ELGIN, Ill. – The Judson University men's and women's soccer teams will be represented at the national level for the NCCAA on Tuesday, November 29^th, as both Corey Burke and Tatum Teevans are finalists for the national player of the year award.  It is the first time for the women's program to have a nominee and the men will be seeking their sixth national player of the year award.

Both Burke and Teevans have already earned academic awards this year being voted onto the CoSIDA Academic All-District team for the NAIA.  Teevans was also recently named NCCAA All-Region.  Last year, Burke was named the NAIA's A.O. Duer award winner as the top junior athlete in the NAIA. 

Below is the official release from the NCCAA:

The finalists for the NCCAA Michelle Akers Award and the NCCAA Kyle Rote, Jr. Award were announced today by the NCCAA for men's and women's soccer, respectively.  These two awards recognize one elite student-athlete in each sport who embodies the qualities of the NCCAA and the two soccer standouts for whom they are named. 

The criteria for these awards include Christian service, high academic achievement, and excellence within their sport. These awards are sponsored by The Gary Beck Foundation and are selected by a committee comprised of Akers, Rote, Jr., Gary Beck, Terry Eichorst, and the National Soccer Chairpersons within the NCCAA.

The finalists for the 2011 Michelle Akers Award are:

Janel Schmitt               Olivet Nazarene University                                        Senior              Midfielder

Megan Smith               Spring Arbor University                                             Junior              Forward

Tatum Teevans            Judson University                                                       Senior              Midfielder

The finalists for the 2011 Kyle Rote, Jr. Award are:

Corey Burke                Judson University                                                       Senior              Midfielder

Jake McCracken          Geneva College                                                           Senior              Midfielder

Grant Rardon              Central Christian College                                            Junior              Defender

Stephen Zacchigna      Houghton College                                                       Senior              Goalkeeper

The winners will be announced on Tuesday, November 29 at the NCCAA Division I Soccer Kick-off event hosted by Campus Crusade for Christ in Orlando.  The selected student-athletes will receive a beautiful trophy recognizing their accomplishment along with an engraved watch courtesy of The Gary Beck Foundation.