Mitchell And Sanner Earn All-Conference Nods

ROCK HILL, S.C.– Lenoir-Rhyne forward Ismael Noumansana was voted the 2016 South Atlantic Conference Men's Soccer Player of the Year, while Daniele Proch of Catawba was voted the Conference's Freshman of the Year.  In addition, Wingate mentor Gary Hamill was tabbed the Coach of the Year, the League announced today.

Noumansana, a junior from Reims, France, finished the 2016 regular season campaign ranked among the national leaders in several offensive categories.  He found the back of the net 15 times this season to rank No. 10 in Division II, while his seven game-winners were good for No. 3 in the country.  He averaged nearly one goal per game with an average of 0.94 to rank 14^th in the nation.  Noumansana tallied 31 total points during the 2016 season to rank 16^th in the nation.  A two-time Astroturf South Atlantic Conference Men's Soccer Player of the Week, Noumansana recorded five multi-goal games on the year as well as a hat trick at Mars Hill on Oct. 5.

Proch, a midfielder from Arco, Italy, closed out the 2016 regular season among the League leaders in goals and assists.  He dished out seven helpers on the year to rank No. 5 in the South Atlantic Conference to go along with seven goals to rank No. 6 in the League.  Proch recorded a hat trick in a win over Coker on Sept. 24 and was in on every goal with two goals and an assist in a 3-0 win over Tusculum on Oct. 23.

Hamill earns his seventh South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year honor after guiding the Bulldogs to their third-straight South Atlantic Conference Men's Soccer Regular Season Championship.  The title marked Wingate's seventh SAC Championship overall.  Wingate has been ranked No. 1 by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America for the past three weeks as it is 14-0 overall, including and 11-0 mark in South Atlantic Conference action.  The Wingate defense is currently ranked No. 3 in the nation as the Bulldogs are surrendering just 0.46 goals per game.  Offensively, Wingate is ranked No. 10 in the country with 2.85 goals per game, 8.15 points per game and 2.46 assists per game.

Andre D Giorgi of Tusculum and Wingate's Elma N'For and Jon Ander joined Noumansana on the list of first-team forwards.  Aksel Juul of Wingate, Danilo da Silva from Lincoln Memorial, Tom Read of Carson-Newman and Wingate's Callum Ross were tabbed the first-team midfielders.

On the defensive side, Alex Nelson of Wingate, Tom Seery from Lenoir-Rhyne and Wingate's Vicente Munoz and Damian Gaona were tabbed the first-team defenders.  Pablo Jara from Wingate took home first-team goalkeeper honors.

2016 South Atlantic Conference All-Conference Agate

First Team All-Conference

F – Ismael Noumansana, Lenoir-Rhyne

F – Elma N'For, Wingate

F – Jon Ander, Wingate

F – Andre D Giorgi, Tusculum

MF – Aksel Juul, Wingate

MF – Callum Ross, Wingate

MF – Danilo da Silva, Lincoln Memorial

MF – Tom Read, Carson-Newman

D – Alex Nelson, Wingate

D – Tom Seery, Lenoir-Rhyne

D – Vicente Munoz, Wingate

D – Damian Gaona, Wingate

GK – Pablo Jara, Wingate

Second Team All-Conference

F – Victor Peres, Lincoln Memorial

F – Ryan Ejezie, Queens

F – Aladdin Elfares, Coker

F – Andreas Kvam, Tusculum

MF – Corey Brown, Queens

MF – Mark Fernandez, Lenoir-Rhyne

MF – Daniele Proch, Catawba

MF – Josh Alderson, Lenoir-Rhyne

D – Guillermo Lazcano, Tusculum

D – Georgios Charkoutsakis, Tusculum

D – Matt Wilkinson, Catawba

D – Oscar Mitchell, Mars Hill

GK – Jorge Alvarez, Tusculum

Honorable Mention All-Conference

F – Stian Sanner, Mars Hill

F – Marius Staalby, Carson-Newman

F – George Burne, Lincoln Memorial

F – Ryan McPhillips, Brevard (Tie)

F – Tyler Nelson, Brevard (Tie)

MF – Ian Orr, Catawba

MF – Henrique Rezek, Lincoln Memorial

MF – Isai Hernandez, Tusculum

MF – Alvaro Urena, Coker

D – Ronaldo de Jesus, Lincoln Memorial

D – Phillipp Hollenhorst, Catawba

D – Nathaniel Scere, Tusculum

D – Hisham Abdelaziz, Lincoln Memorial

GK – Joe Boyd, Carson-Newman

Soccer Player of the Year

F – Ismael Noumansana, Lenoir-Rhyne

Freshman of the Year

MF – Daniele Proch, Catawba

Coach of the Year

Gary Hamill, Wingate

Fair Play Award

Coker