DAVIDSON, N.C. - Excelling both in the classroom and on the field, Davidson senior Charlie Reiter was recognized as one of the nation's top student-athletes when he was named to the 2009 CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America First Team for men's soccer on Wednesday.
Reiter, the 2009 Southern Conference Men's Soccer Player of the Year, boasts a 3.48 grade point average and majors in political science. Reiter is a two-time SoCon Academic Honor Roll selection, a member of the Davidson Scholars program, and was a member of Team USA at the 2009 Maccabiah Games in Israel last summer.
"This is a big-time honor for Charlie, because it celebrates his combined strengths as a scholar-athlete," said head coach Matt Spear. "On the academic side, Charlie has achieved each and every semester, and always seems very composed, organized, and confident with his studies. He has handled the rigors, managed his time well and maintained the right balance."
The Westport, Conn. native is the first member of Davidson's men's soccer team to receive ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America recognition since Mac Wilkie, a second team selection in 2006. Four Davidson men's soccer players have been previously named Academic All-Americans. Tracy Hankins (1989), Chris Norbet (2001) and Soren Johnson (2002) were Davidson's first three honorees.
Reiter enjoyed a breakout season in 2009, scoring 12 goals and eight assists for 32 points after starting all 18 matches. Playing at forward regularly for the first time in his career, Reiter was among the national leaders on offense. He ranked as high as sixth in points per game midway through the season and ranked ninth (1.78) in the category at the conclusion of Davidson's season. His teammates elected him as the team's most valuable player. Reiter played in every single match during his four-year career at Davidson, starting 48 of 77 matches.
To be eligible for the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America team, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 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.