USA South announces All-Conference awards for fall sports

Fayetteville, NC - The USA South has announced its All-Conference awards for volleyball and soccer.  North Carolina Wesleyan had 12 athletes earn recognition, while three Bishops were named to their respective All-Sportsmanship teams.  Among the 12 honorees, there were five First Team picks, four Second Team picks, and three Honorable Mentions.  Leading the way was freshman Marco Kirsch, who was named Rookie of the Year in men's soccer.  His coach, Jason Kilby, garnered Coach of the Year accolades for the third time in his career.

In volleyball, sophomore Brittany Insley became the first Wesleyan player since 1997 to earn First Team honors.  The Arlington, OH native helped the Bishops to the fourth 20-win season in program history, setting a new record for kills in a season along the way.  She currently has 531 kills entering Friday's USA South semifinal action at Christopher Newport.

Junior Reva McCloud of Norfolk, VA led NCWC award-winners in women's soccer, grabbing Second Team accolades for the third time in her career.  She led the Bishops with 22 points this season (9 goals, 4 assists), including two game-winning goals.  McCloud was joined by sophomore teammate Meredith Hester (Reston, VA), who was an Honorable Mention.  Hester tallied 21 points this season (9 goals, 3 assists) and also had two game-winners.

Kilby's undefeated squad had the remaining nine selections.  Alimamy Kargbo, Kevin Lue, Jason Bottani, and Kirsch were all named to the First Team, while Danny Jones, Philip Fritschmann, and Alberto Faisca were tabbed Second Teamers.  Finally, Robert Ivanovich and Edgar Zaldivar were Honorable Mentions in the midfield.

A native of Celle, Germany, Kirsch leads all Wesleyan players with 39 points so far this season, the third highest total in program history.  The Rookie of the Year currently has 13 goals and 13 assists in the midfield. 

Kargbo (Woodbridge, VA) and Lue (Abidjan, Ivory Coast) are standout forwards for the Bishops, netting a combined 23 goals during the regular season.  A three-time All-Conference selection, Kargbo has 10 goals and four assists, while Lue has added 13 goals and six helpers.

Bottani was Wesleyan's final First-Team honoree and is a four-time All-USA South performer.  The Pompton Lakes, NJ native anchors a Bishop defense that has allowed a mere 11 goals this season.  NCWC has also recorded nine shutouts.  Second Teamers on defense, Fritschmann (Offenburg, Germany) and Faisca (Brunswick, MD) aid Bottani in the defensive effort.  A freshman goalkeeper, Faisca has six of those shutouts in goal.

Jones, Ivanovich, and Zaldivar round out Wesleyan's selections in the midfield.  Like Bottani, Jones is a four-time All-Conference performer.  The Baltimore, MD product currently has nine goals and two assists on the season.  Ivanovich (Santa Cruz, Bolivia) and Zaldivar (Alexandria, VA), both sophomores, have combined for 21 points thusfar in 2007.

Finally, the USA South honored its inaugural All-Sportsmanship teams in all three sports.  Freshman middle hitter Alyssa Balzano (Chesterland, OH) was chosen in volleyball, while sophomore Aubrey Bonorden (Yorktown, VA) was honored for women's soccer.  Jones was the representative from the men's soccer team.

To view the complete All-Conference teams in each sport, including Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Coach of the Year honors, please visit www.usasouth.net.