CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The High Point University men’s soccer team had four players earn All-Big South honors the league announced on Monday. Senior Austin Yearwood and sophomore Ebe Kudolo were named to the first team and redshirt-senior Kody Palmer and freshman Johnny Fenwick were named to the second team.
In addition to being named second-team All-Big South, Fenwick was named to the Big South All-Freshman team along with fellow HPU freshman Rashid Tetteh. Yearwood was also named to the Big South All-Academic Team.
“This is a wonderful accomplishment,” head coach EJ O’Keeffe said. “This speaks wonders about these five individuals but also about the overall team dynamic. I think they would all say that they have been successful both because of the hard work that they put in and because of their teammates. These five men represent the program in the right way both on and off the field and I am very happy for them.”
The All-Conference selection for Yearwood is the defenders’ third All-Big South Selection. Yearwood has started 17 games for High Point on the back line and has two points on two assists. He is part of an HPU defense that has allowed just 15 goals in 18 games and posted seven shutouts. Yearwood is a three-time member of the Big South All-Academic selection and has a 3.62 GPA while majoring in Business Administration.
“Austin is our senior captain and I can’t say enough about this young man on the field or in the classroom,” O’Keeffe said. “He is an absolute delight to coach. I look forward to continuing to watch him play in a professional career somewhere in the future.”
Kudolo earned his second-straight All-Big South first-team selection after a sophomore season in which he finished with six points on a goal and a team-high four assists while playing as a deep-lying midfielder. Kudolo played in 17 games with 16 starts and is tied for ninth in the Big South in total assists.
“Ebe is obviously a fantastic midfielder for us,” O’Keeffe said. “He has the ability to find the game for us and really pull the strings. I am happy for him that he has won this award and I am excited that he has two years left for us to continue to see him grow and prosper in the program.”
Palmer returned to All-Conference team for the second time after last making it as a redshirt-sophomore in 2013. He has played every minute in goal and is 7-6-5 with a 0.77 goals-against average, an .839 save percentage and seven shutouts. Palmer is first in the Big South in save percentage and third in goals-against average, saves and shutouts. He holds the HPU Div. I career shutout record and is on pace to set the HPU Div. I career and single-season records for goals-against average.
Fenwick has started all 18 games in his first collegiate campaign and leads the Panther field players in minutes played. The freshman defender finished the rebgular season with two points on one goal. He is part of an HPU defense that is among the top 30 teams in the country with a 0.77 goals-against average.
“I am unbelievably happy for Kody to receive this recognition,” O’Keeffe said. “He came of aseason last year where I thought he really struggled so for him to bounce back and have a career year shows the kind of person he is. He has led from the back and won us a lot of games. Kody has been a great player and a great teammate.”
“Johnny has come in and done everything we have asked of him in his first season,” O’Keeffe said. “He had to knock off some rust in the preseason but he has grown into on of the best centerbacks in the league. I am glad that the other coaches feel that was around the league. I am excited to have him for the next three years to see how much he grows in the program.”
Tetteh played in 13 games with six starts in 2015. He stepped into the starting lineup after an injury to redshirt-junior Erien Campbell and started six of the final seven games of the season at center back along with Fenwick.
“Rashid got off to a slow start this season but really came on at the end of the season,” O’Keeffe said. “He was playing behind an experienced player in Erien Campbell but when Erien went down Rashid stepped in and we didn’t miss a beat. To have him and Johnny be recognized as two freshman center backs speaks volumes about the impression they have made and how bright our future is at the position.”
High Point finished the 2015 regular season with a 7-6-5 overall record and a 3-3-3 mark in Big South play. The Panthers enter this season’s Big South Men’s Soccer Championship as the sixth seed and will face third-seeded Coastal Carolina in Conway, S.C., on Tuesday, Nov. 10. HPU played the nationally-ranked Chanticleers to a 0-0 draw at Vert Stadium last week.
2015 Big South Conference Men’s Soccer Award Winners
First-Team All-Conference
F: Bradley Farias, Soph., Campbell
F: Sivert Daehlie, Fr., Radford
F: Max Hasenstab, Jr., Winthrop
MF: Jamie Summers, Sr., Radford
MF: Magnus Thorsson, Gr., Winthrop
MF: Colin Marz, Sr., Coastal Carolina
MF: Ebe Kudolo, Soph., High Point
D: Daniel O’Keefe, R-Sr., Radford
D: Jo Vetle Rimstad, Jr., Radford
D: Austin Yearwood, Sr., High Point
D: Jordi Lluch, Sr., Winthrop
GK: Aitor Pouseu Blanco, R-Soph., Radford
AL: Tobenna Uzo, F, Coastal Carolina
Second-Team All-Conference
F: Willy Miezan, R-Fr., Longwood
F: Ali Al-Gashamy, R-Jr., Gardner-Webb
F: Zach Joens, Jr., UNC Asheville
MF: Sergio Camargo, Jr., Coastal Carolina
MF: Dan Campos, Jr., Longwood
MF: Louis Dargent, Soph., Coastal Carolina
MF: Josh Signey, Fr., Campbell
D: Einar Einarsson, Soph., Coastal Carolina
D: Elis Bjornsson, Soph., Coastal Carolina
D: Daniel Makuna, Fr., Campbell
D: Johnny Fenwick, Fr., High Point
GK: Kody Palmer, Sr., High Point
AL: Tim Harbison, Sr., Liberty
Honorable Mention All-Conference
Felix Steinhauser, MF, Jr., Radford
Bryce Follensbee, F, Sr., Coastal Carolina
Kevin Mendoza, MF, Fr., Liberty
Carlos Canas, GK, Jr., Longwood
Fernando Pina, GK, Jr., Coastal Carolina
All-Freshman Team
Sivert Daehlie, F, Fr., Radford
Jair Espinoza, MF, Fr., Coastal Carolina
Ryan Willoughby, MF, Fr., Coastal Carolina
Marvin Mendy, F, R-Fr., Gardner-Webb
Willy Miezan, F, R-Fr., Longwood
Jakob Strandsater, MF, Fr., Radford
Josh Signey, MF, Fr., Campbell
Johnny Fenwick, D, Fr., High Point
Sindri Kristinsson, D, Fr., Coastal Carolina
Rashid Tetteh, D, Fr., High Point
Daniel Makuna, D, Fr., Campbell
All-Academic Team
Matthew Mozynski, GK, R-Soph., Campbell
Colin Marz, D/MF, Sr., Coastal Carolina
William Liles, GK, Soph., Gardner-Webb
Austin Yearwood, D, Sr., High Point
Sachem Wilson, F, Sr., Liberty
Finnlay Wyatt, MF, Jr., Longwood
Thomas Valente, MF, Sr., Presbyterian
Fraser Colmer, D, Soph., Radford
Cole Schwietering, D, Sr., UNC Asheville
Jordi Lluch, D, Sr., Winthrop
Attacking Player of the Year
Bradley Farias, F, Soph., Campbell
Defensive Player of the Year
Daniel O’Keefe, D, R-Sr., Radford
Freshman of the Year
Sivert Daehlie, F, Fr., Radford
Coach of the Year
Rich Posipanko, Winthrop
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Thomas Valente, MF, Sr., Presbyterian