ST. LOUIS - Seventeen student-athletes have earned a spot on the 2018 Missouri Valley Conference men's soccer scholar-athlete first team and honorable mention team, announced by the league office today. The 13-member first team is highlighted by four repeat first team honorees, as well as four student-athletes with a 4.00 GPA.  

Central Arkansas boasts a league-high three members on the first team, while Bradley, Drake, Missouri State and Valparaiso have two selections and Evansville and Loyola earned one honoree. Four honorees are repeat first-team selections from a season ago, including Central Arkansas' Chris Holmes and Daltyn Knutson, Evansville's Simon Waever and Missouri State's Kyle Hiebert.

Of the 17 players named to this year's team, seven recently earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors (MSU's Michael Creek and Hiebert, Drake's Steven Enna, UCA's Holmes, Loyola's Marius Kullmann, Evansville's Waever and Valpo's Dylan Waugaman). 

The Valley's scholar-athlete team is voted on by the league's soccer sports information directors.

The criteria for the all-MVC honor parallels the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) standards for Academic All-America voting. Nominees must be starters or important reserves with at least a 3.20 cumulative grade-point average (on a 4.00 scale). Also, students must have participated in at least 75 percent of the regular-season matches or played in the league tournament. Student-athletes must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institution (true freshmen and redshirt freshmen are not eligible) and must have completed at least one full academic year at their institution.