Complete Men's Team | Complete Women's Team
BEREA, OHIO - Eight Baldwin-Wallace College men's and women's soccer student-athletes, four men and four women, have been chosen to the 2008 ESPN THE MAGAZINE Academic All-District IV honor team, including four first-team selections who now qualify for the national ESPN THE MAGAZINE Academic All-America team.
The four men are first-team selections of junior goalkeeper Russ Mika (Medina/ Senior), senior defender Michael Grater (Stow/ Stow-Munroe Falls) and senior forward Cory Kovach (Stow/ Stow-Munroe Falls) and the second-team choice of junior midfielder Andy Synk (Strongsville). The four women chosen are first-team pick in senior MF Allie Wojtkun (North Olmsted/ Magnificat), second-team choices of junior defender Tyler Fridley (Niles/ McKinley) and sophomore midfielder Liz Rice (Wooster/ Triway) and the third-team pick of junior defender Stephanie Geiger (Berea). The eight overall selections are more than any other school in District IV. A year ago, B-W tied for the most selections in the district.
Mika (3.68 grade average in finance and marketing) has a 7-3-1 record in goal with a 1.28 goals-against-average with a .759 save percentage, 44 saves and two individual shutouts. Grater (3.74 grade average in finance and accounting) is both a returning All-Ohio Athletic and Academic All-OAC player. He is one of the top defenders in the OAC again this season and has tallied four assists in 18 games for the 12-5-1 overall Yellow Jackets. Kovach (3.59 grade average in finance and marketing), like Grater, is a four-year starter and a key to the B-W offense. The returning All-OAC player is fourth on the team in scoring with five goals for 10 points and second in shots taken with 25. Synk (3.34 grade average in finance and accounting) is the OAC assist leader with nine and third on the team in scoring with four goals, nine assists and 13 points.
Wojtkun (3.98 grade average in human resource management) is a returning first-team Academic All-OAC and two-time All-OAC player who also made first-team ESPN THE MAGAZINE Academic All-District IV a year ago. This season, she tops the team in scoring with four goals and one assist for nine points for the 7-7-3 overall Yellow Jackets. Fridley (3.69 grade average in public relations and marketing) is one of the OAC's top defenders and a three-year starter. Rice (3.75 grade average in middle childhood education) has played in all 17 games this season and is credited with one assist. Geiger (3.62 grade average in criminal justice and chemistry) is one of the OAC's best defenders and has started every game of her collegiate career. In three seasons, she has helped B-W to record 20 shutouts.
The Yellow Jacket men are next in action on Friday, October 31 when they host OAC foe Wilmington College at The George Finnie Stadium at 7:00 p.m. The B-W women next play on Saturday, November 1 when they travel to Wilmington for a 7:00 p.m. match. The 2008 OAC Tournament begins next week.
FOR MORE BW SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail atkruple@bw.edu or Asst. SID Jeff Miller by phone at 440-826-2780 and email at jefmille@bw.edu Fans can access BW athletics information at www.BWyellowjackets.com and we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwyellowjackets and Twitter athttp://twitter.com/bwathletics.
FOR MORE INFORMATION on the ESPN THE MAGAZINE Academic All-America program, please go towww.cosida.com.
