Photo by: Matt Hawley/Pitt Athletics
Program Record Eight Selected to All-ACC Academic Team
1/27/2022 11:02:00 AM | Men's Soccer
PITTSBURGH – The 2021 men's soccer team adds another record-breaking achievement to its résumé as a program best eight players were named to the All-ACC Academic Team, as announced by the Atlantic Coast Conference today.
Mohammad Abualnadi, Rodrigo Almeida, Nico Campuzano, Guilherme Feitosa, Bertin Jacquesson, Jasper Löeffelsend, Valentin Noel and Jackson Walti all earned the academic distinction. The eight players honored break the previous mark of five set last season.
Since the 2016 season, Jay Vidovich's first as head coach of the Panthers, 21 players have been named to the All-ACC Academic Team with one earning ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year (Noel – 2020).
Abualnadi earns his first academic honor in his first year as a Panther, previously playing the first two seasons at Notre Dame. The center back started 14 of 15 games played was a staple in the back line toward postseason play. The Leawood, Kan., native is a Biological Sciences major and earned a 3.48 GPA in the fall.
Almeida, a senior from Salvador, Brazil, totaled a 3.63 fall GPA and is majoring in Business Information Systems and earns his first academic accolade. He finished the 2021 campaign second on the team in points with 20 (7 goals, 6 assists) and finished sixth in the ACC with three game-winning goals. His points per game of 1.33 ranked fifth in the league and was a crucial component to Pitt's home success, scoring six of his seven goals at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
Campuzano graduated this past fall with a master's degree in information science and leaves Pitt with a 3.63 GPA. A catalyst in goal the past two seasons, Campuzano totaled 1887 minutes played, third in the ACC and 13th in the country. He stopped 52 shots and tallied four shutouts while collecting a .693 save percentage. He had 11 games with three or more saves and six with four or more. During Pitt's postseason run, he saved 13 shots in helping Pitt reach the NCAA Elite Eight. This is the second academic award for the Cantabria, Spain, native.
Feitosa made an immediate impact at the midfield position as a freshman. He totaled five goals, six assists and a .552 shot on goal percentage. From Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he scored two goals and added an assist in Pitt's NCAA tournament run. He earned a 3.77 GPA in his first semester.
Jacquesson ended 2021 as one of the top offensive players in the nation, ranking fifth in assists (11), 12th in assists per game (0.55), 34th in points (25) and 35th in shot accuracy (.535). He finished with seven goals and 23 shots on goal with two game-winners. His 11 total assists tied a school record for assists in a season. The sophomore totaled a 3.16 GPA this fall and earns his first academic accolade while majoring in Economics.
Löeffelsend recently graduated with a master's degree in accounting with a 3.05 GPA. The All-American finished second in the country in assists (9) and assists per game (0.53). For his career, the right back tallied a 0.50 assists per game mark, setting a new school record and crushing the previous mark of 0.21 in the process. From Cologne, Germany, product was recently selected 81st overall to Real Salt Lake in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft. He earns his first All-ACC Academic honor.
Noel earns the second All-ACC academic accolade after being named ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year last season. He finished third on the team in points with 19, recording seven goals and five assists. The Niort, France, native had four games with three or more points while totaling a .432 shot on goal percentage. The forward is currently majoring in Finance and calculated a 3.31 fall GPA.
Walti sets a new program record of his own, becoming the first three-time All-ACC academic recipient. The captain has been an instrumental piece of the midfield the past four seasons, logging over 1,700 minutes played in each of the past three seasons including 1,862 in 2021. He scored one goal and recorded two assists, with the goal a game-winner in Pitt's NCAA Second Round victory over Northern Illinois. The senior graduated in the spring of 2021 with a BSBA in Accounting and a 3.76 career GPA. He is currently earning a master's degree in sustainable engineering.
Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0-grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one's academic career. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in selecting the All-ACC Academic Team.
The ACC Honor Roll, which recognizes all conference student-athletes with a grade point average of 3.0 for the current academic year, will be released in July.
