Three Deacs Named NSCAA Scholar Honorees
12/15/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
NSCAA Scholar All-America Teams | NSCAA Scholar All-South Region Teams
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeMSoccer)
KANSAS CITY -- Wake Forest men's soccer's Ian Harkes was named NSCAA Scholar Player of the Year Thursday and has been joined as a First Team Scholar All-American by fellow senior captain Jacori Hayes. Junior defender Kevin Politz was also honored in being named NSCAA Scholar All-South Region.
This marks the second time in Wake Forest history the men's soccer program has had a student-athlete named NSCAA Scholar Player of the Year, as Harkes follows in the footsteps of Zack Schilawski, who won the award in 2009. But it does mark the first time Wake Forest has had two student-athletes named First Team NSCAA Scholar All-American.
The honors mark the first NSCAA academic honors for Harkes, but it's the second-straight year Hayes has earned recognition. He was also selected NSCAA Scholar All-South Region last season before repeating the award this year and being named an All-American. The 2016 recognition is the first NSCAA honor for Politz.
Harkes, who is set to graduate this month after final exams, holds a cumulative 3.31 grade point average while majoring in Business and Enterprise Management. Hayes, also set to graduate this month, has accumulated a 3.76 GPA in Physics, and Politz holds a 3.91 GPA in Mathematical Business.
On the field, Harkes was named ACC Midfielder of the Year, ACC Tournament Most Valuable Player and NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Offensive Player, becoming the first ACC player in the conference's illustrious men's soccer history to win all three awards in one season. He was also one of three finalists for the MAC Hermann Trophy, was named Top Drawer Soccer's Player of the Year and was a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award while earning First Team All-ACC and First Team NSCAA All-American honors.
Hayes, the 2016 winner of the Senior CLASS Award, was also named a First Team NSCAA All-American and a First Team All-ACC performer. He was also named a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist and led Wake Forest in scoring this season with eight goals and 19 points. Playing stellar defensive throughout the season anchoring the back line, Politz earned Third Team All-ACC honors and was tabbed a member of the ACC All-Tournament Team. He helped Wake Forest amass a new program record for shutouts with seven in a row while helping the team go nearly 856 scoreless minutes, which shattered the previous program record.
