AUSTIN, Texas – Clayton State graduate defender Tim Neusesser (Bad Berleburg, Germany) has been named a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Men’s Soccer Academic All-America First-Team selection as announced by that organization on Wednesday, December 4.
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It marks the fourth time in five years that Clayton State has had an Academic All-America honoree and just the third First-Team recognition. Neusesser’s selection brings the program’s all-time total to five Academic All-America selections and is the first in the history of the men’s soccer program.
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Most recently Joy Diaz was named to the Third-Team of the 2017-18 Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country Team as was Robert Spezzacatena on the men’s side in 2011-12. The only other First-Team honors both came from women’s soccer’s Maria Marti Bartis in consecutive years of 2015-16 and 2016-17. All have come this decade with the majority within the past five years, illustrating the high academic standard that has been set within Clayton State Athletics.
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One of just 33 individuals recognized nationwide in NCAA Division II for this prestigious honor, Neusesser is also one of just 12 First-Team selections is among only four overall honorees from the Southeast Region. Joining him on the First-Team is goalkeeper Sebastian Kalk (Queens) along with forward Riccardo Ricci (Coker) on the Second-Team and defender Pau Peiro (Tusculum) on the Third-Team.
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Additionally, to illustrate the level of competition that he faced, this year’s Men’s Soccer Academic All-America Member of the Year (Jason Zobott, Colorado School of Mines) came from his position of defender and was among the 16 individuals named at that position across all three teams.
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In terms of the accomplishments that earned Neusesser his august place on the First-Team, he was a key component of a Laker men’s soccer team that went 14-6 to tie for the third most wins in program history. That included a signature 3-2 double overtime victory at No. 7 Francis Marion (11/2), a program record 10-0 shutout at Southern Wesleyan (9/11) and an 8-0 blanking of North Greenville (10/29).
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As a defender you tend to be judged by what you and your team prevent other teams from doing. By that standard the 6-4 Neusesser was extremely impressive as he helped the Lakers to 13 games of one goal allowed or fewer, including seven shutouts, and surrendered just one goal when he was on the field. For his two-year career he has been part of 19 games of one goal or less and nine shutouts.
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Additionally, the one goal allowed came in a 5-3 win against North Georgia on October 23. It would be one of just two times that the Lakers gave up three goals in a game all season and he would make up for that score with his first career goal in that contest.
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Academically, Neusesser delivered a 4.0 GPA as a graduate student in the MBA program and became just the second men’s soccer student-athlete to earn CoSIDA Academic All-District honors. The latter is also the 22
nd overall selection. He also earned his first Peach Belt Conference All-Academic Team selection in his first year of eligibility for the award.
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Neusesser is also the 77
th All-America(n) of any kind in the history of the program and the first one this year. Not only does his selection make it four of the past five years with an Academic All-America – the greatest stretch in program history – it continues a stretch of at least one such honoree in 18 of the last 19 years.
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That run began in 2000-01 and was interrupted only once in 2009-10 making it a streak of 10 consecutive years with at least one All-American.
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Student-athletes are nominated and selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team by Sports Information Directors who are members of CoSIDA prior to consideration for Academic All-America recognition. Student-athletes selected as Academic All-District then move on to the All-American ballot which is voted on by SIDs.
ABOUT THE COSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA PROGRAM
The 2019-20 CoSIDA Division II Academic All-America Men’s Soccer Teams, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America, have been released to recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom.
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To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative GPA 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 their sports information director. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 20,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.