Mohammad Abualnadi, Rodrigo Almeida, Nico Campuzano, Guilherme Feitosa, Bertin Jacquesson, Jasper Löeffelsend, Valentin Noel and Jackson Walti all earned the academic distinction. The eight players honored break the previous mark of five set last season.
Since the 2016 season, Jay Vidovich's first as head coach of the Panthers, 21 players have been named to the All-ACC Academic Team with one earning ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year (Noel – 2020).
Abualnadi earns his first academic honor in his first year as a Panther, previously playing the first two seasons at Notre Dame. The center back started 14 of 15 games played was a staple in the back line toward postseason play. The Leawood, Kan., native is a Biological Sciences major and earned a 3.48 GPA in the fall.
Almeida, a senior from Salvador, Brazil, totaled a 3.63 fall GPA and is majoring in Business Information Systems and earns his first academic accolade. He finished the 2021 campaign second on the team in points with 20 (7 goals, 6 assists) and finished sixth in the ACC with three game-winning goals. His points per game of 1.33 ranked fifth in the league and was a crucial component to Pitt's home success, scoring six of his seven goals at Ambrose Urbanic Field.
Campuzano graduated this past fall with a master's degree in information science and leaves Pitt with a 3.63 GPA. A catalyst in goal the past two seasons, Campuzano totaled 1887 minutes played, third in the ACC and 13th in the country. He stopped 52 shots and tallied four shutouts while collecting a .693 save percentage. He had 11 games with three or more saves and six with four or more. During Pitt's postseason run, he saved 13 shots in helping Pitt reach the NCAA Elite Eight. This is the second academic award for the Cantabria, Spain, native.
Feitosa made an immediate impact at the midfield position as a freshman. He totaled five goals, six assists and a .552 shot on goal percentage. From Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he scored two goals and added an assist in Pitt's NCAA tournament run. He earned a 3.77 GPA in his first semester.
Jacquesson ended 2021 as one of the top offensive players in the nation, ranking fifth in assists (11), 12th in assists per game (0.55), 34th in points (25) and 35th in shot accuracy (.535). He finished with seven goals and 23 shots on goal with two game-winners. His 11 total assists tied a school record for assists in a season. The sophomore totaled a 3.16 GPA this fall and earns his first academic accolade while majoring in Economics.
Löeffelsend recently graduated with a master's degree in accounting with a 3.05 GPA. The All-American finished second in the country in assists (9) and assists per game (0.53). For his career, the right back tallied a 0.50 assists per game mark, setting a new school record and crushing the previous mark of 0.21 in the process. From Cologne, Germany, product was recently selected 81st overall to Real Salt Lake in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft. He earns his first All-ACC Academic honor.
Noel earns the second All-ACC academic accolade after being named ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year last season. He finished third on the team in points with 19, recording seven goals and five assists. The Niort, France, native had four games with three or more points while totaling a .432 shot on goal percentage. The forward is currently majoring in Finance and calculated a 3.31 fall GPA.
Walti sets a new program record of his own, becoming the first three-time All-ACC academic recipient. The captain has been an instrumental piece of the midfield the past four seasons, logging over 1,700 minutes played in each of the past three seasons including 1,862 in 2021. He scored one goal and recorded two assists, with the goal a game-winner in Pitt's NCAA Second Round victory over Northern Illinois. The senior graduated in the spring of 2021 with a BSBA in Accounting and a 3.76 career GPA. He is currently earning a master's degree in sustainable engineering.
Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0-grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one's academic career. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in selecting the All-ACC Academic Team.
The ACC Honor Roll, which recognizes all conference student-athletes with a grade point average of 3.0 for the current academic year, will be released in July.
Players Mentioned
D
/ Men's Soccer
M
/ Men's Soccer
GK
/ Men's Soccer
M
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's Soccer
M
/ Men's Soccer
M
/ Men's SoccerPitt Men's Soccer | Vermont Postgame | Jay Vidovich
Thursday, December 12
Postgame vs. Vermont | Jay Vidovich
Saturday, December 07
Pitt Men's Soccer | Pitt 3, Kansas City 2 | Field Pass
Tuesday, December 03
Field Pass | Pitt 3, Kansas City 2 | NCAA Third Round
Tuesday, December 03