Nov. 8, 2011
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Juniors Blake Smith and Levi Rossi earned midfielder and defender spots, respectively, on CoSIDA’s 2011 first-team Academic All-District XV list.
To be nominated for this award, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at his or her current institution. Nominated athletes must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team’s games at the position listed on the nomination form.
Additionally, the student-athlete needs to have completed one full calendar year at his or her current institution and must have reached sophomore athletic eligibility.
A midfielder out of Boerne, Texas, Smith leads the Lobos in total points with 23, having collected nine goals and five assists on the season. This statistics puts him at 45th in the nation with an average of 1.28 points per game and tied at 33rd nationally in total points.
Twice this season, Smith has put together three-game scoring efforts and has one game-winner to his credit, having scored both goals in the Lobos’ 2-1 victory over Air Force on Oct. 9. He has put 22 of 42 total shots on net for a .524 shot-on-goal percentage, and has started every game for New Mexico this season, tallying a total of 1,446 minutes of field time.
Smith is majoring in business and currently maintains a 3.33 grade point average.
Rossi, a native of Denver, Colo., has also started all 18 contests this season on the Lobo back line. He has two goals and three assists for seven total points on the year. His most pivotal offensive effort on the season was his game-winning goal in the 88th minute against San Jose State on Oct. 30 to give the Lobos the 1-0 victory in their second-to-last regular season game.
A psychology major, Rossi holds an impressive grade point average of 3.79.
As District XV winners, Smith and Rossi are automatic candidates for the 2011 NCAA Academic All-American award, which will be announced the week of Nov. 28.