KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Mercer goalkeeper Jeremy Booth and defender Airrion Blackstock were named Scholar All-South Region student-athletes by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), continuing an impressive run of academic success by the Bears.

The duo was named to the 12-man second team, marking the eighth and ninth players during head coach Brad Ruzzo’s nine-year tenure to be recognized with NSCAA Scholar All-South Region honors. Booth and Blackstock are the Southern Conference’s only representatives on either the first or second teams.

Student-athletes receiving Scholar All-Region recognition at the NCAA Division I level must own a 3.30 grade point average, start more than 50 percent of all games with significant contribution and be a junior or above in academic standing.

Booth, a redshirt junior and industrial engineering major, posted a 12-7-1 record in goal during his second year as Mercer’s starting keeper. The All-SoCon Second Team honoree saved his best performances for Mercer’s SoCon Championship run, when he was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player for posting a pair of clean sheets.

Blackstock, a fellow junior and accounting major, started every match for a third consecutive season and logged the second-most minutes among Mercer players while anchoring a stout back line. The Marietta, Georgia, product helped the Bears notch eight shutouts and lead the league in goals against average (0.93). He was named to the SoCon All-Tournament Team and has earned at least one postseason honor every year of his career so far.

Mercer now has four players, including Booth and Blackstock, who have earned academic honors this season; Gabe Tucker was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District IV Team and Jake Mezei won the inaugural SoCon Pinnacle Award at the SoCon tournament.