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Clayton State History of Academic All-America Selections
2019-20 – Tim Neusesser (Men’s Soccer) – First-Team
2017-18 – Joy Diaz (Women's Track & Field/Cross Country) – Third-Team
2016-17 – Maria Marti Bartis (Women's Soccer) – First-Team
2015-16 – Maria Marti Bartis (Women's Soccer) – First-Team
2011-12 – Robert Spezzacatena (Men's Track & Field/Cross Country) – Third-Team
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2019-20 CoSIDA Men’s Soccer Academic All-America Teams
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| First-Team |
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
GPA |
Yr. |
Major |
| GK |
Brendan Brown |
Colorado Mesa |
3.71 |
Sr. |
Kinesiology Fitness & Health Promotion |
| GK |
Sebastian Kalk |
Queens (N.C.) |
4.00 |
So. |
International Studies |
| D |
Jamos Hauk |
Lake Erie |
4.00 |
So. |
Psychology |
| D |
Preston McIllece |
Westminster |
4.00 |
Sr. |
Computer Science |
| D |
Tim Neusesser |
Clayton State |
4.00/4.00 |
Gr. |
MBA |
| D |
Jason Zobott^ |
Colorado School of Mines |
3.92 |
Sr. |
Petroleum Engineering |
| M |
Leki Prpa& |
Univ. of Wisconsin-Parkside |
3.97 |
Gr. |
Sport Management |
| M |
James Randall |
Gannon |
4.00 |
Sr. |
Finance |
| M |
Alex VonHolle^ |
Univ. of Colorado/Colorado Springs |
3.80 |
Sr. |
Business Administration |
| F |
Magnus Andersen |
Univ. of Missouri-St. Louis |
3.97 |
Sr. |
International Business |
| F |
Yannik Felber^ |
Franklin Pierce |
3.98 |
Jr. |
Management |
| F |
Ben Overholt& |
Colorado School of Mines |
3.86 |
Sr. |
Electrical Engineering |
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| Second-Team |
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
GPA |
Yr. |
Major |
| D |
Andres Da Silva |
Wheeling |
3.96 |
Sr. |
Athletic Training |
| D |
Omar Oliveros-Alvarez |
Lake Erie |
3.79 |
Sr. |
Business Administration |
| D |
Noah Rosenberg |
Colorado Mesa |
3.93 |
Jr. |
Political Science |
| D |
Travis Swallow |
Seattle Pacific |
3.98 |
Jr. |
Business Administration |
| M |
Jonathon Carr |
Lake Erie |
3.68 |
Sr. |
Sport Management |
| M |
Eneko Lasheras |
Florida Southern |
4.00 |
Sr. |
Business |
| M |
Dimitrios Topouzlis! |
Wilmington |
3.99 |
Sr. |
Finance |
| F |
Lorne Bickley |
Wilmington |
3.50 |
Sr. |
Sports Management |
| F |
Riccardo Ricci |
Coker |
4.00 |
Sr. |
Computer Science |
| F |
Jake Simpson |
Rogers State |
3.72 |
Sr. |
Sport Management |
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| Third-Team |
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
GPA |
Yr. |
Major |
| GK |
Daniele De Angelis^ |
Notre Dame College |
3.82 |
Sr. |
Accounting/Finance |
| D |
Joe Bell |
Wilmington |
3.51 |
Sr. |
Sports Management |
| D |
Paris Bruhn |
Chestnut Hill |
3.85 |
Sr. |
Business Administration & Management/Marketing |
| D |
Pau Peiro |
Tusculum |
3.90 |
Sr. |
Chemistry |
| D |
Moritz Walther |
Fort Hays State |
3.88 |
Jr. |
Health & Human Performance |
| M |
Jasminko Dizdarevic |
Urbana |
3.78 |
Sr. |
Business |
| M |
Niklas Laudahn |
Franklin Pierce |
3.97 |
Sr. |
Business Management |
| M |
Dan Mahony |
Univ. of Illinois Springfield |
4.00 |
Jr. |
Exercise Science |
| F |
Cole Asfour |
Union (Ky.) |
3.97 |
Sr. |
Sports Management |
| F |
Walmer Martinez |
Cal State Monterey Bay |
3.55 |
Sr. |
Social & Behavioral Sciences |
| F |
Ryan Schaefer |
Western Washington |
3.81 |
Sr. |
Management Information Systems |
CoSIDA Academic All-America Team Member of the Year: Jason Zobott, Colorado School of Mines
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&CoSIDA Academic All-America First-Team Selection in 2018
^CoSIDA Academic All-America Second-Team Selection in 2018
!CoSIDA Academic All-America Third-Team Selection in 2018
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