College Sports Information Directors of America

The 2011 Capital One Academic All-America men's and women's soccer teams are being announced this week (Monday-Thursday,, Nov. 28-Dec. 1). This year, with the expansion of the Capital One program from two teams (University and College Divisions) to four teams (Division I, Division II, Division III and College Divisions), one divisional team per day will be announced.

Monday, Nov. 28: College Division AAA soccer teams
Tuesday, Nov. 29: Division III AAA soccer teams
Wednesday, Nov. 30: Division II AAA soccer teams
Thursday, Dec. 1: Division I AAA soccer teams


NEXT UP: Announcement of the Capital One Academic All-America football teams (Monday-Thursday, Dec. 5-8) and volleyball teams (Monday-Thursday, Dec. 12-15) in the same date order:
Mondays (College Division teams)
Tuesdays (Division III)
Wednesdays (Division II)
Thursdays (Division I)

TOWSON, Md. – Senior forwards Mark Anderson of Barry University and Ashley Botts of Grand Valley State lead the 2011 Capital One Academic All-America® NCAA Division II Men’s and Women’s Soccer Teams, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Anderson has been chosen as the winner of the Academic All-America® of the Year award for Division II men’s soccer and Botts is the Academic All-America® of the Year for Division II women’s soccer.

The Capital One Division II Academic All-America program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division II national governance structure to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2011-12 D-II Academic All-America teams program.

A criminal justice major with a 3.56 grade point average (G.P.A.), Anderson is making his first appearance on the Capital One Academic All-America® NCAA Division II first team. He led Barry to a 12-3-6 record and an NCAA Division II Tournament second round appearance before Barry lost to Lynn University, 2-1. Anderson also led Barry to a second place finish in the Sunshine State Conference.

A two-time National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and Daktronics All-America selection, Anderson piled up a nation-leading 21 goals and 46 points in 2011. He was named as the Daktronics South Region Player of the Year. Honored as the Sunshine State Conference Offensive Player of the Year and the Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year, the Durham, England native holds six school scoring records and scored 59 goals in his career.

A biology major with a 3.64 G.P.A., Botts was named as the 2011 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year. The junior forward has scored 19 goals with 10 assists for 48 points while starting all 23 games for the Lakers, who won their fifth consecutive GLIAC championship.

Botts has led the top-ranked Lakers to a 20-0-3 record and a berth in the NCAA Division II Final Four where they will play Cal State Chico in Pensacola, Fla. this weekend. A native of Beloit, Wis., Botts is a three-time first team All-GLIAC selection who earned first team NSCAA Division II All-American honors last year. She was a third team All-American in 2009.

With 48 goals and 23 assists in her career, she is already the third-leading scorer in school history. As a freshman, she was named as the GLIAC Freshman of the Year.

Capital One Academic All-America® Division II Men's Soccer Team

Seven members of the 2011 Capital One Academic All-America® NCAA II men’s soccer first team have at least a 3.95 G.P.A. while three of them have a perfect 4.00 G.P.A. The 11 first team honorees have an average G.P.A. of 3.84.

Goalkeeper James Sweeney of Coker College and forward Bryce Shaffer of Bloomsburg are the only two juniors on men’s soccer first team.

Seniors Maximiliam Aust of Grand Canyon, Michael Langford of Incarnate Word, Vladimir Milosavljevic of Dowling and senior Tom Reilly of Franklin Pierce make up the defensive first team unit.

The Capital One Academic All-America® NCAA II first team midfield includes a trio of seniors, Flagler’s Johan Bergfeld, Tampa’s Ryan Griffin and Missouri S&T’s Ryan Muich.

Joining DII soccer Academic All-America of the Year Anderson and Shaffer as a forward is senior Terry Gibbs of Bloomfield.

Amathematics major with a 4.00 G.P.A., Sweeney was a first team all-conference selection at goalkeeper. A native of Huntingtown, Md., Sweeney led Coker to an 18-3 overall record, a Conference Carolinas championship and the school’s first appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament. He also earned Daktronics All-Southeast region honors after posting a 0.61 goals against average that included seven shutouts and an .817 save percentage.

