Jake Malowitz was a starting defender on the 2010 team that won national academic honors. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Carl McNair for WestportNow.com
For the eighth time in 11 years, the Staples boys soccer program has been honored with a national award for academic excellence.
The National Soccer Coaches Association of America gave the Wreckers a Team Academic Award — one of only three boys soccer teams in Connecticut to be so named.
To qualify, a squad must have a 3.25 grade point average of all varsity players. The award is given for the previous academic year. In 2010, Staples’ 25 varsity players had an average GPA of 3.38. That was .01 higher than the previous year’s award-winning squad.
“I’ve always said that our players are some of the smartest and most creative people at Staples,” said head coach Dan Woog. “We want our guys to be as strong in the classroom as they are on the field.
“What’s especially gratifying about this award is that it’s won as a team. I’m proud that the NSCAA recognizes our team as one that strives for academic excellence.
The Wreckers are not only strong scholastically, of course. The 2010 team won the FCIAC championship. Woog said that the 2011 side — which reached the FCIAC finals — should also qualify for the Academic All-American honor.
