GREENWOOD, Ind. – The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced the 2015 Academic All-District teams for men’s soccer Thursday afternoon, and Mercer’s Mark Riggins, UNCG’s Noah DeAngelo and Wofford Connor Davis earned first-team honors in their respective divisions.
The trio will now be eligible for Academic All-America honors against other first team selections across the eight districts nationwide.
This is Riggins' first time as an All-District honoree, and he is the sixth Mercer player in the last five years to be selected to the Academic All-District team. Former Mercer Bears Will Betts and Ashani Samuels went on to be named to Academic All-Americans in 2012 and 2014, respectively.
The Lawrenceville, Ga., native has scored a goal and dished out an assist this season, while anchoring a back line that has registered six clean sheets and just a 1.15 goals-against average.
Riggins and the rest of the Bears will close out the regular season on Saturday, Oct. 31, at Furman. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m. at the Stone Soccer Stadium.
DeAngelo, a team captain, owns a perfect 4.0 GPA in biology for the Spartans as a senior midfielder and will graduate this December. He will look to continue his education next year in medical school. DeAngelo spent this past summer volunteering for the Elon Fire and Rescue Department.
This marks the second straight year that DeAngelo has been named to the Academic All-District 3 First Team. He is a three-time Academic All-Southern Conference selection and has played in 70 games in his career. He has scored four goals and dished out two assists in his career, including a pair of goals this season against UNCW and VMI.
DeAngelo has helped the Spartans to the top spot in the SoCon standings heading into the final weekend of league play. UNCG is unbeaten in seven straight games, posting a 5-0-2 mark over that span. The Spartans close out the regular season Saturday night when they travel to Johnson City, Tenn., to meet ETSU at 7 p.m.
Davis was one of four defenders named All-District 4, which comprises of Division I schools in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. The Roswell, Ga., senior has started all 14 matches he has played this season, scoring three goals on 11 shots, including two game-winners, while anchoring the backline in the Terriers defense.
The selection is the first in Davis’ career. He has 18 goals and 13 assists to total 49 career points, tied for the second-most among Wofford players in the team’s Division I era. Davis earlier this year was named to TopDrawerSoccer.com’s Team of the Week for the week of Sept. 29-Oct. 4.
The Terriers (8-5-2, 3-4-1 SoCon) are in action Thursday night, taking on Furman at Snyder Field at 6 p.m.
To be eligible for the Academic All-District teams, student-athletes must be starters or important reserves with at least 3.30 cumulative grade point averages. Candidates also must complete at least one full academic year at the nominating institution and be at least sophomores athletically.