Nov. 11, 2009

Charlotte, NC -

2009 All-Atlantic 10 men's soccer team release

Four members of the nationally-ranked Charlotte 49ers men's soccer team earned All-Atlantic 10 honors. Senior midfielder Adam Gross became the first 49ers men's soccer player to be named A-10 Student-Athlete of the Year. Gross also was named first-team All-Atlantic 10 and to the A-10 Academic All-Conference team. Senior midfielder Luke Exley and sophomore forward Evan James were named second-team All-Atlantic 10. While, freshman forward Jennings Rex was named to the A-10 All-Rookie team.

"All four players deserved the honors that they received," Charlotte coach Jeremy Gunn said. "They all had tremendous seasons. Any number of players on our team could have earned All-Atlantic 10 honors which shows the great effort by our team all season long."

Gross, Exley, James and Rex have all played an integral role on a 49ers team that has been nationally-ranked for the last seven weeks. The 49ers, who at one point this season were ranked #9, are currently ranked 18th in the NSCAA Coaches Poll. This season, the 49ers rank eighth in the country in scoring offense at 2.17 goals per game.

Gross, who was a preseason All-Atlantic 10 selection, ranks among the A-10 leaders with a team-leading career-high eight goals with four of them being game-winners. He also is second on the team with six assists which gives him a team-leading 22 points. He scored two goals and added two assists in the 49ers win over George Washington. He has earned A-10 Player of the Week honors twice this season. Gross was also named to TopDrawerSoccer.com's National Team of the Week as well. Gross, who was an honorable-mention All-Atlantic 10 selection last season, is the 49ers' captain this season.

Last season, Gross, who has a 3.66 GPA in Business Management, was named third-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American. Just a couple of weeks ago, he was named first-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District for the second straight season.

"Adam is a perfect example of a student-athlete," Gunn said. "He is everything that a coach would want out of a player. He works hard and is a wonderful student. He is a great captain and teammate."

Exley, who is the 49ers' vice-captain, has been a mainstay for the 49ers as a starting central midfielder for the last three seasons. He has scored a career-high five goals with a career-high tying six assists this year. Exley scored the game's only goal in the 49ers 1-0 road win at Furman. He also scored a goal and added an assist in the 49ers A-10 season-opening 6-0 win over George Washington.

James, who was an A-10 All-Rookie team selection last season, is tied with Rex for second on the team with six goals. He scored the game-winning goal in the 49ers home opening win over Campbell. He has also added a career-high five assists for a career-high 17 points. He scored a goal and assisted on the game-winning goal in the 49ers' 3-1 win at #3 Wake Forest this season. He was named A-10 Player of the Week and to TopDrawerSoccer.com's National Team of the Week twice this season. He has also been named to Soccer America's and College Soccer News' National Teams of the Week as well.

Rex became the 21st different 49ers men's soccer player to garner league All-Rookie team honors. Rex finished the regular-season tied for second on the team with James with six goals. He was named A-10 Rookie of the Week twice. Rex recorded two goals in 49ers' wins over Winthrop and Saint Joseph's. He scored the game-winning goal in the 49ers road wins over Wake Forest and Saint Joseph's.

Exley, Gross, James and Rex and the rest of the nationally-ranked Charlotte 49ers begin their quest for the program's first A-10 Tournament title when they battle the host team Rhode Island in the A-10 Tournament quarterfinals, Thursday, November 12 at 7:30 pm.