Eleven Horizon League soccer players recognized on CoSIDA Academic All-District teams
Nov. 1, 2007 Indianapolis, Ind. --
Complete Release in PDF Format 
On the women's side, Loyola University Chicago sophomore forward Cynthia Morote-Ariza headlined a trio of Horizon League performers on the First-Team Academic All-District 5 squad. Morote-Ariza was named the League's Player of the Year earlier this week after leading the circuit with 15 goals and 37 points, pacing the Ramblers to a second-place finish in the regular-season standings at 12-8-0 overall and 7-1-0 in loop play. The Chicago native ranks among the national leaders with her average of 1.85 points per contest and boasts a 3.40 grade-point average as a psychology major.
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay defender Amanda Stinson was the only other sophomore named to the 14-member First-Team unit. Stinson has started 16 of 17 contests for the Phoenix and ranks second on the team in scoring with three goals and six points while averaging 85 minutes per match on the Green Bay back line. In the classroom, she touts a perfect 4.00 grade-point average as a human biology major.
Valparaiso University junior defender Jackie Thomas leads the Crusaders with four goals and nine points. All four of her goals have been match-winners, helping Valpo compile a 10-8-0 overall record in its first season in the Horizon League. Thomas garnered Second-Team All-League recognition for her efforts on the field this fall and carries a 3.85 grade-point average as a public relations/sports management major.
Wright State University senior defender Megan Mattioda earned Third-Team honors in District 5. Mattioda recorded one goal and a team-best four assists during the regular season, helping the Raiders to a 12-5-1 record entering the Horizon League Championship this weekend. In the classroom, she sports a 3.53 grade-point average, studying mechanical engineering.
Regular-season champion University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Butler University each landed two players on the Second-Team unit in District 5.
Junior goalkeeper Erin Kane won First-Team All-League honors on the field for the third year in a row, leading the League with a 0.70 goals-against average and nine shutouts during the regular season. Kane helped the Panthers (11-4-3 overall) win the regular-season loop title for the eighth consecutive season with a 7-0-1 League ledger and earn the top seed in the League Championship. In the classroom, she owns a 3.35 GPA as a pre-veterinary major. Kane joins senior midfielder Joanna Severson to form the Milwaukee contingent on the academic honor roll. Severson, who earned First-Team Academic All-District acclaim in 2006, has posted three goals this fall for the Panthers and owns a 3.92 grade-point average as an accounting/finance major.
Junior midfielder Angie Muir and sophomore defender Morgan Cox represented Butler. Muir was a First-Team All-League choice on the field this fall and stands third in the League in all three major offensive categories, posting ten goals and six assists (26 points) during the regular season to pace the Bulldogs to a 9-8-1 overall record (5-3-0 in the League). She carries a 3.81 grade-point average as a secondary education major. Cox started all 18 matches for Butler this season, helping the Bulldogs post a 1.32 goals-against average with four shutouts. She owns a 3.97 GPA, majoring in chemistry.
For the men, regular-season champion Loyola boasted two of the League's three honorees on the Academic All-District 5 unit in senior forward Markian Zyga and sophomore defender Malcom DeBaun, while Milwaukee senior midfielder Zeke Dombrowski completed the Horizon League representation.
Zyga gained recognition for the second year in a row, with the latest award following a regular season that featured one goal and two assists for the Ramblers, who already have secured the top seed in the Horizon League Men's Soccer Championship based on a 5-0-2 League ledger (10-3-4 overall) with one match remaining in the regular season. Zyga netted the match-winning goal in Loyola's 1-0 victory over the University of San Diego in the championship match of the Torero Classic last month. He holds a 3.87 grade-point average as a finance major.
DeBaun helps anchor the Rambler defensive unit which ranks among the nation's leaders in goals-against average (0.66). Loyola tied a school single-season record with its tenth shutout of the season against DePaul University on Wednesday (Oct. 31) and has allowed only one goal in its last eight contests while compiling a 6-0-2 record during that span. One of only two sophomores on the District 5 honor roll, DeBaun has started 14 of 17 matches for the Ramblers this year and boasts a 3.96 GPA as a biology major.
Dombrowski leads the Panthers with four goals and 11 points---ranking ninth on the League charts in both categories---and also stands among the League leaders with three assists. He had the winning tally in Milwaukee's 1-0 victory over Wright State on Oct. 7 and has started all 18 matches for UWM, which holds the second seed in the League Championship based on a 5-2-1 loop ledger. In the classroom, Dombrowski has compiled a 3.59 grade-point average as a business major.
There was only one team per district for the men, and no Horizon League players were selected in District 4.
To be eligible for Academic All-District consideration, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.20 or higher (based on a 4.00 scale) with sophomore or higher standing both athletically and academically. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has presented Academic All-America honors to more than 14,000 student-athletes at the Division I, II, III and NAIA levels. The First-Team selections from each of CoSIDA's eight districts across the nation are placed on the ballot for Academic All-America consideration. The men's national honor roll will be announced Nov. 19, with the women's team released the following day.
District 4 encompasses the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee, while District 5 includes Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin, plus the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba.
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Note: The CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District teams featuring Horizon League players can be found in the PDF version of this release.
