Wednesday, November 20, 2019

PORTLAND, Ore. – Five of the GNAC’s top men’s soccer players, including a slew of Western Washington players, can now add all-region honors to their resumes with selection to the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-West Region Team.

Saint Martin’s senior forward Brandon Madsen, the reigning GNAC Player of the Year, capped off an incredible career with a stellar 2019 campaign. Madsen scored 18 goals and added four assists to total 40 points, finishing the season as one of Division II’s top scorers. His 18 goals this season rank second in Division II, and his 47 career goals in a Saint Martin’s uniform catapulted him to a tie for second on the GNAC career leaderboard.

After finishing with a 10-1-1 record in conference play, including an 11-match unbeaten streak, Western Washington won its first GNAC title in 11 years. The Vikings landed four players on the All-West Region teams.

Following selection as the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year, Western Washington senior defender Jeremiah Lee joins Madsen on the All-West Region First Team. Lee led a Vikings’ defense that allowed just 14 goals in 18 matches as the Vikings ranked first in the conference with eight shutouts and a 0.76 goals against average.

A trio of Vikings was also selected to the All-West Region Second Team, including freshman goalkeeper Brandon Locke, junior midfielder Georg Cholewa and junior defender Camron Miller.

Locke, a Second Team All-GNAC selection, earned All-West Region honors after leading the GNAC in save percentage (.891), shutouts (seven) and goals against average (0.39). He registered three consecutive shutouts on two separate occasions in conference play and was one of five Vikings to earn GNAC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Cholewa earned First Team All-GNAC honors for the second consecutive year after he scored four goals while leading the GNAC and ranking 11th in Division II with nine assists. Miller joined the Vikings in 2019 after playing two seasons at Whatcom Community College. He made an immediate impact in the Vikings’ backline and earned GNAC Defensive Player of the Week honors twice this season.

The conference’s two first-team selections, Madsen and Lee, will now move forward for consideration for the D2CCA All-America Team, which will be announced on Dec. 11.