Garrett Pochop was named 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-America of the Year in men's soccer.

Posted: Dec 05, 2017

Pochop named Academic All-America of the Year, Joslyn and Robson also recognized

AUSTIN, Texas — Simpson senior men's soccer player Garrett Pochop brought home the nation's top academic honor for men's soccer when he earned 2017 CoSIDA Division III Academic All-America of the Year honors, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors Association (CoSIDA) on Tuesday.

In addition to Pochop's honor, senior Nick Joslyn earned a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team and sophomore Connor Robson landed on the All-District 8 First Team.

2017 CoSIDA Division III Academic All-America Men's Soccer Team | 2017 CoSIDA Division III Academic All-District Men's Soccer Teams

Pochop named Academic All-America of the Year
Pochop is the first student-athlete in school history to earn Academic All-America of the Year honors. The forward from Pierre, S.D. scored 17 goals and handed out seven assists for 41 points in 2017, becoming just the second player in Iowa Conference history to earn Offensive MVP honors in back-to-back seasons. He also was named a Second Team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches after leading the Storm to a 15-3-2 record, the second-most wins in program history.

An economics major specializing in finance, Pochop maintained a 3.92 cumulative GPA and will graduate in December. The 2016 First Team Academic All-American closed his prolific career as the top goal-scorer in school history, netting 49 goals and 116 points, both school records. His 18 assists rank sixth all-time.

Pochop's long list of honors include: two-time IIAC Offensive MVP, three-time All-IIAC performer, three-time Academic All-IIAC performer, two-time All-Region performer, five-time IIAC Offensive Player of the Week and one-time National Player of the Week.

Joslyn named First Team Academic All-American
Joslyn brought home first team honors after an all-district selection in 2016. The defending midfielder from Baldwin City, Kan. earned First Team All-Iowa Conference honors in 2017, anchoring a Storm defense that tied for the league's lowest goals against average (1.05). He tied for the team lead with seven assists and added one goal, giving him eight goals and 16 assists during his career.

He boasts a perfect 4.0 cumulative GPA while double-majoring in physics and mathematics. Last summer, Joslyn held an internship conducting research for the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, W.V. There, he was tasked with developing a software prototype to filter out radio frequency interference from astronomical observations. The results of his work will be presented at the National Radio Science Meeting in January and will likely be implemented into the systems at the Green Bank Observatory by the end of next summer.

Robson named to Academic All-District First Team
A defender, Robson helped the Storm's defense tie for the league lead with a 1.05 goals against average in 2017. He started all 20 games on Simpson's back line and scored one goal. He was named Honorable Mention All-Iowa Conference.