A 2010 first team All-Pacific West defender at Grand Canyon, Aust led the Lopers to a 13-4-1 record and a number five regional ranking in 2011. A business major with a 3.97 G.P.A., the Pliezhausen, Germany native was part of a stingy defensive unit that recorded a 0.63 goals against average and allowed only 62 shots on goal for the season.

A two-time Lone Star Conference All-Academic team member, Langford played a crucial role in Incarnate Word’s 27 victories over the past two seasons. A business administration major with a perfect 4.00 G.P.A., he led UIW to a 14-3-3 mark in 2011 and a second round appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament.

A finance major with a 4.00 G.P.A., Milosavljevic earned the NCAA Elite 88 award in 2010 (holding highest GPA of any student-athlete at the DII championship) when Dowling reached the semi-finals of the NCAA Division II Tournament with a 12-2-6 record. The Golden Lions also won the East Coast Conference championship in his junior season. A native of Lucani, Serbia, he was named as a first team NSCAA and third team Daktronics All-American in 2010.

A senior business major with a 3.50 G.P.A., Reilly has led No. 2 Franklin Pierce to a 21-0-1 record and a berth in the NCAA Division II semi-finals this weekend. A native of Wallasey, England, Reilly earned first team NSCAA and Daktronics All-America honors last year and has led the Ravens to back-to-back Northeast-10 Conference championships. In 2010, he was the NE-10 Player of the Year and the NE-10 Student-Athlete of the Year. He was also honored as the Daktronics East Region Player of the Year. As a senior, Reilly was named as the NE-10 Defensive Player of the Year.

A business major with a 3.96 G.P.A., Bergfeld led Flagler to a 17-3-3 record, the Peach Belt Conference championship and a berth in the NCAA Division II quarter-finals. A native of Akers Styckebruk, Sweden, Bergfeld has been named all-conference and academic all-conference three times. The 2011 Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year, he has also earned first team Daktronics All-Southeast Region honors. A second team NSCAA All-American as a junior, he scored six goals and five assists this year.

A three-time All-Region selection at midfield, Griffin is a government and world affairs major with a 3.80 G.P.A. The Spartans’ leading scorer as a senior, Griffin had 11 goals and three assists en route to first team All-Sunshine State Conference honors. As a junior, he scored seven goals with three assists and had five game-winning goals.

An aerospace engineering major with a 3.98 G.P.A., Muich led Missouri S&T to a 10-6-2 record as a senior. As a junior, he led the Miners to an 11-6-3 record and their first NCAA Division II Tournament appearance. A native of O’Fallon, Illinois, he has eight assists in the past two years.

The second-leading scorer in the nation and the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Player of the Year, Gibbs is an international business major at Bloomfield with a 3.53 G.P.A. A native of London, England, he scored 18 goals and had seven assists en route to earning first team Daktronics All-East Region honors as a senior. A second team All-East selection as a junior, Gibbs is a two-time first team All-CACC selection who has scored 37 goals with 14 assists in his career for the Deacons.

A Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Champion Scholar, Shaffer led Bloomsburg to the conference title match in 2011. A native of Gettysburg, Pa., Shaffer has a 3.95 G.P.A. in business management. He earned second team Daktronics All-Atlantic region and All-PSAC notice despite being slowed down by injuries during the season.


Capital One Academic All-America® Division II Women's Soccer Team

The eleven members of the Academic All-America® Division II women’s soccer first team have an average G.P.A. of 3.86.

Here are the 10 members of the first team who join DII women's soccer Academic All-America of the Year Botts on this year's team:

Senior midfielder Megan Buri of Truman State and junior forward Megan Woodworth of Colorado School of Mines are the lone repeaters from the 2010 Academic All-America® Women’s Soccer team.

Buri earned first team Division II honors after earning second team notice last year. A biology major with a 4.00 G.P.A., she led Truman State to an 11-5-2 record. A native of Parkville, Mo., she contributed a goal and seven assists in 18 matches.

Woodworth is a chemical engineering major with a 3.92 G.P.A. She led the eighth-ranked Miners to a 17-2-4 record as they lost to Grand Valley State in the NCAA Division II quarterfinals. In 23 games, she scored 12 goals with 14 assists for 38 points. A three-time All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference selection, Woodworth was also named as the RMAC Women’s Soccer Academic Player of the Year. A native of Centennial, Col., she was a third team Academic All-America® selection last year.

