ESU Academic Awards page

EAST STROUDSBURG - East Stroudsburg University senior midfielder Jonathan Stuppe, senior forward Casey Choffy and sophomore forward Christian Bukowski have been named to the Capital One Academic All-District men's soccer team, it was released Thursday.

ESU gained three of the 12 spots on the team, and three of the seven spots earned by PSAC schools.

Stuppe (Nutteln, Germany/Gymnasium Fridericianum), Choffy (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown) and Bukowski (Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg) will advance to the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration.

Stuppe (Business Management, 3.92 GPA) has started 35 career games for the Warriors, including all 33 games over the last two seasons entering Friday's season finale vs. Gannon (1 p.m.). He has 10 career goals and five assists, including a team-high four goals and two assists in 2014 and two goals and two assists this season.

Choffy (Business Management, 3.41 GPA) enters this week ranked third in the PSAC in goals (10) and points (21), helping the Warriors lead the PSAC in goals per game (2.07) through 15 contests (7-7-1).

He has made 48 career starts, the most among active Warriors, and is the first ESU player with 10 goals in a season since 2008. He was named PSAC Athlete of the Week for the first week of the season, has produced a pair of two-goal games (2-1 win at Shippensburg, 6-2 win vs. Pitt-Johnstown) and has eight of his 10 goals vs. PSAC competition.

Bukowski (Criminal Justice, 3.59 GPA) has started all 33 games in his career at ESU and is tied for third in the PSAC in assists (6) and ranks sixth in points (18). He has added six goals and is the only PSAC player with at least five goals and five assists this season.

He scored three goals, ESU's first hat trick since 2008, in a 4-1 win vs. Felician on September 21. He has registered a goal or an assist in eight of ESU's 15 games.

Their selections give ESU 12 student-athletes who have combined for 20 Academic All-District honors in men's soccer since 2002 - Nemanja Nikolic (2011, 2013), Khriswayne Wallace (2011-13), Danny Drago (2007-08, 2010), Michael Kane (2010), Josh Arcona (2010), Toric Robinson (2008-09), Jorge Chapoy (2002-03), Kamar Samuels (2002-03) and Sean Stewart (2002).

Also representing the PSAC are California midfielder David Deamer, Seton Hill midfielder Joe Smith, Bloomsburg defender Josh Smith and Shippensburg forward Robert Furfaro.


About the Academic All-District and All-America program

The Academic All-District and Academic All-America teams recognize student-athletes for athletic and academic achievement and are nominated and voted on by members of CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America).

ESU is third in the PSAC with 83 Academic All-District selections in the last eight years (since 2007-08).

ESU had nine Academic All-District selections in 2014-15 in Bryan Thomson and Jon Schnaars (football), Shea Neal (women's soccer), Jay Young (baseball), Alex Zubko, William Berry and Damien Boham (men's track & field/cross country), Christina O'Connor (women's track & field/cross country) and Jamie Kane (women's at-large-swimming).

ESU had five Academic All-America selections last year in Thomson (defensive line, 1st team) and Schnaars (wide receiver, 2nd team) in football, Young (infield, 2nd team) in baseball, O'Connor (1st team) in women's track & field/cross country and Zubko (2nd team, men's track & field/cross country).

This marks the fifth year that separate teams have been selected for Division II, Division III and College Division (NAIA/Canadian schools/two-year schools) institutions. The previous "College Division" included all DII, DIII, Canadian and junior college programs.

District 2 of Division II follows the NCAA's regional model and includes all schools from the PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference), Mountain East Conference and CIAA (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association). The Northeast-10 Conference is also included in the region for football.

ESU has had 38 student-athletes combined for 53 Academic All-America awards in school history, and 21 combine for 30 awards in the last seven years.