Nov. 19, 2008

IRVING, Texas -Three Conference USA Men’s Soccer players have been named Second Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Wednesday. Kentucky’s Chad Hagerty, South Carolina’s Sam Arthur and Tulsa’s Kilian Poeschk all represented C-USA on the 2008 list.

Hagerty, a native of Louisville, Ky., carries a perfect 4.00 GPA kinesiology-exercise science. The senior led the Wildcats in assists with six this season. He also added a goal for eight points and played in 20 of UK’s 21 games.

Arthur led the Gamecocks with 12 goals and three assists for a total of 27 points on the year. The Roswell, Ga., native collected two goals in Conference USA play, both game winners, while also contributing one assist. Arthur marks the fifth Gamecock men's soccer player to garner Academic All-America honors, while he is the program's first second-team selection and first selection overall since 1995.

A junior from Berlin, Germany, Poeschk is a two-time selection to all-district team, while this is his first All-America honor. He also maintained a 4.00 GPA in finance, while starting six of 19 games this season and 10 of 42 contests in his career. Poeschk was selected as a C-USA Academic Medalist and to the TU President’s List as a freshman and sophomore.

To be eligible for Academic All-America honors, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00 and have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.