ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Four members of the University of New Mexico men’s soccer team were named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team the organization announced Thursday. Josh Dye, Niko Hansen, Nick Miele and Christopher Wehan were all honored.
“Our program takes a great deal of pride in the academic success of its student-athletes,” UNM head coach Jeremy Fishbein said. “These four players deserve a lot of credit for all the hard work they put in both on and off the field, but we also need to recognize associate head coach Paul Souders and our academic advisor, Quinton Freeman. Those two men put in a lot of time with all our players and make sure they stay on top of their academics.”
Dye, a junior, leads the foursome with a 4.05 GPA in electrical engineering. He has started 14 of UNM’s 15 games this season and played 1,106 minutes as a defensive midfielder. He is a huge part of the reason why UNM has recorded eight shutouts this season and boasts a 0.72 goals against average. Last year he finished second for the Elite 89 Award, which is the NCAA’s Top Academic Award
Miele is a senior center back who has played every minute of every game for the Lobos this season. Like Dye, the senior has played a major part in the success of UNM’s defense as the anchor for the backline. He boasts a 3.77 cumulative GPA and was on both the NSCAA Scholar All-Region Team as well as Conference USA’s All-Academic Team in 2013.
Hansen is a sophomore out of Sacramento, Calif., and he leads UNM with 48 shots this season. He is second with four goals and is tied for second with 10 points helping the Lobos average 1.87 goals per game, which is 24th in the nation. He is majoring in exercise science and owns a 3.73 GPA.
Like Hansen, Wehan is also a sophomore from the Golden State, but he hails from Laguna Niguel. He leads the team in goals (8), points (18) and shots on goal (18). His two assists are tied for third on the squad. He is studying communication and has a cumulative GPA of 3.40.
All four players are now eligible for Academic All-American status, voting for which begins on Tuesday, Nov. 4. This is the most Academic-All District honors for the Lobos since 2007 when current assistant head coach Mike Graczyk was one of five Lobos honored. UNM is in District 7, which comprises the states of Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming.