Four From Wake Forest Earn All-ACC Honors
11/10/2021 10:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Kyle Holcomb was named a First-Team All-ACC selection while Nico Benalcazar, Omar Hernandez and Jake Swallen earned Third-Team All-ACC honors.
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Four members of the Wake Forest men's soccer team have earned 2021 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) honors, as Kyle Holcomb was named an All-ACC First-Team selection while Nico Benalcazar, Omar Hernandez and Jake Swallen were named All-ACC Third-Team selections, the league office announced on Wednesday.
With the four selections this year, Wake Forest has earned 49 All-ACC selections under head coach Bobby Muuss including 16 first-team honorees.
"I want to congratulate all four on their well-deserved All-ACC honors," Muuss said. "Kyle throughout this season has provided veteran leadership on and off the field for this program as his work rate and goal scoring has placed him amongst the very best in school history. Nico, Omar and Jake have also been instrumental for the team as we well look for them to help push us forward as we look to compete for an NCAA Championship."
Entering the season as an ACC Preseason Watch List selection, Holcomb has paced the Demon Deacon attack this season as he leads the team in both points (22) and goals (nine). His four assists this year are also a personal best.
Now with 68 career points and 30 career goals, the senior ranks in the top-10 in program history in both statistical categories. His 30 career goals ranks him tied for eighth with former MAC Hermann Trophy winner and Wake Forest Sports Hall of Famer Marcus Tracy.
Holcomb is also tied for the 14th-most goals and 21st-most points amongst active NCAA Division I players.
He scored two game-winning goals during the regular season (Sept. 4. vs. Cornell and Oct. 16 vs. then-No. 5 Virginia Tech) as Wake Forest is 8-1-0 when the San Marcos, Calif., native has notched a goal.
Along with fellow senior Holland Rula, Holcomb has been a part of 58 wins with the Demon Deacons dating back to the start of the 2018 season, second-most wins in the country over the last four years.
This marks the second time Holcomb has received postseason ACC honors as he was also named a 2020 All-ACC Third-Team selection.
The junior from Wilton, Conn., has appeared in 17 matches with 16 starts this season as the Demon Deacons have allowed just 18 goals when he is in the lineup.
Additionally, Wake Forest has earned seven shutouts when Benalcazar has been on the field including two against ACC opponents.
In Wake Forest's ACC Tournament quarterfinals match against Duke, Benalcazar scored his first goal of the season off a 45th-minute header. He also has three assists on the campaign.
This marks the second time Benalcazar has received postseason ACC honors as he was also named a 2020 All-ACC Second-Team selection.
One of three All-ACC Third-Team selections for the Demon Deacons, Hernandez is tied for second on the team in goals with five, which is a new career-high for a single season for the Dalton, Ga., native.
Hernandez also leads the team this season in game-winning goals (three), most recently with his strike against Virginia in the first round of the ACC Tournament. Wake Forest is also 6-0-1 when he has registered a point this season.
Hernandez to date is also the only player on the roster to start all 18 of the Demon Deacons' matches this season.
Once again a full-time starter for the Demon Deacons this season, the redshirt junior has compiled career highs in points (15), goals (five) and assists (five) along with his first two game-winning goals.
Four of Swallen's five goals this season have come against ACC opponents including a game-winning penalty kick against North Carolina on Oct. 8.
All three of his assists against ACC foes this season have also come off corner kicks the Shoreview, Minn., native has taken.
Holcomb's Career Honors
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2021 All-ACC First-Team Selection
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2021 College Soccer News Preseason All-America Third-Team
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2021 ACC Preseason Watch List
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2020-21 TopDrawerSoccer Best XI Third-Team
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2020-21 Wake Forest Most Valuable Player
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2020 All-ACC Third-Team Selection
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College Soccer News Player of the Week (May 10, 2021)
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ACC Co-Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 19, 2020)
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2018 TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Best XI Freshman Team
Benalcazar's Career Honors
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2021 All-ACC First-Team Selection
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2020 All-ACC Second-Team Selection
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2020 All-ACC Academic Team Selection
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2020-21 TopDrawerSoccer Best XI Second-Team Selection
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ACC Defensive Player of the Week (Nov. 2, 2020)
Hernandez's Career Honors
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2021 All-ACC Third-Team Selection
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ACC Co-Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 26, 2020)
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TopDrawerSoccer Player of the Week (May 3, 2021)
Swallen's Career Honors
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2021 All-ACC Third-Team Selection
