DePaul University Athletics
DePaul Men's Soccer: No. 3 in the Nation
11/17/2010 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S SOCCER
Nov. 17, 2010
CHICAGO - Soccer players are known for using their heads, and that certainly applied to the DePaul men's program on Wednesday.
That's when the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) announced that the Blue Demons had the third-highest team grade-point average in the country among the 203 Division I men's soccer programs.
DePaul finished the 2009-10 academic year with a 3.44 GPA---just .05 behind No. 1 South Carolina (3.49). Long Island University was second at 3.45.
"Wow!" said Kate O'Brien, Director of Athletics Academic Advising. "It's exciting for us in Triple-A, but it's mainly about the students and how hard they worked."
Soccer coach Craig Blazer had a little more bounce in his step on Wednesday after being informed of the NSCAA Team Academic Award.
"I'm very proud of our student-athletes," Blazer said. "Our goal is to bring in good student-athletes, and our administration's objective is to maximize their potential, both academically and athletically.
"This is a direct reflection of the quality of our student-athletes and of our university as a whole."
During a Nov. 3 road trip to Connecticut for the opening round of the BIG EAST Championship tournament, inclement weather forced a rescheduling of the game that left the Blue Demons in their Manchester, Conn. Hotel for three days.
Throughout that extended stay, assistant coach Hobie Hare organized daily study sessions for the players and monitored their progress. Blazer counseled one of his players about a demanding assignment.
"We do have requirements for student-athletes and try to keep them going," said 2010-11 men's soccer academic advisor Adrienne Treado. Richie Fugiel was the academic advisor for men's and women's soccer in the 2009-10 school year.
"The coaches---especially Hobie---make sure the guys are putting in the study hours and getting the work done. Without their support, it would be harder to keep everyone in line. Hobie is like my liaison for academics.
"I was really excited when I got the news from coach Blazer. I am really proud of the guys. They are all extremely good students, and this is more their accomplishment than ours."
Blazer knows it was a total team effort.
"We emphasize to recruits that DePaul provides a good academic environment for soccer players to be successful," Blazer said. "To do that, you need quality academic advisors. This school is committed to having a great ratio of academic advisors to student-athletes."
O'Brien can pinpoint when the soccer players first began to hit the books with more authority.
"Since Craig has taken over the program (2001), there has really been an emphasis on academics," she said. "You can see how far they have come and how important it is to Craig and the guys.
"This is a wonderful recognition of how hard they have worked."
Providing more good news, the DePaul women's soccer team also received an NSCAA Team Academic Award with its 3.40 composite GPA. The Blue Demons wound up tied at No. 42 with Duke, Harvard, Morehead State and Marist College out of more than 320 Division I programs.
The men's soccer accolade continues a dominant academic run by DePaul.
The Blue Demon track team had the No. 1 team GPA in the nation in 2008-09. The golf team posted the No. 1 team GPA in the nation in 2009-10.