Clemson Men?s Soccer Enjoys Success On and Off the Field; Stockinger Graduates with Honors

CLEMSON, SC – The Clemson men’s soccer team enjoyed a successful year on and off the field. Not only did the Tigers enjoy a 13-win season and a NCAA appearance, but the Tigers also did well academically. This past Thursday, Alex Stockinger graduated Cum Laude with a degree in economics. The four-year starter graduated in 3 ½ years. He is returning to his native country of Norway and will pursue professional playing opportunities there. During his career, he was named to the All-ACC academic team twice. He played in 74 matches and was a starter 64 times during his four seasons at Clemson. “We are extremely proud of Alex and his accomplishments,” said Clemson Head Men’s Soccer Coach Mike Noonan. “Completing a rigorous economics degree with honors in 3.5 years is remarkable. He was a model student-athlete and this is what our program strives for – pursuing excellence both on and off the field.”Thomas McNamara, a graduate student on the team this past season, was the Tigers’ leading scorer with seven goals and eight assists for 22 points. Last week, he was named a first-team scholar All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). He was also named first team scholar All-South by the same organization. In November, he was named a first-team Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Association of America (CoSida). Also in November, Ara Amirkhanian and McNamara were named district Academic All-American by CoSida. McNamara was the 18th person in Clemson athletic history to be named an All-American both on and off the field in the same academic year. He is only the second men’s soccer player to accomplish this feat. Mike Potempa, a men’s soccer player in 1997-2000, was named a NSCAA All-American and an Academic All-American in 2000-01. Last spring, nine members of the Clemson men’s soccer team were named to the ACC Academic honor roll. Four players were named to the ACC Men’s Soccer Academic All-ACC team. “Our program at Clemson stresses success in academics,” said Noonan. “Alex Stockinger, Ara Amirkhanian, and Thomas McNamara all personify what we pride ourselves on. Vickery Hall and our academic advisors do a great job helping us meet our academic goals,” said Noonan.