Shepherd University Athletics

OKOH, SMITH LEAD WVIAC MEN'S SOCCER HONOREES

PRINCETON, W.Va. -- Shepherd University head men's soccer coach Joseph Okoh gained WVIAC Coach of the year honors and junior forward Richard Smith (Gaithersburg, MD/Magruder HS) was named WVIAC Player of the Year to lead the list of honorees announced today by the West Virginia Conference office. A school-record 15 players earned All-WVIAC accolades for Shepherd.

Okoh was a unanimous choice as 2005 WVIAC Coach of the Year after leading the Rams to a recording breaking 17-2-2 record which was better than 21 of the 24 participants in the NCAA II Playoffs. Shepherd also earned a first place finish in the WVIAC regular season. Under Okoh's leadership the Rams had five First Team, four Second Team, and six Honorable Mention All-Conference team members, a record for Shepherd and the WVIAC. The Rams also were ranked in the NCAA top 25 for all but one week of the 2005 campaign and finished the season ranked 14th nationally in the NSCAA final poll.

Smith makes his first appearance on the WVIAC First Team squad after gaining the second team honors last year. One of the most dominant players in the country, Smith led the team, conference, and region in scoring this season with 17 goals and is one of the top goal scorers in Division II. He is the first player in program history to win the WVIAC Player of the Year award and is a top candidate for the All Region and All-American honors.

Joining Smith as First Team honorees are senior forward Jamie Ritchie (Remington, VA/Liberty HS), freshman midfielder Guilherme Fonseca (Guaraja Brazil/Objetivo School), senior defender Ian Newman (Kingston, Jamaica/Campion College), and senior netminder Pat Quinn (Germantown, WV/Good Counsel HS).

Ritchie gained First team All Conference for the third time and is a top candidate for All-Region consideration. He is the only player in school history to earn First Team honors three times during his career. He is also a two-time All-Region team member. He finishes his career as Shepherd's all-time leader scorer in goals (50), assists (31), and points (131). He holds several school records as is the only Ram to win the WVIAC Rookie of the Year award and the first player in school history to lead the conference and region in scoring in his freshman year.

Fonseca becomes only the second freshman in school history to gain First Team honors. He was also runner-up the WVIAC Rookie of the Year voting -- missing the award by just one vote. He is a top candidate for All-Region consideration.

Newman makes his second consecutive appearance on the All-WVIAC First Team. He led the Shepherd defense to a record high nine shutout victories during the past season. He will be a top candidate for All-Region honors.

Quinn makes his first appearance on the All-WVIAC First Team. He becomes the first Ram keeper in to grab First Team honors. He now holds the team record for most wins in a season and most shutouts in a season and lowest goals against average in a season. He is a top candidate for the All-Region Team.

Freshman forward Emmanuel Elomobor (Silver Spring, MD/Springbrook HS), senior forward/midfielder Donald Fon (Silver Spring, MD/Montgomery Blair HS), junior defender Bernard Walters (Waterford, Jamaica/Camperdown HS), and junior defender Mikus Rubenis (Gulbene Latvia/Mercersburg Academy) were Second Team selections.

Elomobor becomes only the second freshman to receive this honor. He was second in scoring on the team and had the highest goals scored per minutes played on the team, conference, and in the region.

Fon earned Second Team honors for the first time and ends his career at Shepherd as one the school most consistent players after gaining Honorable Mention All-WVIAC honors as a sophomore and a junior.

Walters also earns Second Team honors for the first time. He barely missed out on First Team honors by one vote. He dominated in the midfield all year long and was a key to the overall success of the team. He earned Honorable Mention conference honors as a freshman and sophomore.

Rubenis earns Second Team honors for the first time after earning Honorable Mention honors his freshman and sophomore years. He made contributions both in the midfield and defense for the team. He is one of the most versatile players on the team.

Senior midfielder Jose Ventura (Washington, DC/Archbishop Carroll HS), sophomore midfielder Jinho Kim (Boyds, MD/Gaithersburg HS), senior defender Sean Holland (Chantilly, VA/Chantilly HS), sophomore midfielder Leighton Meredith (Clarendon, Jamaica/Glenmuir), and senior goalkeeper Robert Pence (Woodbridge, VA/Woodbridge HS) all earned Honorable Mention honors.

Ventura makes his first appearance on the All-WVIAC Honorable Mention team. His dominant play in the midfield was key to the success of the team this year.

Kim also makes his first appearance on the All-WVIAC Honorable Mention team. He stepped into a defensive role this season and became one of the best defenders in the conference this year.

Holland makes his first appearance on the All-WVIAC Honorable Mention team. He was a strong defensive midfielder this season and played a major role in solidifying the midfield this season.

Meredith makes his first appearance on the All-WVIAC Honorable Mention team. He was one of the most dominant defenders in the conference this season.

Pence makes his fourth appearance on the All-WVIAC Honorable Mention team. He finishes his career at Shepherd as the program's all-time winningest goalkeeper with 33 victories.

"We accomplished a lot this year and established our program as one of the top programs in the country," said Okoh. "It will be a challenge to maintain the high standards which we have set for ourselves but I am sure the players are up to the task. I would like to commend my assistant coach Baboucarr Cham who did a fantastic job this year, working with the defense and goalkeepers and helping us become one of the top defensive teams in the region."

"I would also like to thank our family members and fans for the support, encouragement, and love that you gave us," added Okoh. "It was very important to the team and meant a great deal to us. Finally, I would like to thank the senior class of Jamie Ritchie, Jose Ventura, Sean Holland, Robert Pence, Donald Fon, Pat Quinn, and Ian Newman for their commitment to excellence on the field, in the classroom, and in the community."