LHU’s Beckham Sibiski named Division II Men’s Soccer National Scholar Player of the Year
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Beckham Sibiski (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown) of the Lock Haven University men’s soccer team was named Thursday the Division II National Scholar Player of the Year by the United Soccer Coaches (USC). Sibiski was also named to the Scholar All-America Team and Scholar All-East Region Team by the USC.
The prestigious award honors a player who excels not only on the field, but also in their studies, and Sibiski has been a shining example of both for LHU.
“The Lock Haven University men’s soccer program is so proud of Beckham and this incredible achievement,” said head coach Patrick Long (’08). “This award is the culmination of an incredible career as a Bald Eagle. It is the top academic award one can receive and it was deservingly awarded to an incredible student-athlete.”
For LHU, it marks the first time a Bald Eagle has been named the National Scholar Player of the Year by the United Soccer Coaches.
In the classroom, Sibiski sports a 3.90 GPA in Secondary Education/Math with a graduate emphasis in Teaching & Learning, and just last week, earned second-team Academic All-American honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
On the field, the midfield-sensation pulled in a bevy of honors for his stellar season, most notably USC First-Team All-American honors, Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) Second-Team All-American, USC and D2CCA First-Team All-Atlantic Region, Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Player of the Year and First-Team All-Conference.
As a captain, Sibiski started in all 19 games, and his creativity was on full display as he tallied a team-high 12 assists to go along with seven goals. His assists per game of .63 topped the PSAC and ranks in a tie for fourth in the nation at the Division II level. Sibiski’s 26 points at 1.37 per game are the fourth-most in the conference.
To qualify for the award, a player must be a junior or above in athletic standing at the current institution, be in their second year at the current institution if a transfer student, and also have at least a 3.40 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) throughout their career. Nominees must have played a minimum of 75 percent of games during the season of nomination and be an elite player as supported by playing honors (i.e., All-American, All-Region, minimum all-conference).
