AUSTIN, Texas – On Wednesday afternoon, the College Sports Communicators (CSC) announced their Academic All-Americans for the Division III men's soccer. Among the honorees were four Messiah men's soccer players with
Jake Lent-Koop and
Luke Groothoff named First Team,
Ben Lefever earning Second Team, and
Cole Cristian picking up Third Team accolades.
For
Luke Groothoff, this is the second-straight honor after earning a First Team nod last season. Groothoff was the lone First Team honoree from last year to repeat on the First Team again this season.
Just last week,
Luke Groothoff and
Jake Lent-Koop were honored as First Team All-Americans and this week the pair added First Team Academic All-Americans to their list of honors as well.
Lent-Koop anchored Messiah's defense that allowed just 13 goals on the season for a 0.59 goals against average. His six-foot, three-inch frame allowed him to go toe-to-toe with and forward in the country as well as push forward and be a dangerous target on set pieces. In addition to his defensive abilities, Lent-Koop found the back of the net on six occasions and dished out one assist, finishing the year with 13 points. In the classroom, Lent-Koop carries a 3.81 cumulative grade-point average as a Biology major.
In the midfield,
Luke Groothoff earned his second-straight Academic All-American honor. His creative play and tactical skill allowed Groothoff to net six goals and assist on five others during the 2022 campaign. Beyond his goals and assists, Groothoff's area of impact on the field was great. Whether it was push forward on attack or holding possession for the Falcons and steading play in the midfield, he was always making his impact on the game felt. Groothoff carries a 3.92 cumulative GPA as a Biomedical Art & Design major.
Senior forward
Ben Lefever claimed his first-career Academic All-American honor after finishing with a team-high 11 assists this season. In addition to his ability to set up his teammates, Lefever netted nine goals on the season. He came on late in the year with two multi-goal games against Eastern (Oct. 15) and Albright (Oct. 22). He finished second on the team in points with 29. In the classroom, the Accounting major carries a 3.75 cumulative GPA.
Midfielder
Cole Cristian finished third on the team in points this season with 27 after scoring nine goals and adding nine assists. Cristian earned his first-career Academic All-American honor, claiming a Third Team nod this season. Cristian was named the MAC Commonwealth Tournament MVP after scoring three goals in Messiah's two Conference Tournament games, including the first two against Widener in the MAC Commonwealth Championship. In the classroom, Cristian holds a 3.72 cumulative GPA as an Applied Health Science major.
As a team, the Falcons finished the season with an overall record of 20-0-2 and advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. This was the third time in program history that the Falcons did not lose a game in a season.
