The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Sorrell, Johnson Named CoSIDA First Team Academic All-District
10/30/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 30, 2008
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - UAB juniors Wes Johnson and Dean Sorrell were both selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV men's soccer first team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). In doing so, the duo becomes the first Blazers to earn the recognition since 2006, when former players Lukasz Kwapisz and Jeremy Drake were first-team selections.
"This is an outstanding award for both Dean and Wes," UAB head coach Mike Getman said. "I am very pleased with both of these young men. Wes and Dean are great students, great athletes and great people. Both of them represent UAB and the men's soccer program in a first class way."
Sorrell is a double major in Spanish and biology and maintains a 3.44 grade point average. The Birmingham, Ala. native is also a three-time Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll recipient.
Sorrell is considered one of the top defenders in Conference USA and is the only player on this year's team to have started and played every minute of every game. In fact, he has started all 55 contests since his freshman season and played 5,066 of a possible 5,202 minutes in his career, which equates to 97 percent of action.
Johnson has also done outstanding work on and off the field. The Lilburn, Ga. native holds a 3.55 GPA with a double major in foreign language and biology. He is also a three-time member of the C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll and the President of UAB's Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC).
Johnson has started 11 of UAB's 16 games in the net on the year and currently ranks among the league leaders with a 1.07 goals allowed average. He has recorded one shutout this season and now has seven career shutouts, which places him third on the school's all-time list. In all, Johnson has seen action in 34 games during his career, making 32 starts.
Both Sorrell and Johnson anchor a defensive line, which has given up two of the lowest single-season goals-per-game averages in school history over the past two seasons. They are the seventh and eighth UAB men's soccer players in program history to be honored on a CoSIDA All-District academic team, and the third and fourth to earn first team honors.
