February 24, 2010
Hokies place five on All-ACC Academic team
Akogyeram, Baden, Burnell, Campbell and Gilson earn accolades

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Five members of the Virginia Tech men’s soccer team secured spots on the All-ACC Academic team, as announced by the conference on Wednesday. Sophomore Emmanuel Akogyeram and senior James Gilson both collected the honor for the second-straight year, while junior Charlie Campbell and senior Alexander Baden earned the honor for the third time in their careers. Junior Craig Burnell earned the accolade for the first time.

Akogyeram, the Labone, Ghana, native, is enrolled in university studies. He played in 19 games for the Hokies this season, starting in four, and was one of the team's most aggressive offensive threats. He scored a team-leading four goals, including two game-winners, added two assists and led the team with a .640 shots on goal percentage. He scored the first goal against 16th-ranked NC State, helping the Hokies to a 2-0 upset win. Akogyeram was the Hokies’ Rookie of the Year in 2008 and has been named to the All-ACC Academic team for the second consecutive year.

Baden, a two-time senior captain hailing from Visselhovede, Germany, is studying accounting and information. He was the anchor for the Hokies’ defense throughout his four years. He started and played in 18 games throughout the season and scored one of Tech’s most thrilling goals of the season, netting the tying goal against ETSU with just over a minute remaining to send the game into overtime. He was also named to the All-Tournament Team at the Middleton Sports and Fitness Invitational. Baden earned the All-ACC Academic accolade two other times in his career.

Burnell, a junior from Wells, Maine, is majoring in environmental science. He started 13 games and saw playing time in 19. Burnell was a crucial part of Tech’s midfield and defense, and helped hold previously ranked Davidson and then 16th-ranked NC State scoreless. Burnell was also one of 10 players named to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District III Second Team earlier this season.

Campbell, a finance major from Mundelein, Ill., started all 19 games for the Hokies, after he was forced to miss last season due to injury. The redshirt junior collected three goals and boasted a team-high four assists and 37 shots on the year. He scored the game-winning goal to help Tech earn a 2-1 win over Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the Middleton Sports and Fitness Invitational, and was later named the MVP of the Invitational after helping the Hokies to the tournament title.

Gilson, a finance major and co-captain from Greenwood Lake, N.Y., started all 19 games for Tech, finishing the season with two goals and two assists. Gilson, a potent midfielder, who was the team’s MVP in 2008, earns the academic honor for the second-straight year. He was named to the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District III Second Team and received NSCAA/adidas Scholar All-East region Honorable Mention honors last season.

To be eligible for consideration for the All-ACC Academic team, a student-athlete must have earned a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and maintained a 3.0 cumulative average during his academic career.

2009 All-ACC Academic Men's Soccer Team
Name Class School Major
Greg Eckhardt Sr. Clemson Management
Michael Mattson Gr. Clemson Accounting (PPA)
David Newton Gr. Clemson Civil Engineering
Austin Savage Fr. Clemson Undeclared
Nathan Thornton Sr. Clemson Civil Engineering
James Belshaw Fr. Duke Undeclared
Josh Bienenfeld Sr. Duke Psychology
Ryan Finley Fr. Duke Undeclared
Ryan McDaniel Sr. Duke Psychology
Nick Sih Jr. Duke International Comparative Studies
Matt Thomas Sr. Duke Sociology
Chris Tweed-Kent So. Duke Mechanical Engineering
Andrew Wenger Fr. Duke Undeclared
Jason Herrick Jr. Maryland Accounting
Taylor Kemp Fr. Maryland Kinesiological Science
Kevin Tangney Sr. Maryland General Business
Casey Townsend So. Maryland Undeclared
Kirk Urso So. North Carolina Economics
Kris Byrd So. NC State Business
Chris Widman Gr. NC State Economics
Chris Zuerner Jr. NC State Business
Hunter Jumper So. Virginia Psychology
Emmanuel Akogyeram So. Virginia Tech University Studies
Alexander Baden Sr. Virginia Tech Accounting and Information Systems
Craig Burnell Jr. Virginia Tech Environmental Science
Charlie Campbell Jr. Virginia Tech Finance
James Gilson Sr. Virginia Tech Finance
Justin Lichtfuss Sr. Wake Forest Business
Ike Opara Jr. Wake Forest Communication
Zack Schilawski Sr. Wake Forest Biology

For updates on Virginia Tech men's soccer, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_MSoccer).

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