Nov. 5, 2002
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State men's soccer players Brian Barnes and Paul Szefler have been recognized for their academic and athletic prowess by being named to the 2002 District VIII Verizon Academic All-America First Team. With their selections, SDSU players earned two of the 11 spots on the region's first team.
Barnes, a senior goalkeeper from Aurora, Colo., holds a 3.83 cumulative GPA in kinesiology. A 2000 all-MPSF selection who also earned academic all-MPSF honors, Barnes suffered through an injury-plagued 2001 season but has returned strong this year. He set SDSU's career saves and single-season saves records this season with 279 and 95, respectively, and boasts five career shutouts and the 11th-best goals against average in school history.
A 2002 nominee for the prestigious National Soccer Coaches Association of America Scholar Athlete award, Barnes has received SDSU student-athlete awards for maintaining a 3.5 GPA or better in each semester over the past three years. He also received the school's Malik Award for earning the highest GPA (4.0) among male student-athletes during the 2000 fall semester. A team captain for the last two years, Barnes was recognized for his leadership abilities with a selection to participate in the 2002 NCAA Foundation Leadership Conference.
Szefler, a sophomore who is also from Aurora, Colo., and was briefly a teammate of Barnes' at Overland High School, boasts a 3.75 GPA in biology. He ranks among the MPSF top seven in goals (T-5th, 6), goals per game (T-5th, .33), points (T-7th, 15) and points per game (T-7th, .83). Szefler has provided much of the offense this season for SDSU, as he scored five of the team's first 11 goals this season and tallied in each of the first five games that SDSU recorded a goal.
Szefler, who has played in all 38 matches since joining the SDSU roster, has received scholar-athlete awards in each of his first two semesters at San Diego State. He received the school's Malik Award for recording the highest GPA (4.0) among male student-athletes during the 2002 spring semester.
The Aztecs wrap up the 2002 season Friday with a 3:00 p.m. match against Gonzaga at the Sports Deck.