Suffolk's Rollins Named to Capital One Academic All-District Team

BOSTON, Mass. - Suffolk University Men's Soccer senior Ben Rollins (Lee, N.H.) was a selection to the 2012 Capital One Academic All-District team selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Rollins was a first team selection for District 1, which comprised of NCAA Division-III schools from four states; Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. He was one of two recipients of the award within the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC).

The senior forward registered team highs in 2012 in points (23), goals (8) and assists (7) as he started all 18 games on the year for the Rams. His 23 points tie for third among players in the GNAC while both his eight goals and seven assists are tied for fifth among conference scorers. The Suffolk offense is currently ranked 45^th among all NCAA Division-III programs in the nation with a 2.5 goals per game average, while they are 42^nd in total goals with 45.

Rollins maintains a 3.50 grade point average as an Environmental Engineering major in Suffolk's College of Arts & Sciences.

A team captain in both his junior and senior seasons, Rollins was called the "heart and soul" of the team by Head Coach Andrius Zeikus. "I am very proud of what Ben has been able to accomplish in his four seasons for us" Zeikus added. "He has been a leader both on and off the field, a positive influence to his teammates, and a person whose tremendous work ethic and skills set will be missed by us."

Rollins finishes a four-year career at Suffolk in which he appeared in 51 games for the Rams scoring a total of 21 career goals with 16 assists for 58 points. He was named Most Valuable Player of the 2010 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament as he helped guide the Rams to their first ever conference championship and the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Rollins had two goals and an assist in the three-game playoff run for the Rams.

Rollins is the first Suffolk Men's Soccer player to earn recognition by CoSIDA as an Academic All-District selection. The national Academic-All-American team will be announced later in the month.

CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) was founded in 1957 and is a 2,800 member national organization comprised of the sports public relations, media relations and communications/information professionals throughout all levels of collegiate athletics in the United States and Canada. The 2012-13 academic year is the 56th year of the organization, making it the second oldest management association in all of intercollegiate athletics. CoSIDA became an affiliated partner with NACDA (National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics in December of 2008. CoSIDA fully manages and administers the Academic All-America® program across all divisions of play (NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA, Canadian and Two-Year institutions). CoSIDA members nominate and vote with regard to the selection of Academic All-America performers in 12 sports (men's at-large and women's at-large [multiple-sport category], baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball, football, men's soccer, women's soccer, softball, men's track & field/cross country, women's track & field/cross country and women's volleyball) for all four divisional levels. Capital One became the Academic All-America rights holder in January of 2012.

*Release courtesy of Suffolk Univ. Sports Information Dept.