MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin men's soccer team had six players earn All-Big Ten honors, as announced by the league on Friday.
Mitch Guitar and
Robin Olofsson were each named to the All-Big Ten second team, while UW had three newcomers,
Andrew Akindele,
Noah Melick and
Zach Klancnik, named to the freshman team.
Guitar, a junior midfielder from Royal Oak, Michigan, has logged two assists, 11 shots and three shots on goal this season. Olofsson, a junior defender from Stockholm, Sweden, has one goal, 10 shots and four shots on goal this season.
The consensus seems to be that the future will be a very bright one for the Wisconsin men's soccer program, as UW saw three Badgers named to the All-Big Ten freshman team. Individually, the trio became the 25th, 26th and 27th selections in program history and the first since
Elan Koenig and
Noah Leibold garnered the nod in 2016.
Akindele, Klancnik and Melick follow in the footsteps of
Tom Barlow, Michael Catalano and
Mark Segbers, becoming the only other trio to collect the award in school history.
Akindele, a Chicago, Illinois native, has a team-leading four goals, four assists and 15 shots on goal this year. He is the only player to have collected a goal or assist in at least half the games this season.
Melick, an Algonquin, Illinois native, has nine points, four goals and a team-best three game-winners. Melick had a season-high five points against Rutgers on Oct. 7 with two goals and an assist, and was named Big Ten Player Offensive Player of the Week for his heroics.
Klancnik, a redshirt freshman from Arlington Heights, Illinois, had one goal and two assists in his rookie season with 10 shots and four shots on goal. He helped steer a Badger backline that produced seven shutouts and only allowed 15 goals.
Senior captain
Isaac Schlenker was awarded the prestigious sportsmanship award for his display of leadership. The student-athletes chosen for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These students must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of competition.
Wisconsin is back in action on Sunday, as the No. 2 seed Badgers host seventh-seeded Rutgers in the quarterfinals of the 2018 Big Ten Tournament. Game time is set for noon at the McClimon Complex.
