McLean County Times

Six student-athletes from Illinois Wesleyan University's men's soccer team have been recognized on the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team. The announcement was made on Tuesday, November 19. The honored players include seniors Mush Bakirdan, Declan Nugent, and Logan Shumaker; juniors Jerry Smazil and Sam Kedzior; and sophomore Ryder Coleman.

The CSC Academic All-District Teams recognize top student-athletes who excel both athletically and academically. To qualify, athletes must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.50 and participate in at least 90 percent or start in at least 66 percent of their team's matches.

This is the first time Bakirdan, Nugent, Shumaker, and Coleman have received this honor. Meanwhile, Smazil and Kedzior are being recognized for the second time.

Bakirdan is a mathematics major with a GPA of 3.71. He scored four goals and two assists during the season, totaling ten points—the third-highest on the team—and played in all 18 games with five starts.

Nugent has a double major in finance and entrepreneurship with a GPA of 3.73. He participated in all games this season, recording one assist over two starts.

Shumaker holds a GPA of 3.82 as a graphic design major and played all games this season, starting in fifteen while playing both midfield and forward positions.

Smazil maintains a GPA of 3.78 as a finance major. A regular starter for IWU, he participated in every game this season and recorded an assist against Carthage College.

Kedzior is the team's starting goalkeeper with a secondary education major maintaining a GPA of 3.96. Over eighteen games, he logged 1613 minutes between posts with sixty-five saves at a .747 save percentage.

Coleman rounds out the group as a sophomore finance major with a GPA of 3.56. As the team's points leader with fourteen points from seven goals, he played all eighteen games starting thirteen times.

The Titans concluded their season with nine wins, five losses, and four draws after reaching the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament Semifinal on November 6 but were defeated by North Park University.