Ethan Ballek Named Men's Soccer Academic All-America

AUSTIN, Texas – South Carolina men’s soccer forward Ethan Ballek has been named to the Academic All-America® Men’s Soccer Team as selected by College Sports Communicators (CSC). The award recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.

Ballek becomes the first Gamecock since Danny Deakin in 2016 to earn All-America honors and the 10th player, 13th overall, to earn the honor.

To be nominated for the award, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average and must compete in 90 percent of the institution’s matches played or start in at least 66 percent of the institution’s matches.

Ballek was named to the Sun Belt All-Conference Second Team after a breakout season for the Gamecocks. The junior has a perfect 4.0 GPA while majoring in sport & entertainment management. In his first season with Carolina, Ballek started and played in all 17 matches. He finished the regular season with nine goals and five assists for 23 points. Nationally, he finished the regular season ranked 31st in total points, 34th in total goals, 35th in points per game, and 40th in goals per game. His 9 goals and 23 points are the most by a player since 2016, while his five assists are the most since 2018. He ranked third in the conference in points, fifth in goals and sixth in assists. Against Winthrop, he had a career match, tallying five points, two goals and one assist.

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