Three men's soccer players earn Academic All-ACC honors

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Three members of the Virginia Tech men’s soccer team have been named Academic All-Atlantic Coast Conference for the 2011 season, Commissioner John Swofford announced Monday. The honorees include junior defender David Fiorello, redshirt freshman defender Drew Ranahan and sophomore goalkeeper Kyle Renfro. All three student-athletes are first-time honorees.

“We’re very proud of David, Drew and Kyle and all of their accomplishments as student-athletes,” said head coach Mike Brizendine. “It’s a testament to their hard work with the time requirements of preparing to compete on the soccer field in one of the best conferences in the country and being able to perform in the classroom. These three young men are outstanding individuals and we’re pleased that they are being recognized for their work in the classroom.”

Fiorello, a psychology major from Elverson, Pa., played in 18 games this year, drawing 12 starts primarily at left back. Serving as a team captain for the second consecutive year, he helped the Tech defense notch four shutouts. Fiorello also assisted on freshman midfielder Ben Strong’s goal at Radford with a long throw-in and racked up over 1,400 minutes on the field.

Ranahan, a native of Oakland, Calif., who is majoring in economics, started all 18 games he played in at center back. After redshirting last year, Ranahan returned and led the Hokie back line with 1,689 minutes played this season. One of six Hokies to start every game he played in, Ranahan scored a goal and had an assist on the season for three points. He scored the game-winning goal against Longwood, heading in a corner kick from Strong.

Renfro, a management major from Forest, Va., started all 19 games, playing all 1798:12 in goal. He was named the ACC Men’s Soccer Co-Player of the Week and Soccer America Men’s Player of the Week after posting a career-high nine saves and his second career shutout in helping Tech defeat then-No. 1 ranked and eventual national champion North Carolina, 1-0 in double overtime, on Sept. 10. Renfro notched a total of four shutouts on the season and finished the season first in the conference with 100 stops (5.26/game) and a .800 save percentage, while allowing 25 goals for a 1.25 goals against average. He ranked sixth in Division I in total saves and led the ACC in saves during conference play with 53 (6.62/game).

To be eligible for consideration for the All-ACC Academic team, a student-athlete must have earned a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and maintained a 3.0 cumulative average during their academic career.

The Hokies open their 2012 spring exhibition season on March 17 as they play two matches in Harrisonburg, Va. Tech plays Davis & Elkins at 11:30 a.m. and James Madison at 3 p.m.

The 2011 All-ACC Academic Men’s Soccer Team