Concordia picks up United Soccer Coaches honor

By Jacob Knabel on Oct. 9, 2017 in Men's Soccer

SEWARD, Neb. – Once again, the Concordia University men’s soccer program has raked in the United Soccer Coaches College Men’s Team Academic Award for the 2016-17 academic year, as announced on Oct. 5. Head coach Jason Weides’ team also earned NAIA Scholar-Team status last season after posting a collective GPA of 3.23. Four Bulldogs represented the program with NAIA Scholar-Athlete accolades last fall.

United Soccer Coaches (formerly the NSCAA) announced the Team Academic Award Winners at the high school and college levels to recognize exemplary performance in the classroom during the 2016-17 academic year. A total of 837 collegiate teams (293 men, 544 women) earned the Team Academic Award, including 195 schools who had both their men's and women's programs among the recipients.

United Soccer Coaches annually celebrates the academic achievements of high school and college soccer teams whose student-athletes collectively demonstrate a commitment to excellence in their studies over the course of a full school year. College Team Academic Award recipients are active members of the United Soccer Coaches College Services Program with a composite grade point of average of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale for all players on the roster.

The 2015-16 Bulldogs’ work in the classroom produced the sixth highest GPA among all NAIA men’s soccer programs. They were also named a NAIA Scholar-Team and tied for the GPAC lead for most NAIA Scholar-Athletes with seven.