IRVING, Texas - Conference USA’s commitment to excellence continues to show as 12 student-athletes have been named to the 2016 InTouch Credit Union C-USA Men’s Soccer All-Academic Team. All nine programs are represented, with FIU, Kentucky and New Mexico boasting a pair of honorees.
 
Paul Sime, a senior midfielder for Kentucky, earns his second C-USA All-Academic team nod after a perfect 4.0 GPA in political science. His academic accomplishments are made all the more impressive by the fact that English isn’t his first language. Sime is from Guadeloupe where French is the primary language. A starter in all of Kentucky’s matches as a holding midfielder in front of the nation’s 10th best statistical defense that has registered eight clean sheets. Sime has been a C-USA Academic Medalist and Honor Roll member throughout his career, and also a 2014-15 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar.
 
Joining Sime on the all-academic squad is teammate Charlie Reymann. Reymann who was tabbed to the All-C-USA Second Team after leading the league in assists with seven while also maintain a 3.7 GPA as a finance major. The senior was a starter for all of Kentucky’s C-USA matches, making him a key player on one of the best defenses in the league. Reymann has earned C-USA Honor Roll every year he has been in college and has done an extensive amount of community service, as well as making a service trip to Ethiopia.
 
New Mexico is represented by at least two players for the second straight year. Goalkeeper Jason Beaulieu has tallied 1,582 minutes between the posts for the Lobos this season, registering a 0.797 save percentage and six shutouts. With a GPA of 3.93 in civil engineering, Beaulieu is no stranger to academic accolades by earning a spot on 2015 C-USA All-Academic Team as well as a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection. The junior is also a two-time recipient of the C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal.
 
Lobo senior standout Niko Hansen earned his first C-USA All-Academic honor. A First-Team All-C-USA selection at forward, Hansen Leads the Lobos with 21 points on a league-high 10 goals and one assist this season. Hansen leads the conference in three statistical categories including total goals (10), total points (21), and game-winning goals (five), points per game (1.46) and shots on goal per game (1.85).  The senior was also named College Soccer News National Player of the Week on Sept. 17. Hansen maintains a 3.49 GPA in psychology.
 
Arthur Clapot of FIU played a major role in the box this season tallying 35 saves in 12 games. He also accounts for the Panthers’ three shutouts on the year, including two in conference play. An outstanding student in the classroom, Clapot is majoring in marketing and boasts a 3.72 GPA. As a role model on the field, Clapot was the recipient of the 2015 Conference USA Spirit of Service Award, the 2015-16 Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll and the 2015-16 C-USA Commissioner's Academic Medal.
 
Teammate Luca Giovine is a great student in the classroom and has become a phenomenal player on the pitch. An accounting and international business major, the Illinois native holds one of the highest GPA’s on the roster (3.73). Giovine totaled six points on the season, consisting of two goals and a pair of assist. Giovine’s goals came during back-to-back games and included a game winner while his assist came with only two seconds remaining in regulation time against then-No. 5 Charlotte. This past academic year, Giovine was named to the Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll and received the Commissioner’s Academic Medal.
 
All-conference first-team honoree Danny Deakin has one of the highest GPAs on South Carolina with a 3.932 GPA in criminal justice. Deakin earns his second-consecutive first-team nod after leading his squad in points (20, t-3rd C-USA), goals (seven, t-5th C-USA) and assists (six, t-2nd C-USA). The senior also tied for the most game-winners in the conference with five, which was good for ninth in the nation.
 
Charlotte sophomore Callum Montgomery holds a perfect 4.0 GPA in biology. Montgomery earned C-USA Defensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 6 as well as being named to the Top Drawer Soccer and College Soccer News National Team of the Week. He played an integral role in helping the 49ers defense record 10 shutouts and only allow seven goals this season. Montgomery also scored three goals with one of them coming as a game-winner.
 
Senior goalkeeper Phillip Hitpass of Florida Atlantic earned his first all-academic distinction after posting an impressive 3.87 GPA in international business. Hitpass was also a recipient of the C-USA Academic Medal for achieving a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or better as well as being named to the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll. In 13 matches, Hitpass recorded a pair of the clean sheets and was second in the league in saves per game (4.50). 
 
All-C-USA third-teamer Niko Klosterhalfen sits in the top-two in team GPA at Old Dominion with a 3.87 mark as he pursues a psychology degree. The sophomore midfielder started the season off with a bang, scoring two goals in the season opener against UNLV in the 3-1 win. His performance in the opening weekend earned him his first career C-USA Offensive Player of the Week laurels. Last year’s C-USA Freshman of the Year is tied for first on the team with three goals and second with seven points.
 
Marshall senior Trevor Starcher has been a leader on and off the field. He has been a great example in the classroom during his entire career as a four-time member of the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll and a four-time recipient of the C-USA Academic Medal. He has maintained a 3.9 GPA as a management and marketing double major with a minor in entrepreneurship. Starcher, who was also selected to the All-Conference USA Second Team, has started every game this season. He leads the team in points with 10, and is tied for the team lead in goals with three and assists with four.
 
Rounding out the C-USA All-Academic Team is UAB’s Henrique Sposito. The senior midfielder boasted a 3.821 GPA in sociology, while also tying for the team lead in goals (three) and points (seven). He earned C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll the last three seasons and C-USA Academic Medal in 2015 for having the highest GPA on the team.
 
2016 InTouch Credit Union C-USA Men’s Soccer All-Academic Team
Callum Montgomery – Charlotte, So., D, British Columbia, Canada, 4.00 GPA in biology                              
Phillip Hitpass – Florida Atlantic, Sr., GK, Hamminkeln, Germany, 3.87 GPA in international business
Arthur Clapot – FIU, Sr., GK, Annecy, France, 3.72 GPA in marketing
Luca Giovine – FIU, Jr., F, Roselle, Ill., 3.73 GPA in accounting and international business
Charlie Reymann – Kentucky, Sr., D, Worthington, Ohio, 3.74 GPA in finance
Paul Sime – Kentucky, Sr., MF, Point-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe, 4.00 GPA in political science
Trevor Starcher – Marshall, Sr., MF, Hurricane, W.Va., 3.90 GPA in management & marketing 
Jason Beaulieu – New Mexico, Jr., GK, Montreal, Quebec, 3.93 GPA in civil engineering
Niko Hansen – New Mexico, Sr., F, Sacramento, Calif., 3.49 GPA in psychology                                       
Niko Klosterhalfen – Old Dominion, So., MF, Koenigswinter, Germany, 3.86 GPA in psychology
Danny Deakin – South Carolina, Sr., MF, Sheffield, England, 3.932 GPA in criminal justice
Henrique Sposito – UAB, Sr., MF, Campinas, Brazil, 3.821 GPA in sociology