Indiana University Athletics
Munroe Named First Team Academic All-District
11/4/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nov. 4, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Sophomore goalkeeper Chris Munroe garnered first team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V honors, College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced on Thursday, Nov. 3. It marked the fifth straight season a Hoosier has been selected Academic All-District.
"Chris is the model student-athlete," Indiana head men's soccer coach Mike Freitag said. "He excels both on the field and in the classroom. He is the type of young man that we are proud to have in our program."
An athlete must have a grade point average of 3.2, be in his or her second year at their institution and play in over 50 percent of the team's matches. The nominations are voted on by CoSIDA members within each district. The Academic All-District team is comprised of 11 players with two forwards, four midfielders, four defenders and one goalkeeper. Munroe has a near perfect grade point average, while majoring in business.
"It is a nice honor to be recognized for my academics," Munroe said. "At times it helps to be busy with soccer and school because it helps me to prioritize my time. Knowing you have a strict schedule helps me. "
The Academic All-District selections will appear on the national ballot and voted on by members of CoSIDA. The Academic All-America team will be released on Monday, Nov. 21.
Munroe was joined on the first team by midfielders Adam Hermsen (DePaul), John Stephens (Notre Dame), Adam Ben-Zikri (Wisconsin-Green Bay), Patrick Reilly (Butler), defenders Steve Bode (Wisconsin-Milwaukee), Adam Hage (Bradley), Jason Pele (Evansville), Neil Dombrowski (Wisconsin-Milwaukee), forwards Joel Nierzwicki (Loyola-Ill.) and Christopher Ede (Wisconsin).
Last season, Danny O'Rourke was an Academic All-District selection on his way to being named an ESPN The Magazine third team Academic All-American. O'Rourke also was an Academic All-District selection in 2003. Michael Bock and Colin Rogers were Academic All-District honorees in 2002 and 2001, respectively.
Munroe has started every match for the Hoosiers this season in goal. He has a record of 11-1-6 with a goals against average of 0.70, 50 saves and eight shutouts. The Indianapolis, Ind., native tops the Big Ten Conference in shutouts and goals against average. He earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 10 after notching consecutive shut out wins at Louisville and Michigan. In a Sept. 17 match against then-No. 25 Cal State-Northridge, Munroe had a career-best seven saves in a 5-0 victory.
On Thursday, Nov. 3, Munroe headed a Hoosier defense that shut out the nation's top-ranked scoring offense in Akron. Munroe collected three saves in blanking the No. 1 Zips, 1-0.
"I have been pleased with the way I have played to this point, but it hasn't been perfect," Munroe said of his play this season. "I am getting more comfortable with each game, and I feel like I have been improving in the areas that I needed improvement. As a team, we are starting to get things together. We have had some bumps in the road, but our main goals of winning the Big Ten and the NCAA Championship are still in front of us. The Akron game was an important win for us, but it was just one step along the way. I am excited and looking forward to what lies ahead."
Munroe and the Hoosiers will return to action at the Big Ten Tournament in Evanston, Ill., on Thursday, Nov. 10. Indiana will either be the second or third seed in the tournament depending on the outcome of the Michigan-Ohio State affair set for Friday, Nov. 4. The Hoosiers' opening-round opponent also is yet to be decided with the Big Ten regular season coming to a close on Sunday, Nov. 6.
