Nine Horizon League soccer players earn NSCAA Scholar All-Region honors
Dec. 16, 2005
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INDIANAPOLIS -- Nine Horizon League student-athletes received individual honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) on Thursday (Dec. 16), when the coaches' group announced its Scholar All-Region teams.
On the men's side, three Horizon League performers were among ten selected for First-Team Scholar All-North/Central Region accolades with University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee teammates Neil Dombrowski and Steve Bode joining Loyola University Chicago senior forward Joe Nierzwicki on that elite group. UW-Milwaukee junior defender Billy Meier was a Second-Team selection.
For Dombrowski, the award is the latest in a series of honors as the senior midfielder was recently named a Second-Team CoSIDA Academic All-America following his First-Team All-Horizon League performance on the field in 2005. Dombrowski finished second in the League in scoring with 23 points (nine goals, five assists) this season and has maintained a 3.61 grade-point average as a business major.
Bode also gained First-Team All-League notice on the field, helping the Panthers register ten shutouts and a 14-4-5 record which included the League title and a fifth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. The sophomore defender boasts a 3.71 GPA in his psychology major through three years at the school (he sat out the 2004 campaign as a medical redshirt). Nierzwicki registered three goals and seven points this fall for the Ramblers and was an Academic All-League honoree for the third year in a row. He carries a 3.67 GPA as a biology major.
UW-Milwaukee is one of only two schools in the region to have two players on the First-Team academic list. Bradley University goalkeeper and defender Adam Hage join the Horizon League trio on the top group, along with Missouri State University defender Justin Douglass and DePaul University midfielder Adam Hermsen. The remainder of the First-Team unit came from outside Division I with University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh defender C.J. Lipinski, Carleton College midfielder Dave Watson and Quincy University defender Nick Frederick earning recognition.
For the women, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay senior midfielder Sarah Oligney led a group of five Horizon League entries on the Scholar All-Region squads, gaining First-Team Scholar All-Central Region recognition from the association. UW-Milwaukee senior defender Janice McGann and Panther senior midfielder Katie Campion drew Second-Team notice, with Butler University senior midfielder Kate Lord and UW-Green Bay junior forward Stephanie Gross representing the League on the Third-Team squad.
Oligney earned Horizon League Player of the Year honors for the second time in her career this fall after posting six goals and a League-best ten assists for 22 points. The senior tied the school record with 29 helpers in her career. That performance also drew All-Great Lakes Region recognition on the field, and she carries a 3.34 grade-point average as a human biology major.
McGann and Campion helped the Panthers post a school-record 13 shutouts on the way to the League Championship and a 12-5-5 finish this year. McGann's efforts drew Second-Team All-League honors while her work in the classroom as an advertising major has produced a 3.689 GPA while Campion posted a 3.694 GPA as an elementary education major.
Gross was a First-Team All-League pick on the field, finishing second in the League with 23 points off nine goals and five assists. Her work in the classroom has produced a 3.75 GPA as a human development and psychology major. Oligney and Gross were also named to the NSCAA's All-Great Lakes Region squad earlier in the week, becoming the first players in program history to be honored by the association for their athletic achievement. Injuries limited Lord to one point in 14 matches this season but did not prevent the Bulldog veteran from gaining recognition for her efforts. She carries a 3.43 GPA as a finance major.
Joining Oligney on the First-Team honor roll are a pair of Marquette University representatives in defender Heather Goranson and midfielder Julie Thompson, along with two University of Nebraska-Omaha standouts in goalkeeper Amy Price and forward Beth McGill. Drake University forward Andrea Schmitz, Northwestern University midfielder Tabitha Lowery, and Saint Louis University midfielder Kelly Ferguson also gained First-Team status, along with defenders Kim Comisar of Purdue University, Katelin Spence of the University of Michigan and Christen Karniski of the University of Illinois.
For the men, the NSCAA recognizes teams from the North/Central, West, East and South regions, while women's awards are presented in the North, West, East and Central regions. In each case, the players named to the First-Team Scholar All-Region teams are placed on the national ballot, with the Scholar All-America team announced next week. The NSCAA awards are considered among the most prestigious in the sport. The organization is unique in its selection process, putting all colleges and universities (NCAA Divisions I, II and III plus NAIA) into one group rather than recognizing separate teams for each level.
To be eligible for NSCAA Scholar All-Region honors, student-athletes must maintain a grade-point average of 3.30 (on a 4.00 scale) or higher with junior or higher status academically, and start more than 50 percent of the team's matches and be a significant contributor.
