Oct. 14, 2008

BURNABY, B.C. - Chalk up another championship for Dayton men's soccer alumni. Flyer alumnus Omar Jarun, a defender for the Vancouver Whitecaps, helped the squad to their second USL First Division championship in three years, defeating the Puerto Rico Islanders 2-1 in the final Sunday.

Jarun transferred to Dayton from Memphis for his junior year to play alongside current Chicago Fire striker Chris Rolfe in the Flyers attack in 2004. He was named Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team and All-Great Lakes Region Third Team in his first season with Dayton after leading the team in scoring with nine goals. In his senior year, Jarun was named Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team after finishing second in conference scoring with 10 goals. He was third in the A-10 in assists (7) and points (27).

Now a defender, the 6-foot-5 Jarun played in 24 games for the Whitecaps during the 2008 campaign. He scored one goal and tallied an assist for three points during Vancouver's championship season. Jarun joined the Whitecaps at the end of 2007.

Jarun is not the first former Flyer to be a part of a championship team this year. Mark Schulte ('99) and Godfrey Tenoff ('99) were key components of the Cleveland City Stars which won the USL-2 Championship.

The Cleveland City Stars (10-3-7) defeated the No. 1-seeded Charlotte Eagles (13-2-5) in a thrilling 2-1 victory. Charlotte finished the regular season at the top of the table for the second consecutive year, sharing it with Richmond. The City Stars dispatched Richmond last week in a 1-0 overtime win to earn an invitation to the championship game.

The reigning two-time USL Second Division Defender of the Year, Schulte was honored as the Championship MVP.