PAC announces all-conference men’s soccer teams, annual award winners

PAC announces all-conference men’s soccer teams, annual award winners

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All-PAC First Team | All-PAC Second Team | All-PAC Honorable Mention | PAC Sportsmanship Team

GREENVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org) – The Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) released its 2017 All-PAC men's soccer teams and yearly award winners Thursday.

Ballots for the all-conference teams and annual award winners were voted on by the PAC’s nine head coaches.

PAC Player of the Year honors went to Geneva College senior defender Gib McCracken (Beaver Falls, Pa. | Beaver County Christian), while PAC Coach of the Year honors went to Thomas More College third-year head coach Eric Busener.  

McCracken is the first Geneva player to earn the league’s player of the year award since 2011, the school’s first season of PAC eligibility.

A four-time All-PAC selection and two-time first team pick, McCracken spearheaded a Geneva defense that surrendered a league-low 14 goals and combined to post a PAC-best 11 shutouts this season. The Golden Tornadoes registered six shutouts and gave up just four goals against league opposition in 2017. McCracken also chipped in offensively with seven goals, including two game-winners, and a pair of assists.

Busener led the Saints to a 7-0-1 PAC regular season record and helped secure the program’s sixth number one seed in the league’s championship tournament since joining the league in 2005. The top-seeded Saints dealt second-seeded Geneva a 1-0 loss in the PAC title match last Saturday at BB&T Field in Crestview Hills, Kentucky. The conference title was Thomas More’s seventh (2009-14, 2017).  

Saturday’s meeting was the fourth time since 2011 that Thomas More (14-4-2) Geneva (14-4-2) played for the PAC title.

Unbeaten in its last 11 matches (10-0-1), Thomas More earned the PAC’s automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Division III Championship with its PAC title and will face top-ranked Calvin College (19-0-1) Friday evening in the first round of the Division III Championship. The match is scheduled to be played at John Carroll University’s Don Shula Stadium and will get underway at 8 p.m.

On Monday, Grove City College (10-5-4) received an invitation to this year's Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Championship. The 16-team championship tournament features four pods, with the winners of each pod advancing to the semifinal round on Saturday, November 18. Grove City opens with Franciscan University (11-6-2) this Saturday at 2 p.m. at Penn State Behrend in Erie, Pennsylvania.  

2017 PAC Award Winners
PAC Player of the Year: Geneva College defender Gib McCracken
PAC Coach of the Year: Thomas More College head coach Eric Busener
 
2017 All-PAC First Team
Name School Pos. Yr. Hometown | High School
Abel Carleton Geneva F Sr. Darlington, Pa. | Beaver County Christian
Gib McCracken Geneva D Sr. Beaver Falls, Pa. | Beaver County Christian
Luke Nolan Geneva GK Jr. Wexford, Pa. | North Allegheny
Liam O'Halloran Geneva F Jr. Elyria, Ohio | Elyria Catholic
Jonathan Burton Grove City M Jr. Columbus, Ohio | Worthington Christian
Christian Caporaso Grove City F So. Fairfield, Conn. | Christian Heritage
Bryce Day Thomas More C FY Edgewood, Ky. | Covington Catholic
Colin Dean Thomas More D Sr. Fort Thomas, Ky. | Highlands
Jason Yobbi W&J D Sr. South Park, Pa. | South Park
Nick Iregui Westminster F Fr. Gig Harbor, Wash. | Charles Wright Academy
Peter Mattocks Westminster F So. Saegertown, Pa. | Saegertown
   
2017 All-PAC Second Team
Name School Pos. Yr. Hometown | High School
Raul Arteaga Bethany F Fr. Pachuca, Mexico | Instituto Leonardo Bravo
Torben Grether Bethany GK Fr. Rheinfelden, Germany | Georg-Buchner
Jake Broadwick Geneva M So. McKees Rocks, Pa. | Robinson Township Christian
Blake Baer Grove City M Sr. Bedford, Pa. | Bedford
Franklin Tropiano Grove City F Jr. Hillsdale, Mich. | Hillsdale Academy
Griffin Garrison Thomas More C So. Cincinnati, Ohio | McNicholas
Jacob Hensley Thomas More D Jr. Cold Springs, Ky. | Newport Central Catholic
Jeff Paulin Thomas More GK Jr. Alexandria, Ky. | Bishop Brossart
Ethan Smith Thomas More F So. Columbus, Ind. | Columbus North
Paul Mokrzan W&J M Jr. Hilliard, Ohio | Watterson
Tyler Sisler Waynesburg D Jr. Frostburg, Md. | Mountain Ridge
Zack Walters Westminster M Sr. Hermitage, Pa. | Hickory
 
2017 All-PAC Honorable Mention
Name School Pos. Yr. Hometown | High School
Mikel Ubeda Bethany D So. Sopelana, Spain | Azkorri
Bernardo Vilchis Bethany D Fr. Mexico City, Mexico | Universidad del Valle
Malcolm Blake Grove City GK Sr. Moreland Hills, Ohio | Orange
Ian Garay Saint Vincent M Jr. Newark, N.J. | Saint Benedict's Prep.
Christian Conrad Thiel GK Jr. Barberton, Ohio | Canton Central Catholic
Pat Louis Thomas More D Jr. Fort Thomas, Ky. | Newport Central Catholic
Junior Mensah W&J D So. Chantilly, Va. | Broad Run
Nate Kummer Waynesburg M So. Pittsburgh, Pa. | North Hills
 
2017 PAC Sportsmanship Team
Name School Pos. Yr. Hometown | High School
Jose Saldivar Bethany D Sr. Moreno Valley, Calif. | Valley View
Spencer Edwards Geneva B Sr. Winter Springs, Fla. | Winter Springs
Blake Baer Grove City M Sr. Bedford, Pa. | Bedford
Josh Kucmeroski Saint Vincent D Jr. Monessen, Pa. | Monessen
John Thiel Thiel F Sr. Pickerington, Ohio | Bishop Hartley
Jacob Hensley Thomas More D Jr. Cold Springs, Ky. | Newport Central Catholic
Paul Mokrzan W&J M Jr. Hilliard, Ohio | Watterson
Steven Haines Waynesburg D Fr. Jamison, Pa. | Plumstead Christian
Peter Mattocks Westminster F So. Saegertown, Pa. | Saegertown