California University (Pa.) is the only school to have two players named to the Academic All-America® Women’s Soccer Division II first team - senior goalkeeper Paula Jackson and senior defender Kristen Orrett. The second-ranked Vulcans won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship for the first time before dropping a 1-0 decision to St. Rose in the NCAA Division II quarterfinals, finishing 20-1-2.

A business administration major with a 3.60 G.P.A., Jackson started 22 games in goal for the Vulcans. She posted a 0.46 goals against average, a mark that ranks sixth in the nation. She allowed just ten goals and recorded nine shutouts. A three-time All-PSAC selection, the Kingston, Jamaica native set the school record with 13 shutouts as a junior.

A secondary education major with a 3.98 G.P.A., Orrett was a key to a Vulcan defense that gave up just 10 goals and recorded 14 shutouts this season. She was also the Vulcans’ fifth-leading scorer with seven goals and one assist.

An early childhood education major with a 3.88 G.P.A., Armstrong Atlantic senior defender Kelli Bahr has led the No. 7 ranked Pirates to an 18-2-3 record and the Peach Belt Conference championship. The Pirates reached the NCAA Division II semi-finals where they joined Grand Valley State, St. Rose and Cal St. Chico. A two-time first team all-conference selection, Bahr paced a Pirate defense that has recorded nine shutouts and allowed just 29 goals. Bahr has scored two goals and an assist.

Honored as the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Player of the Year for the second straight season, Central Missouri senior midfielder Alyssa Rhodes guided the No. 4 rab ranked squad to a 19-2 record and their second conference title in a row. A middle school education major with a 3.74 G.P.A., she topped the MIAA in goals (14) and points (32). As a junior, Rhodes was a second team NSCAA All-American selection.

North Alabama senior defender Beth Spurr led North Alabama to the Gulf South Conference championship and a final record of 17-4-0. A foreign languages/French major with a perfect 4.00 G.P.A., Spurr started all 21 matches while leading a defense which recorded ten shutouts and allowed just 17 goals.

A physician assistant major with a 4.00 G.P.A., senior forward Amanda Sharbaugh of Gannon finished her career with school records for career goals (51) and points (124). As a senior, she led the Golden Knights to a 9-5-4 record. She ranked among the national leaders by scoring 17 goals with five assists. Sharbaugh earned first team All-PSAC honors for the fourth consecutive year.

Senior Hannah Merullo from Massachusetts Lowell and junior Susan Ellsperson of Southern Indiana round out the Capital One Academic All-America® Women’s Soccer first team.

A criminal justice major with a 3.92 G.P.A., Merullo earned second team All-Northeast-10 honors while leading the River Hawks to an 11-6-4 record. In 21 games, the senior defender scored three goals while contributing to a UML defense that posted nine shutouts.

One of three Academic All-America® Division II Women’s Soccer first team members with a perfect 4.00 G.P.A., Ellsperson led Southern Indiana to a 9-8-2 record. A junior forward, Ellsperson is a biology/pre-medical program major. As a junior, she scored five goals with four assists to earn second team All-Great Lakes Valley Conference honors. She was a first team all-conference selection as a sophomore.

About Capital One
Capital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company whose subsidiaries, which include Capital One, N.A. and Capital One Bank (USA), N. A., had $122.2 billion in deposits and $197.5 billion in total assets outstanding as of December 31, 2010.

Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One offers a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients. Capital One, N.A. has approximately 1,000 branch locations primarily in New York, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. A Fortune 500 company, Capital One trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 100 index.

Capital One, an NCAA Corporate Champion, began its affiliation with college sports with the sponsorship of the 2001 Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl (now the Capital One Bowl) and ESPN’s Capital One Bowl Week. In 2010, Capital One launched the Capital One Cup, a prestigious new program rewarding NCAA Division I athletics programs for their cumulative on-field performance across multiple men’s and women’s sports. In addition, Capital One sponsors the ABC College Football Halftime Report, Capital One All-America Mascot Team, all 88 NCAA Championships including the Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, and numerous other collegiate athletics programs.