(Story courtesy of Colorado College)
TOWSON, Md. - Three seniors on the Colorado
College men's soccer team – midfielder Kyle Buchwalder,
defender Nick Lammers and forward Daniel Wright – earned a
spot on the 2012 Capital One Division III Academic All-America®
Team, marking the first time in school history three teammates
received the nation's most prestigious academic award in one
season.
Buchwalder, a second-team selection for the
second consecutive year in a row, became the fifth Tiger to earn
the distinction multiple times. He joins Deborah Nalty (women's
basketball in 1982 and'84), Heather McGuire (volleyball in 1992 and
'93), Brett Sterling (hockey in 2005 and '06) and Jordan DeGayner
(swimming in 2011 and '12).
Wright, who also was named to the second team,
and Lammers, a third-team selection, were honored
for the first time.
“Having three teammates recognized speaks volumes about the
kind of student-athletes Colorado College attracts,” said
head coach Horst Richardso, who has seen seven of his players earn
a total of eight Academic All-America certificates. Obviously,
these individuals excel on the field and in the classroom. I'm
extremely gratified. This has never happened at Colorado College in
any sport.”
All three were instrumental in leading the Tigers to a
second-place finish in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
and the program's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since
2004.
Buchwalder, who owns a 3.94 grade-point average as a biochemistry
major with a minor in Spanish, was an all-SCAC first-team
selection. The Yellow Springs, Ohio, product appeared in all 22
games and led the midfielders with 1,780 minutes played.
Wright, who was named to the all-conference second team, carries a
3.68 GPA as an anthropology major with a double minor in French and
film. The product of Steamboat Springs, Colo., tied for the league
lead with five game-winning goals and finished fourth with career
highs of 10 goals and 24 points.
Lammers, the SCAC Defensive Player of the Year, owns a 3.86 GPA
with a double major in physics and philosophy. The San Antonio,
Texas, native anchored CC's back line and helped the team post a
0.60 goals-against average and 12 shutouts. Lammers was second on
the squad with 1,934 minutes played and scored a pair of goals on
set pieces.
“Having earned an NCAA Tournament berth and seeing three
players earn Academic All-America honors is absolutely
stupendous,” Richardson said. “The bar has been set
very high.
“We have many other student-athletes in all of our sports
who can emulate these accomplishments. But for the time being,
let's celebrate this trio who deserve to be honored.”
Colorado College was the only program in the country to have three
players on this year's Academic All-America teams and the only SCAC
school to have players honored.
It marks the second time in five seasons the Tigers had two or
more players recognized. In 2008, forward Logan Boccard and
defender Jimmer Comerford were honored.
CC finished the season with a 14-5-3 record and advanced to the
second round of the NCAA Tournament.
For the entire 2012 Capital One Academic All-America® teams, click here.
