Six Skyhawks earn NSCAA All-America honors

December 16, 2011

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The national champion Fort Lewis College men’s soccer team dominated the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/Continental Tire All-America selections with six of its players receiving recognition, the NSCAA announced today.

Four Skyhawks — Berekk Blackwell, Thomas Hoang, Fabian Kling, and Ryan Wirth — were named to the first team. Joey Madigan earned second team honors, while Cory Dean was a third team selection.

NSCAA All-America teams are voted on by head men’s soccer coaches in the region. Last month, CoSIDA announced its separate Daktronics All-America teams, voted on by sports information directors.

Blackwell, a 6-foot-2 senior defender from Notre Dame Prep in Scottsdale, Ariz., had a storybook ending to his career, scoring the NCAA championship-winning golden goal 1:31 into overtime in FLC’s 3-2 win over Lynn (Fla.) on Dec. 3. He was also previously named to the Daktronics All-America second team, the Capitol One Academic All-America® second team, the NSCAA and Daktronics All-Central Region first teams, the Capitol One Academic All-District 7 first team, the All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference first team, and the RMAC All-Academic first team.

“An unbelievable end to a wonderful career here at Fort Lewis,” said third-year FLC head coach Oige Kennedy. “I mean you could not ask to finish a career better by scoring the winning goal in a national tournament game in overtime. That is storybook stuff and although at times he may be underrated because he does not amass a large amount of stats, he has been one of the first names on my team sheet since I have been head coach at Fort Lewis.”

Hoang, a 5-foot-11 senior forward from Liberty High School in Colorado Springs, Colo., was previously named to the Daktronics All-America third team, the NSCAA and Daktronics All-Central Region first teams, and the All-RMAC first team earlier this season.

Hoang led the Skyhawks in scoring this year with 31 total points (nine goals, 13 assists). He ranks among FLC career leaders in assists (third, 31), total points (seventh, 75), goals (ninth, 22), and games played (tenth, 84).

“A creative genius on the ball that could open up a defense by himself and one of the best natural talents I have worked with, Thomas deserves any honors he gets,” Kennedy said.

Kling is a 6-foot-3 senior defender from Holbein Gymnasium in Augsburg, Germany and a four-time All-American (NSCAA and Daktronics first teams in 2011, NSCAA and Daktronics third teams in 2010). He’s also a six-time All-Central Region selection (three each by NSCAA and Daktronics). Earlier this season, Kling was chosen as the Defensive Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Final Four, the Most Valuable Player of the RMAC Tournament, and the RMAC’s Defensive Player of the Year, and a RMAC All-Academic first team selection.

Despite missing seven games due to a serious knee injury, Kling still totaled 16 points on seven goals and two assists from his central defender position. He ranks among FLC career leaders in games played (fourth, 86), goals (sixth, 28), and total points (tenth, 61).

“A captain a leader, a wonderful talent of a soccer player, and an absolute great guy off the field,” Kennedy said of Kling. “He will go down as one of the greatest players to wear the Fort Lewis College shirt.”

Wirth, a 5-foot-10 senior goalkeeper from Bayfield, Colo., had a record-breaking season in 2011. He was named to the NSCAA/Continental Tire All-America first team, the Daktronics All-America second team, the All-NCAA Final Four team, the NSCAA and Daktronics All-Central Region first teams, the RMAC Goalkeeper of the Year, the All-RMAC first team, the RMAC Student-Athlete of the Month for October, the RMAC All-Tournament team, and a pair of RMAC Defensive Player of the Week awards.

He set school records for lowest goals against average (0.440 goals per game), most wins (24), and most shutouts (15). Wirth also owns FLC career records for best winning percentage (.875, 26-2-4) and lowest goals against average (0.472).

“He has had a wonderful college soccer career and has managed to join an elite group of Fort Lewis College players that have won two national championships in their career with the program,” said Kennedy. “This season he has been just phenomenal and his statistics speak for themselves. Watching how hard he has worked with Zane Wells up close, I know how much he has deserved his success.”

Madigan, a 5-foot-9 senior midfielder from Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colo., also received a bevy of awards in 2011. Previously this year, he was named to the NSCAA All-Central Region first team, the Daktronics All-Central Region second team, the All-RMAC second team, the RMAC All-Academic second team, and the RMAC All-Tournament team. He ranked second on the Skyhawks with 22 total points (seven goals, eight assists) in 2011 and launched the corner kick that Blackwell headed into the goal for the game-winner in the national championship game.

During his two-year FLC career, Madigan amassed 35 total points (11 goals, 13 assists) — good for 22nd place in school history.

“I just love watching how he plays the game, he has a passion to seek out the ball and can hurt teams so much when he gets it,” said Kennedy. “He works extremely hard on team defending and has been a great addition to our team these last two seasons.”

Dean is a 5-foot-8 senior central midfielder from Sandia High School in Albuquerque, N.M. A four-year staple on the Skyhawk side, he was previously named to the NSCAA All-Central Region second team, the All-NCAA Final Four team, the Daktronics All-Central Region second team, the All-RMAC second team, and the RMAC All-Tournament team in 2011.

Dean amassed seven points (two goals, three assists) in 2011. During his career, he’s notched 24 points on eight goals and eight assists.

“Cory was a major part of our success this year, and if we had not have him come back this season I know it would have not been as a successful season,” Kennedy said of his senior who graduated last spring, but returned to take additional classes and complete his collegiate soccer career. “He works so hard in the middle of the park doing a lot of unthankful work and helps make other players around him perform at a higher level. He will be a big miss for us next season.”

The Skyhawks captured their third NCAA Division II championship in 2011, having previously won national titles in 2005 and 2009. FLC was national runners-up in 1999 and 2006. Fort Lewis posted a 24-1-0 overall record, 13-1-0 in RMAC games. The Skyhawks also won NCAA-II Central Region, RMAC regular season, and RMAC tournament titles.

The 36 student-athletes who were named to the NSCAA/Continental Tires All-America teams will be honored at the annual All-America luncheon, to be held in the Kansas City Convention Center’s Grand Ballroom on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012, in conjunction with the 2012 NSCAA Convention.

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