Tuesday, February 5, 2002

BECKER & HEYDT NAMED FIRST TEAM VERIZON ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS

BETHLEHEM, PA --- Senior defender Doug Becker (Fleetwood, PA/Fleetwood HS) and senior midfielder Scott Heydt (Boyertown, PA/Boyertown HS) have been named to the 2001 Verizon Academic All-American College Division Men's Soccer First Team selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America announced Tuesday.

To be eligible for Verizon Academic All-America® honors, a student-athlete must maintain at least a 3.20 grade-point average, be a sophomore, junior or senior and be a starter or significant reserve.  The College Division is made up of all the NCAA Division II and III Schools in the nation as well as all NAIA schools.  Student-athletes from NCAA Division I schools are named to the University Division Teams.  Becker and Heydt also made the Verizon Academic All-District II Team back in January.  District II is made up of schools from Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

This year marks the 50th year of the Academic All-America program, as the inaugural team was announced on December 6, 1952. Since that time, more than 12,000 students have been named Academic All-America team members at colleges and universities at all levels for every recognized NCAA sport. The 22 members of the original team, which included football players only, will be honored with a series of events throughout the current academic year. The program's popularity resulted in a significant expansion for the current academic year, as 816 student-athletes --- a 19 percent increase over the previous highest number -- will be selected to 12 different Academic All-America teams during the 2001-02 academic season.

2001 is also the first year that CoSIDA and Verizon have selected an individual soccer team.  The sport had been part of the Fall/Winter At-Large program in the past.

Becker and Heydt helped the Moravian men's squad to a 13-6-2 record this season, their first wining season since 1995, the Commonwealth Conference playoffs for the second straight season, and they led the team to the Eastern College Athletic Conference Mid-Atlantic Region semifinal match, the first time Moravian was in the ECAC Tournament since 1990.  Becker had one assist on the season and helped the Greyhound defense post a 1.25 goals-against average.  Heydt contributed three goals and three assists for nine points and he finished his career with 11 goals and 11 assists for 33 points.

Becker and Heydt are now the 21st and 22nd Verizon Academic All-Americans in Moravian history and the 16th and 17th in the last nine years.