Soccer led by two academic All-Americans.

• Position: Athletics - Shawn Sloan and Becca Hemby signed a professional contract with The Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer

HPU athletics has always shown a commitment to excellence both on the field and in the classroom. This fall, that commitment was clearly on display when two HPU student-athletes were named Capital One Academic All-Americans.

Senior Shawn Sloan of the men's soccer team, who recently signed a professional contract with The Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer, was named a first-team Academic All-American. Junior Becca Hemby of the women's soccer team was named a second-team Academic All-American. Academic All-American honors determined by the College Sports Information Directors Association (CoSIDA) are among the toughest awards to earn in college sports.

Both student-athletes carry 4.0 grade point averages. Sloan majors in biochemistry and Hemby majors in economics. Both Sloan and Hemby also excelled on the field in 2012, earning first-team All-Big South recognition.

Sloan finished the season second on the team with 22 points on six goals and a team-high 10 assists. He finished third in the nation in assists per game (0.67) and tied for eighth in total assists. Sloan was named the Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year for a second-straight season and is a three-time Big South Presidential Honor Roll member.

Sloan is HPU's first two-time Academic All-American. He was previously named an Academic All-American in 2010. Chris Archer is the only other Panther player to be named an Academic All-American, earning the honor in 2006.

"This is an outstanding honor for Shawn," men's soccer coach Dustin Fonder said. "To be an Academic All-American is one of the biggest honors you can receive in...