MEN'S SOCCER: SJC, Norwich Collect Major Honors as GNAC Announces All-Conference Selections

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WINTHROP, Mass. – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference was pleased to announce its 2021 All-GNAC Men's Soccer Teams on Monday, as championship finalists Saint Joseph's College of Maine and Norwich University both took home two major awards.

SJC, which prevailed over Norwich, 1-0, in double overtime this past Saturday at home, saw Colin Grant selected as the 2021 GNAC Defensive Player of the Year in front of netminder David Walbridge, who received GNAC Goalkeeper of the Year honors. All awards and selections are voted upon the league's head coaches. 

Norwich University forward Joseph Thongsythavong was voted the GNAC Offensive Player of the Year, while teammate Mamadi Jiana was chosen as the 2021 GNAC Rookie of the Year.

Grant and Walbridge were the leading defensive stalwarts for the Monks, who captured their fourth GNAC title in five years, as SJC allowed just four goals in conference play. 

Grant started all 19 games for the Monks and did more than just chip in offensively, registering 10 goals and six assists for a team-leading 26 points, good for sixth amongst GNAC leaders. Walbridge posted an .882 save percentage and 0.59 goals-against average overall, including a .941 SV% and 0.21 GAA against GNAC competition. 

The Monks now look ahead to their automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Tournament. 

Thongsythavong, a three-time GNAC Player of the Week this fall, broke the Norwich single-season goals scored record with 22 on the 2021 campaign. He was tops in the GNAC in goals (22), points (51) and shots (109), while finishing fifth with seven assists. Meanwhile Jiana had five goals and six assists for 16 points in just 13 games played, as he and his brother Musa Jiana of Elms College were named to the 2021 All-Rookie Team. 

Albertus Magnus head coach Peter Hamasian was voted the 2021 GNAC Coach of the Year by his peers after guiding the Falcons to a 10-5-1 record and 8-2-1 mark in conference play, cementing the No. 4 seed in the GNAC Tournament. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the 2020 season, his 2019 squad went 9-9-1 overall and 6-5 in GNAC play.

Forward JP Rioux, midfielder Nick Gutekunst, and defender Nolan Sooy all represented Johnson & Wales University on the All-GNAC First Team after the Wildcats earned the No. 3 seed in the GNAC playoffs and advanced to the conference semifinals. 

Colby-Sawyer College received the 2021 GNAC Team Sportsmanship Award in the sport of men's soccer, and the Chargers were also represented by NCAA D3 LGBTQ+ Student-Athlete of the Year Award nominee Couper Gunn on the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team.

FIRST TEAM
F – JP Rioux, Johnson & Wales (RI)
F – Joseph Thongsythavong, Norwich
F – DeAnte Anderson, St. Joseph (Conn.)
M – Nick Gutekunst, Johnson & Wales (RI)
M – Mamadi Jiana, Norwich
M – Amerle Nemeye, Norwich
M – Rion Dos Santos, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
B – Cullen Swett, Norwich
B – Nolan Sooy, Johnson & Wales (RI)
B – Colin Grant, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
GK – David Walbridge, Saint Joseph's (Me.)

SECOND TEAM
F – Alec Erskine, Emmanuel (Mass.)
F – Kuma Onyejose, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
F – Austin Ward, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
M – Kevin Reilly, Johnson & Wales (RI)
M – Michael Torres, St. Joseph (Conn.)
M – Kyle Cocciardi, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
M – Jackson Fotter, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
B – Ethan Skinner, Emmanuel (Mass.)
B – Chuckie Tenbusch, Johnson & Wales (RI)
B – Diego Roman, Regis (Mass.)
GK – Robert Wagenseller, Norwich

THIRD TEAM
F – Abdoul Aremu, Albertus Magnus
F – Andree Hernandez, Norwich
F – Dane Stephens, St. Joseph (Conn.)
M – Kelvin Cortez, Albertus Magnus
M – Rubelsi Moran, Anna Maria
M – Kam Jorgenson, Norwich
M – Dante Mancini, Norwich
B – Elijah Rodriguez, St. Joseph (Conn.)
B – Noah Elmore, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
B – Michael Wildes, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
GK – Garfield Robinson, Albertus Magnus

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Joseph Thongsythavong, Norwich
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Colin Grant, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR – Mamadi Jiana, Norwich
GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR – David Walbridge, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
COACH OF THE YEAR – Peter Hamasian, Albertus Magnus
TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD – Colby-Sawyer College

ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Arian Bobi, Albertus Magnus
EJ Gonzalez, Albertus Magnus
Rubelsi Moran, Anna Maria
Musa Jiana, Elms
Aidan Dwyer, Norwich
Mamadi Jiana, Norwich
Kam Jorgenson, Norwich
Cullen Swett, Norwich
Dane Stephens, St. Joseph (Conn.)
Rion Dos Santos, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
Gus Ford, Saint Joseph's (Me.)

ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
Denis Blandon , Albertus Magnus
Caleb Wu, Anna Maria
Couper Gunn, Colby-Sawyer
Bryce Antoch, Dean 
Tyler Hesselton, Elms
Matthew LaMondia, Emmanuel 
Esteban Osorio, Johnson & Wales
Zack Laware, Lasell
Mason Reddington, Norwich
Marcos Rivera, Regis 
Chris Antonelli, Rivier
Michael Torres, St. Joseph (Conn.)
Aidan Hickey, Saint Joseph's (Me.)

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 3,500 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience. 

– #TheGNAC –