MIAC Release

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Seven Saint John's University soccer student-athletes earned 2019 Academic All-MIAC honors on Tuesday, Jan. 21.

Those honored (listed alphabetically) include:

-Senior forward Ben Becker (Richfield, Minn./Holy Angels), an economics major with a 3.75 GPA;
-Senior forward Kagan Foster (Alexandria, Minn.), an accounting major with a 3.67 GPA;
-Junior defender Andrew Kromer (Edina, Minn.), an economics major with a 3.68 GPA;
-Senior midfielder Leighton Lommel (Waite Park, Minn./St. Cloud Apollo), a biology major (pre-physical therapy emphasis) with a 3.58 GPA;
-Senior goalkeeper Payton Spencer (Hudson, Wis.), an accounting major with a 3.69 GPA;
-Junior midfielder Tim Spesia (Joliet, Ill./West), a political science major with a 3.66 GPA;
-Senior midfielder Nathan Stone (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley), a biology and environmental studies double-major with a 3.69 GPA.

In order to qualify for MIAC Academic All-Conference recognition, student-athletes must be a sophomore, junior or senior with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. Athletically, student-athletes in soccer must compete in 50 percent of their team's varsity regular-season contests to qualify.

For the eighth consecutive year, the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) honored a record number of fall sport student-athletes, 431 total, with Academic All-Conference recognition. 

The Academic All-MIAC honor is the third consecutive for Spencer and Stone, and the second for Becker and Kromer.

Spencer posted a 6-5-1 record, including a pair of shutouts, in net with a 1.83 GAA and a .736 save percentage (64 saves) in 2019. He ended his career with a 15-16-3 record, eight shutouts, a 1.35 GAA and a .796 save percentage (187 saves) in 36 games.

A converted goalkeeper, Stone recorded five points (2g/1a) in 16 games this fall and ended his career with 10 points (4g/2a) in 41 career contests.

Becker played all 19 games and ended his senior season second on the team in goals (9) and points (22). He ended his career with an even 40 points (17g/6a) in 56 games.

Kromer started all 19 games and registered an assist from the back line, while Spesia recorded three points (1g/1a) in 18 games.

The Johnnies' captain and a two-time All-MIAC first-team selection, Lommel finished with six points (1g/4a) and was one of three Johnnies to start all 19 games this past season. 

Foster ended the season with a team-leading 26 points (11g/4a) in 18 games (13 starts) en route to All-MIAC first-team distinction. His 11 goals tied him for fifth-most in SJU single-season history and were the most since current Gustavus Adolphus head coach Tudor Flintham '06 and Tyler Kodet '09 each scored 11 in 2005.

Junior midfielder Lukas Panvica (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) fell one game short of the athletic requirement. An economics and mathematics double-major with a 3.62 GPA, Panvica played nine games, but only eight of the team's 17 in the regular season. 

SJU earned a United Soccer Coaches' Team Academic Award for the 11th consecutive season back in October. For a team to be considered for the award, it must have a composite team grade-point average of at least 3.0 for all team members who appear on the official NCAA roster forms for the fall season. The Johnnies' 35-man roster combined for a 3.32 team GPA during the 2018-19 academic year.

Nine Johnnies recorded perfect 4.0 GPA's for Fall 2019.

The Johnnies finished fourth in the conference with a 6-4 record (10-8-1 overall) and advanced to the semifinals in their seventh MIAC-playoff appearance in the last eight seasons.