Eight Big Ten Soccer Students Named Academic All-Americans
Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin have individuals chosen for top scholastic honors
ROSEMONT, Ill. – Eight Big Ten Conference soccer students from seven conference schools have been selected as Academic All-Americans by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), the organization announced Thursday.
Five Big Ten women’s soccer students earned Academic All-America plaudits on Thursday, led by Iowa, which was the only NCAA Division I school to produce two first-team Academic All-Americans this season.
Both of the Iowa honorees are now two-time Academic All-Americans who are majoring in biomedical engineering. Senior forward Kaleigh Haus, who owns a 4.00 cumulative GPA, earned first-team recognition for the second year in a row, while senior defender Hannah Drkulec, who also has a 4.00 cumulative GPA, moved up to the first team after receiving second-team Academic All-America plaudits last year.
Joining Haus and Drkulec on the first team was Penn State junior midfielder Kerry Abello, who has a 4.0 GPA in science/Spanish. Abello is also a two-time Academic All-American, having earned second-team status in 2018.
Indiana senior defender Allison Jorden and Purdue junior forward Hannah Melchiorre rounded out the Big Ten women’s soccer Academic All-America contingent with third-team honors. Jordan, who was the first Hoosier women’s soccer student ever chosen for Academic All-America recognition, has a 4.0 GPA in accounting. Meanwhile, Melchiorre maintains a 4.0 GPA in biochemistry and becomes the second Boilermaker women’s soccer Academic All-American as well as the first since 2007, when Shauna Stapleton also claimed first-team accolades.
On the men’s side, Maryland junior defender Matt Di Rosa and Michigan junior defender Joel Harrison were second-team Academic All-America selections. Di Rosa, the Terrapins’ first Academic All-American since 2007 (Stephen King was a first-team choice), has a 3.95 GPA in information systems, while Harrison holds a 3.98 GPA in computer science engineering, giving the Wolverines an Academic All-American for the third year in a row (Ivo Cerda was chosen in both 2017 and 2018).
Wisconsin senior midfielder Noah Leibold was named a third-team Academic All-American and carries a 3.94 GPA in neurobiology. He is the first Badger men’s soccer student chosen for Academic All-America plaudits since 2007 when Victor Diaz was a first-team honoree.
In order to be considered for Academic All-America status, students must not only maintain a minimum 3.30 GPA, but must also be a starter or key reserve, competing in at least 50 percent of their school’s contests.
A full list of the Big Ten soccer Academic All-Americans can be found below, with the complete rundown of Division I soccer Academic All-Americans available by clicking here and here.
Academic All-Americans (as selected by CoSIDA)
First Team
Hannah Drkulec, Sr., D, Iowa (4.00, Biomedical Engineering)
Kaleigh Haus, Sr., F, Iowa (4.00, Biomedical Engineering)
Kerry Abello, Jr., M, Penn State (4.00, Science/Spanish)
Second Team
Matt Di Rosa, Jr., D, Maryland (3.95, Information Systems)
Joel Harrison, Jr., D, Michigan (3.98, Computer Science)
Third Team
Allison Jorden, Sr., D, Indiana (4.00, Accounting)
Hannah Melchiorre, Jr., F, Purdue (4.00, Biochemistry)
Noah Leibold, Sr., M, Wisconsin (3.94, Neurobiology)
