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Big Ten Announces Men's Soccer All-Big Ten Teams And Individual Awards
Nov. 11, 2004
PARK RIDGE, IL – The Big Ten office announced the 2004 All-Big Ten and All-Freshman men’s soccer teams, as well as individual award winners today. Ohio State’s Justin Cook was selected as Player of the Year, while the Buckeyes’ head coach John Bluem garnered Coach of the Year accolades. Penn State’s Richard Costanzo also claimed an individual honor as he was tabbed Freshman of the Year. Cook is the first Ohio State player to earn Player of the Year honors and the only Buckeye to claim two career individual men’s soccer awards, as he was named Freshman of the Year in 2000. The senior captain has been a guiding force on offense for the Buckeyes and led the League in scoring with six goals and an assist for 13 points in six regular season Conference matches. Cook, a two-time Offensive Player of the Week selection this year, also helped Ohio State claim its first-ever share of the Big Ten regular season title after he tallied the game-winning goal and an assist in a 2-0 victory at Michigan on November 6. His performance against the Wolverines earned him the national player of the week honor by College Soccer News. Penn State’s Costanzo is the fourth Nittany Lion to claim Freshman of the Year laurels, the first since Chad Severs earned a share of the award in 2001. Costanzo finished second on the team in points (15) with four goals and seven assists in 19 games played. Ohio State’s Bluem guided the Buckeyes to a 10-5-2 overall record and a 5-1 Conference mark. Since his arrival in Columbus in 1997, the team has recorded at least 10 wins in six of his eight seasons. Ohio State is currently ranked 24 th in the latest NSCAA/adidas National Rankings and claimed its first share of the Big Ten regular season title in program history. This is Bluem’s second Coach of the Year award as he was also honored in 1999. The Conference office also announced honorees from each team for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, the student-athletes must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. Honorees for men’s soccer are Indiana’s Jay Nolly, Michigan’s Matt Niemeyer, Michigan State’s John Minagawa-Webster, Northwestern’s Sammy Semwangu, Ohio State’s Dustin Kirby, Penn State’s Grady Renfrow and Wisconsin’s Eric Hanson. These seven student-athletes are now candidates for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, as the Conference office will select one male and one female student-athlete from each institution at the end of the school year. 2004 Men’s Soccer All-Big Ten Teams First Team Forward Midfield Defense Goalkeeper Second Team Forward Midfield Defense Goalkeeper 2004 Men’s Soccer All-Freshman Team Forward Midfield Defense Goalkeeper Sportsmanship Award Honorees Player of the Year: Justin Cook, OSU UNANIMOUS SELECTIONS IN ALL CAPS
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