ITHACA, N.Y. — Fort Lewis College men’s soccer player Berekk Blackwell was named to the Capitol One Academic All-America® Division II men’s soccer second team, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America Committee announced yesterday.

Blackwell, a 6-foot-2 senior defender from Notre Dame Prep in Scottsdale, Ariz., maintains a 3.80 grade point average in Business Administration-Finance. He has received a bevy of awards thus far in 2011, including Daktronics NCAA Division II All-America second team honors, also announced yesterday. His additional awards in 2011 include Daktronics All-District 7 first team, Capitol One Academic All-District 7 first team, All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference first team, and RMAC All-Academic first team accolades.

As a junior in 2010, he was chosen to the RMAC All-Academic second team. He is also a two-time recipient of the D2 Athletic Directors Association/WeatherPORT Academic Achievement Award.

During his four-year career, he has tallied eight total points on three goals and two assists in 70 games.

While at Fort Lewis, Blackwell has been part of three RMAC regular season, postseason, and NCAA playoff teams (2008, 2009, 2011). He was also a member of FLC’s 2009 NCAA Division II national championship team.

“Berekk has been a model student-athlete at Fort Lewis, on the field and in the classroom,” said third-year FLC head coach Oige Kennedy.

Blackwell becomes the first player in the storied history of Skyhawk men’s soccer to be selected to an Academic All-America team by sports information directors.

Two former players were named as NSCAA/Adidas National Scholar-Athletes in the 1990s: Luc Cisna (first team in both 1998 and 1999) and Calum Robertson (third team in 1999).

Nominations and voting for the Capitol One Academic All-America® teams are conducted by CoSIDA members. There are separate teams for NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, plus a College Division, which includes NAIA and junior college.

Academic All-District teams are chosen in each of eight districts, with those on the All-District first teams placed on the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration.

The Skyhawks will face No. 21 Millersville (Pa.) (13-6-2) in the semifinals at 7 p.m. (MST) on Thursday, Dec. 1 in Pensacola, Fla. The championship game will be 2:30 p.m. (MST) on Saturday, Dec. 3.

The games will not be televised, but will be streamed for free online at www.ncaa.com/liveschedule/2011/12/01. The games will also be broadcast live on KIUP (930 AM) and www.radiodurango.com/listen_live.asp by play-by-play announcer John Mahoney and color commentator Loren Wickstrom. Live stats are available at www.ncaa.com/interactive-bracket/soccer-men/d2.

The Skyhawks are gunning for their third national championship in 2011, having previously won NCAA Division II titles in 2005 and 2009. FLC also finished second in the nation in 1999 and 2006. Fort Lewis is making its fifth trip to the Final Four.

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