BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Five Roadrunner men's soccer players were named Academic All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation scholar-athletes for the 2009 season, MPSF executive director Al Beaird announced Friday.
Peter Carlson, Oscar Coppieters, Matt Shaxton, Anthon Snygg and Evan Fassler all met the league qualifications to earn recognition on the all-academic team. To be named to the squad, the student athletes must have a 3.0 or better cumulative GPA, be at least a sophomore academically, have completed one full academic year at the institution prior to the season and have competed in fifty percent or more of the institution's competitions.
Carlson, a junior defender from Gothenburg, Sweden, holds the highest cumulative GPA (3.64) of the CSUB honorees while majoring in business administration. Coppieters, a junior midfielder from Antwerp, Belgium, was a philosophy major with a 3.45 cumulative GPA. Despite having one more year of athletic eligibility, Coppieters earned his degree in just three years at CSUB, graduating at the conclusion of the fall quarter.
Shaxton, a senior midfielder from Bridgewater, England, holds a 3.44 cumulative GPA while earning his master's degree in business administration. Snygg, a junior defender from Boras, Sweden, is a business administration with a 3.32 cumulative GPA. Redshirt freshman striker Fassler, a native of Carnation, Wash., rounds out the Roadrunner honorees, holding a 3.00 cumulative GPA while majoring in political science.
A total of 36 student-athletes from the eight competing institutions were named to the 2009 all-academic squad. University of New Mexico led the way with seven members. Close behind were CSUB, Sacramento State and University of Denver with five each.
The Roadrunners concluded the 2009 season with an 8-7-2 overall record and a 3-4-0, fourth-place finish in the MPSF. The overall record of 8-7-2 marked the first time CSUB had achieved a winning record since making the move to Division I in 2007. Beginning in 2010, Bakersfield will achieve full NCAA DI status and will be eligible to contend for the MPSF title and the conference's automatic NCAA Tournament bid.
