Three Red Flash Men’s Soccer Players Selected To ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Teams
LORETTO, Pa. (Nov. 1, 2007) – Saint Francis University men’s soccer players Bryce Luetzen (Denver, Colo. / Denver Lutheran), Andrew Stephens (Coppell, Texas / Coppell) and Jeremy Tice (Littleton, Colo. / Chatfield) have been named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II honorees, as voted on by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Luetzen and Stephens have been named to the program’s all-district first team, and will now advance to the national ballot with an opportunity to earn ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors. Saint Francis University has 30 all-time CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. Tice was named to the all-district second team.
All three players are seniors on this year’s Red Flash men’s soccer team, which is 7-7-2 overall and 5-1-1 in the Northeast Conference. Saint Francis is currently in second place with two matches remaining in the season. Two wins would give the team its first-ever NEC regular season title.
Luetzen, a four-year defender and two-year team captain, is an accounting major with a 3.72 grade point average. He is a leader on the stingy Saint Francis defense. In conference games only, the Red Flash lead the league in goals allowed (4) and goals against average (0.55), and are third in saves (5.71 per game) and shutouts (0.43). Luetzen has started all 73 matches in which he has played during his career. He has played a pivotal role in helping the Red Flash to the first three NEC playoff appearances in program history, including two straight (2006 and 2007). He has one assist on the season as a stay-at-home defender, and has posted 19 career points. Luetzen, who is a Saint Francis and NEC Academic Honor Roll student, is a VITA Volunteer for the Dorothy Day Center, where he prepares tax returns for low income families. He helps coach local youth soccer teams (2004-07), is a four-year volunteer with the Pennsylvania Special Olympics, participates in Relay for Life, and is a member of Outreach to local elementary school children. Luetzen is also a member of Sigma Beta Delta, a Business Honors Society.
Stephens is a marketing major with a 3.84 GPA. A senior forward and a three-year starter, he has also played a pivotal role in helping the Red Flash to the first three NEC playoff appearances in program history, including two straight (2006 and 2007). He is a Saint Francis and NEC Academic Honor Roll student, and plays an active role on campus and in the community. Stephens is a Student-Athlete Mentor, and a member of the Sigma Beta Delta Business Honors Society. A member of the Dean’s List for five straight semesters, he volunteers at local youth soccer camps (2004-07) as well as youth soccer camps in Dallas, Texas (2004-06). Stephens also volunteers with the Special Olympics (2005-07), the Dorothy Day Center (2005), outreach to local elementary schools (2007) and at local food drives. He is also a participant in Relay for Life. Stephens has 2 goals and 1 assist on the 2007 season, and has 8 goals and 20 points during his career.
Like his two teammates, Tice is active on campus and in the community. A Sociology and Criminal Justice major with a 3.68 GPA, he has started 70 of 72 matches during his career, mostly at midfield. He has been alongside Luetzen and Stephens in leading the Red Flash to the first three NEC playoff appearances in program history, including two straight (2006 and 2007). Tice is tied for third on the team with 6 points (2 goals, 2 assists) this season. He has 4 goals and 14 points during his career as a four-year starter. A Saint Francis and NEC Academic Honor Roll student, Tice volunteers with Special Olympics (2005-07), the Dorothy Day Center (2005), at local youth soccer camps (2004-07), Outreach for local elementary students (2007), Stars Production at SFU, and at local food drives and charities in his home state of Colorado. He has participated in Relay for Life the past two years.
The Saint Francis men’s soccer team plays host to Mount St. Mary’s at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, and will close out the regular season with a 1 p.m. contest against first-place Monmouth at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Both matches will be played at the Stokes Soccer Complex and are free to attend.
The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District and All-America teams are selected through voting by CoSIDA, a 2,000 member organization consisting of sports public relations professionals for college universities in the United States and Canada.
To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA Championship sports.
CoSIDA selects Academic All-America teams in 12 programs: football, women’s volleyball, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, softball, men’s track & field/cross country, women’s track & field/cross country, men’s at-large and women’s at-large.
For more information about the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Teams program, visit www.cosida.com.