MEN'S SOCCER RACKS UP NINE BIG SOUTH POSTSEASON AWARDS

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – With the 2018 regular season in the books, the Radford men's soccer team picked up nine Big South postseason awards including two First Team All-Conference selections and Co-Freshman of the Year honors for Amadou Macky Diop, the league office announced Friday morning.

Diop was an absolute force on the attack in his first season with the Highlanders and he's been rewarded for it, being named First Team All-Big South and to the All-Freshman Team in addition to his Co-Freshman of the Year nod.

The Dakar, Senegal native leads the Big South in points (23), points per game (1.77) and goals per game (0.69). He also ranks 2^nd in shots per game (3.23), 2^nd in goals (9), 4^th in assists per game (0.38), 4^th in game-winning goals (2), 4^th in shots (42) and T-5^th in assists (5). He was tabbed as conference Attacking Player of the Week twice and Freshman of the Week once.

Joining Diop on the All-Big South First Team was redshirt senior forward Kieran Roberts. This marks the third all-conference selection for the Bournemouth, England native after making the First Team in 2017 and Second Team in 2016.

Roberts was the only Highlander to start all 15 games this season, racking up six goals and two assists. He is T-3^rd in the Big South with three game-winning goals and also ranked top-10 in the conference for shots (48), shots per game (3.20), points (14), points per game (0.93) and goals per game (0.40).

Making his first career appearance on the All-Big South Second Team is senior defender Myles Yorke. Yorke anchored the Radford back line this season, starting 14 games and helping limit opponents to just 24 goals all season – the second-best mark in the Big South. A native of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Yorke ranks third on the team with 1,251 minutes played.

Also making the All-Big South Second Team is redshirt junior midfielder Victor Valls. The Barcelona, Spain native played in 13 games including 12 starts this season, recording one goal and one assist. Across his 922 minutes played, Valls ranks second on the Highlanders with a .167 shooting percentage.

Radford had two more players voted onto the All-Freshman team – goalkeeper Sam Farrell and defender Thure Ilgner.

Farrell rose from third on the depth chart to starting goalkeeper six games into the season. In the Big South, he ranks 2^nd in save percentage (.772), 3^rd in goals against average (1.23) and 3^rd in saves per game (4.40).

Ilgner played in and started 14 games in his debut season, ranking second on the team with 1,265 minutes played. He also showed off his offensive capabilities on set pieces, tallying 10 shots including four on goal.

Redshirt junior defender Benjamin Thiss rounds out Radford's awards with a place on the All-Academic Team. A Biology major concentrating on Pre-Health with a Chemistry minor, Thiss has sustained a 3.76 GPA while carving out a starting role on the team. The Cincinnati, Ohio native received a resolution of commendation from the Radford Board of Visitors for his incredible involvement with the university and he played a career-high 11 games including six starts.

2018 Big South Conference Men's Soccer Award Winners

First-Team All-Conference
F: Ilias Kosmidis, Jr., High Point
F: Amadou Macky Diop, Fr., Radford
F: JJ Donnelly, Jr., Campbell
MF: Tony Pineda, Fr., High Point
MF: Ryan Inman, Jr., High Point
MF: Jordan Barbara, Soph., Presbyterian
MF: Oskar Wang, Soph., Gardner-Webb
D: Johnny Fenwick, Sr., High Point
D: Rashid Tetteh, Sr., High Point
D: Gideon Betz, Jr., Campbell
D: Michael Barrow, Soph., Campbell
GK: Keegan Meyer, Jr., High Point
AL: Kieran Roberts, R-Sr., Radford

Second-Team All-Conference
F: Willie Miezan, R-Sr., Longwood
F: Marcos Kitromilides, Fr., Presbyterian
F: Jack Hoey, Sr., Gardner-Webb
MF: Ian Rees, Jr., Campbell
MF: Cam Philpot, Sr., USC Upstate
MF: Jonathan Bolanos, Jr., High Point
MF: Josh Hanratty, Sr., Longwood
D: Myles Yorke, Sr., Radford
D: Simen Olsen, Jr., Gardner-Webb
D: Nick Phipps, Soph., High Point
D: Luca Ziegler, Soph., Presbyterian
GK: Jan Hoffelner, Soph., Presbyterian
AL: Victor Valls, Jr., Radford

Honorable Mention All-Conference
Siggi Benonysson, F, Jr., High Point
Sergio Pinto, MF, Jr., Presbyterian
Thibaut Jacquel, MF/F, Soph., Campbell
Victor Menudier, D., Soph., Presbyterian
Markus Gronli, MF, Fr., Longwood

All-Freshman Team
Amadou Macky Diop, F, Fr., Radford
Tony Pineda, MF, Fr., High Point
Marcos Kitromilides, F, Fr., Presbyterian
Matt Lock, MF/F, Fr., Campbell
Lalas Ayertey, MF, Fr., High Point
Markus Gronli, MF, Fr., Longwood
Ben Morrison, D, Fr., Campbell
Jeremy Jaquier, MF, Fr., Longwood
Andrea Bonavia, GK, Fr., USC Upstate
Sam Farrell, GK, Fr., Radford
Thure Ilgner, D, Fr., Radford

All-Academic Team
Gideon Betz, D, Jr., Campbell
Petter Johansen, MF, Soph., Gardner-Webb
Daniel Shahim, MF, Soph., High Point
Chase Quinn, D, Jr., Longwood
Ricardo Hernandez, MF, Jr., Presbyterian College
Benjamin Thiss, D, Sr., Radford
Joe LaCasto, MF, Sr., UNC Asheville
Cam Philpot, MF, Sr., USC Upstate
Leif Estevez, MF/F, Jr., Winthrop

Attacking Player of the Year
Ilias Kosmidis, F, Jr., High Point

Defensive Player of the Year
Johnny Fenwick, D, Sr., High Point

Co-Freshman of the Year
Amadou Macky Diop, F, Fr., Radford
Tony Pineda, MF, Fr., High Point

Coach of the Year
E.J. O'Keeffe, High Point

Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Gideon Betz, D, Jr., Campbell

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For more information on the Radford men's soccer team visit RadfordAthletics.com, follow @RadfordMSoccer on Twitter, 'radfordmsoccer' Instagram or Radford Men's Soccer on Facebook.

MEN'S SOCCER RACKS UP NINE BIG SOUTH POSTSEASON AWARDS

Players Mentioned

Amadou Macky Diop

Sam Farrell

Thure Ilgner

Kieran Roberts

Benjamin Thiss

Victor Valls

Myles Yorke

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