Spartan Soccer Teams Earn NSCAA Academic Recognition; Wimalasena Named All-Region Scholar
KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The Case Western Reserve University men's and women's soccer programs were each honored with the 2010 National Soccer Coaches Association of America Team Academic Award and men's junior defender Niro Wimalasena (Mason, OH/Mason) was named to the Scholar All-East Region team, announced by the NSCAA on Thursday, December 23.
The NSCAA Team Award is given to programs with an overall grade point average of 3.0 or better. Case Western Reserve was one of just 133 schools from all divisions throughout the nation to have both its men and women honored. Both teams have now earned the award in seven consecutive seasons.
The Spartan women finished the season with a 3.21 GPA under fourth-year head coach Tiffany Crooks and the men finished at 3.17 for seventh-year head coach Dan Palmer.
Wimalasena, a chemical engineering major with a 3.71 GPA, also was tabbed as a first-team ESPN Academic All-District IV selection in the fall. In 19 games at defender, he scored a goal and an assist and helped lead the Spartans to six shutouts en route to being named second-team All-University Athletic Association.
The Spartan soccer programs combined to produce 30 UAA All-Academic selections in the fall. Each team had 15 of 22 (68.1 percent) eligible student-athletes post a GPA of 3.3 or better at one of the most academically elite institutions in the nation.
