SEWARD, Neb. – Seven representatives from the Concordia University men’s soccer program have been named 2015 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes, as announced by the NAIA on Friday. Among this year’s honorees, seniors Mark Anderson, Justin Lawrie and Nathan Northcutt are two-time scholar-athletes. First-year scholar-athletes include seniors Mark Campbell and Marcelino Varona and juniors Carlos Acosta and Andrew Mussell.
Head coach Jason Weides’ squad bumped its scholar-athlete total up by two individuals compared to 2014 when the Bulldogs again garnered the NSCAA Team Academic Award from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. With seven scholar-athletes in 2015, the Bulldogs equaled Hastings for the most among GPAC men’s soccer programs.
In order to be nominated by an institution’s head coach or sports information director, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and must have achieved a junior academic status. A total of 382 men’s soccer student-athletes across the nation were named scholar-athletes by the NAIA.
Concordia University ranks as the NAIA’s all-time leader in number of Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes with 1,241 and counting (27 for the fall of 2015). The 2014-15 season culminated with GPAC-leading totals of 94 Bulldog scholar-athletes and 17 NAIA Scholar-Teams. During the 2013-14 academic year, Concordia garnered 101 Scholar-Athlete honorees (most in the NAIA) and 17 NAIA Scholar-Teams (tied for fourth nationally).
Concordia University, Nebraska, founded in 1894, is a fully accredited, coeducational university located in Seward, Neb., that currently serves over 2,300 students. Concordia offers more than 50 professional and liberal arts programs in an excellent academic and Christ-centered community that equips men and women for lives of learning, service and leadership in the church and world.
2015 men’s soccer Scholar-Athletes
Carlos Acosta | Jr. | Cali, Columbia
Mark Anderson | Sr. | Morton, Ill.
Mark Campbell | Sr. | Dublin, Ireland
Justin Lawrie | Sr. | Winnipeg, Canada
Andrew Mussell | Jr. | Buffalo, Minn.
Nathan Northcutt | Sr. | Dublin, Ireland
Marcelino Varona | Sr. | Olathe, Kan.