Oakland University men’s soccer senior Ryan Rzepka of Novi, Mich., has been named to the 2004 ESPN Academic All-America first team. Not only is this the second consecutive year Rzepka has received this honor, he also is the first player in the history of the OU men’s soccer program to do so.

“This is a very deserving award for Ryan,” said head coach Gary Parsons. “He has been a consistent combination of a top student and athlete throughout his career, which reinforces what we already know about him and that is that he epitomizes the word student-athlete.”

After gracing the Academic All-America second team in 2003, Rzepka, a 5-11 defender, became the first Golden Grizzly to boast first team honors since OU women’s soccer players Anita Rapp and Ashley McGhee made the list during the 2001-02 season.

The 2004 team captain excels both on and off the field, maintaining a 3.898 grade point average in accounting at Oakland. His academic achievements include being named to the 2003-04 NSCAA/adidas Men’s Scholar All-American third team, a two-time Academic All-Conference selection, the 2002-03 Mid-Con Scholar Athlete of the Year and earning the Golden Grizzlies Excellence in Academics Award for the fall semester in 2002 with a 3.95 GPA. Rzepka also is a nominee for the 2004-05 NSCAA/adidas Men’s Scholar All-American team to be announced later this year.

Prior to being named an Academic All-American, Rzepka was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District IV first team along with teammate Matt Connor, a senior from East Lansing, Mich. Connor, a 5-10 defender, was named to the list for the first time and is a two-time Academic All-Conference honoree with a 3.695 GPA in accounting.

OU’s men’s soccer team was recognized for its academic success last year when the National Soccer Coaches Association of America named the Golden Grizzlies as a recipient of its 2003 Collegiate Team Academic Award. Oakland was one of 73 teams from across all divisions of play to earn the award. The Golden Grizzlies, which had a conference-high 14 players who earned Academic All-Mid-Con accolades in 2003, were the only team from the state of Michigan recognized with the honor. OU was one of three Mid-Con squads named on the list, joining Oral Roberts and Valparaiso.

For more information on OU's men's soccer team, visit the OU Athletics Web site.