Petropanagos
Earns ESPN The Magazine
Academic All-America
First Team Honors
Mississauga, Ontario, native just the second
two-time Academic All-America selection
in program history

RINDGE, N.H. (January 8, 2007) – Franklin Pierce senior back Peter Petropanagos (Mississauga, Ontario/York University) has been selected to the 2006 ESPN The Magazine College Division Academic All-America Men’s Soccer First Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The College Division teams are comprised of NCAA Division II and III and NAIA student-athletes as selected by CoSIDA’s Academic All-America committee.

            Petropanagos, who earned third team Academic All-America honors last year, is Franklin Pierce’s first first team selection since Seamus Donnelly received the honors in 1996 and the pair is also the only two-time Academic All-Americans in the program’s history.           

Petropanagos, a two-time first team Academic All-District and NE-10 All-Academic selection, has earned a 3.84 cumulative grade point average as a pre-med major at the College. He earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America third team honors in 2005, is a two-time NE-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll student, achieving Gold Scholar status in 2005-06, and is a member of Chi Alpha Sigma National Student-Athlete Honor Society.

            Petropanagos has been a three-year mainstay for a Franklin Pierce defensive unit that has ranked in the top ten among NCAA Division II leaders each fall. A two-time All-Northeast-10 selection, earning first team honors this fall, Petropanagos is a key part of a Ravens defensive unit which led Division II with a 0.44 team goals against average and 15 shutouts this fall. Franklin Pierce yielded just three goals (0.25 GAA) in 12 Conference matches this season. He also earned All-Tournament team honors at the NCAA New England Regional Tournament this season. Petropanagos also collected an assist for his lone offensive point of the year, which came on the match-winning goal in a 3-0 victory over the College of Saint Rose on October 21.

            Petropanagos has dished six assists for six career points, with five coming during Franklin Pierce’s run to the NCAA Division II National Championship match in 2005.

            Franklin Pierce (17-2-3, 10-1-1 NE-10), ranked No. 9 in the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas Division II poll, captured the Northeast-10 Conference Championship double for the first time in program history, claiming its second-straight regular season crown and winning its first tournament title. The Ravens earned their fourth-straight NCAA Tournament berth (12^th overall), falling in the New England Regional final.