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).