Trinity's Michaelis, Wyke headline 2016 All-SCAC Men's Soccer Team

Trinity's Michaelis, Wyke headline 2016 All-SCAC Men's Soccer Team

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – In exclusive voting by the head men’s soccer coaches of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC), Trinity University’s Austin Michaelis was selected SCAC Offensive Player-of-the-Year while his teammate Laurence Wyke was named SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year. Complete Release

In that same balloting, Joel Frykholm of Colorado College and Eduardo Lopez-Rivera of Texas Lutheran University split the vote to share Newcomer-of-the-Year honors while Trinity head coach Paul McGinlay was named SCAC Coach-of-the-Year.

A sophomore forward from Coppell, Texas, Austin Michaelis currently leads the SCAC in assists (9) and points (31), is second in goals scored (11) and tied for second in the league in both shots (59) and game-winning goals (5). He was named to the all-tournament team at last week’s conference championship after scoring the game-tying goal in the 89th minute and then assisting on the game-winner in double overtime of last weekend’s title game victory against Colorado College. A versatile and dynamic offensive force, Michaelis’ selection as SCAC Offensive Player-of-the-Year represents the ninth time a Trinity has won the award and the third time in the last four years. He is the first sophomore to ever win the award.

Michaelis received four votes in the balloting for Offensive Player-of-the-Year, narrowly defeating sophomore midfielder Phillip Le of Austin College who received three first-place votes. Senior forward Caden Mackenzie of Colorado College received the remaining first-place vote.

Laurence Wyke, a sophomore defender from Bolton, England, is not only the rock of Trinity's back line, but he is currently tied for third on the team in goals scored with seven (tied for fourth in the SCAC) and leads the conference in shots (79). Now a two-time All-SCAC First Team selection, he has also been named to the SCAC All-Tournament team each of his two seasons in San Antonio Wyke’s tackling ability is unmatched in the conference, a talent which contributed to a defensive effort that held Trinity’s opponents to a league-low 0.56 goals-against-average.  The Tigers also posted 12 shutouts. As it was with the OPOTY award, Wyke is the first sophomore to ever earn SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year honors. He is the second consecutive Trinity player to be selected SCAC DPOTY and the sixth overall.

Wyke received five votes from the coaches in the Defensive Player-of-the-Year balloting while senior midfielder Soren Frykholm of Colorado College received the remaining three votes.

Joel Frykholm, a junior midfielder from Boulder, Colo., made an immediate impact for CC upon transferring from Pacific Lutheran University. He scored three goals and added two assists – all in conference play – for eight points (tied for third on the team) and played in all of CC’s 19 games. One of the Tigers’ most technically sound players, Frykholm was one of 11 players to score multiple goals in a SCAC game as he found the back of the net twice in an October 9 home match against Schreiner. Frykholm’s selection marks the third time in four years a CC player has won or shared SCAC Newcomer-of-the-Year honors and the fourth time overall.

Eduardo Lopez-Rivera, a freshman defender from Round Rock, Texas, started and played in every game as a true freshman, leading Texas Lutheran in minutes played for the season. His perseverance and play at center back down the stretch were infectious as the Bulldogs conceded just four goals in their final six games en route to earning the third-seed at the SCAC tournament – the highest regular season finish for the program since joining the conference prior to the 2013 season. Among his two goals on the season, Lopez-Rivera had the game-winner in the Bulldogs’ 1-0 shutout of Centenary on September 18. He is the first men’s soccer player from TLU to earn one of the league’s major postseason awards.

Frykholm and Lopez-Rivera each received three votes from the coaches to share SCAC Newcomer-of-the-Year honors. First-year defender Victor Herrera of Southwestern University received the remaining first-place vote.

In his 26th season as head coach of the Tigers, Paul McGinlay has led Trinity to a 22-1 overall mark which includes victories over Whitworth (3-0) and Chapman (2-0) in the first two rounds of the 2016 NCAA Division III Championship. Trinity will now make its fifth consecutive trip – and 15th overall – to the Sweet Sixteen round where the Tigers will face off against Kenyon College. Since becoming head coach in 1991, McGinlay has amassed an overall record of 459-73-29, for a winning percentage of .844. He is one of the winningest active soccer coaches in the nation, by percentage, in all NCAA Divisions, and Trinity has competed in the NCAA Tournament for 15 straight years, and 20 of the last 21. The Tigers won the SCAC Championship for the 19th time with the team’s dramatic come-from-behind, 2-1 double overtime victory, against Colorado College two weekend’s ago. In his time in the SCAC, Trinity has amassed a regular season conference mark of 215-13-8 (.928), and McGinlay has been honored as SCAC Coach of the Year 14 times, including this year’s honor. No head coach in any sport in SCAC history has more COTY awards than McGinlay.

McGinlay received four votes from his peers in the COTY voting while Austin College’s Mark Hudson and Colorado College’s Scott Palguta received two votes each.

To view the entire 2016 All-SCAC Men's Soccer Team, click here.

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