Oct. 29, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Senior forward Jason Yeisley (Allentown, Pa.) and redshirt junior defender Andy Parr (Hummelstown, Pa.) have been selected to the CoSIDA ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II Team in recognition of their standout efforts on the soccer field and in the classroom. Yeisley was named to the first team while Parr earned second team honors.
Yeisley, a management major, and Parr, an actuarial science major, each maintain exceptional grade point averages in his chosen field of study, continuing the Penn State men's soccer tradition of academic excellence. In total, Nittany Lions have been named to academic all-region/district or all-America teams on 28 occasions. For Yeisley, the district honor is the second of his career after earning the accolade in 2007 as a junior.
Yeisley is in the midst of stellar senior season, leading Penn State to a 9-5-2 record, the program's best mark at this point of the season since 2005. He tops the team in goals (8) and points (20) and second in game winning goals with three and assists with four. In early September, Yeisley was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week and to the Soccer America Team of the Week for scoring three goals and tallying one assist through the first three games of the 2009 campaign. He was also recognized on the all-tournament teams for the Wolstein and Penn State Classics. Most recently, Yeisley was honored on the College Soccer News National Team of the Week (Oct. 4) for his contributions in wins over Penn and Michigan State.
A two-time All-Big Ten selection, Yeisley is Penn State's leading active scorer, totaling 24 goals and 15 assists (63 points) in 57 career games. A three-time team captain, he has overcome two serious knee injuries to return for his senior season. In recognition of his will to triumph over adversity, Yeisley was presented with the True Grit Award at the 2009 Penn State Student-Athlete Advisory Board Academic Achievement Awards Banquet. He is also a finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, an honor that recognizes student-athletes who excel on and off the field, weighing notable achievements in four areas of excellence - classroom, character, community, and competition.
With the academic all-district recognition, Yeisley will now advance to the national ballot and have the opportunity to earn academic all-America honors.
Like Yeisley, Andy Parr has made a triumphant return to the starting line-up after being sidelined for all of 2008 with a knee injury. Parr was a regular on the back line for Penn State prior to getting hurt, starting 22 of 24 games. This season, he has been a major factor behind Penn State's resurgence on defense, helping the Nittany Lions record seven shutouts. In the starting line-up for 15 of 16 games, he ranks fifth on the team in minutes played.
With their longest road stint of 2009 in the books, the Nittany Lions return home to Happy Valley this weekend for a critical Big Ten contest with Wisconsin (6-7-2, 3-2-0 Big Ten) on Sat., Oct. 31. The Halloween match-up, which is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start at Jeffrey Field, will be aired on a tape delay basis on the Big Ten Network (Sun., Nov. 1, 4 p.m.). Penn State will be looking to avenge a 4-1 loss suffered last season in Madison, Wis. The Lions own an 11-9-2 record all-time versus the Badgers.
Senior Day festivities will also highlight Saturday, with Diego Correa (Niteroi, Brazil), Frank Costigliola (Dix Hills, N.Y.), Vincent Salvatico (Chester Springs, Pa.), Jacobo Vera (Pamplona, Spain), and Jason Yeisley being honored in a special pre-game ceremony.