KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Christopher Newport senior defender
Derek Cook was named a second team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches on Thursday night as part of the NCAA Division III Championship Banquet. The team captain for the Captains became the program's eighth All-American and the first defender to collect the prestigious accolades since
Harry Nodwell in 2016.
Cook is the seventh player to earn All-American recognition in the last decade as Christopher Newport has established itself as a national power year in and year out. This year was a return to that success as the Captains bounced back from a sub-.500 season in 2018 to win 14 games, reach the conference championship, and earn an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament.
Leading the way for the resurgent season on both ends of the field was
Derek Cook. The senior leader helped anchor the best defense in program history as measured by goals-against average and save percentage. With Cook in the middle of the stingy defense, the Captains allowed just 12 goals in over 2,014 minutes of action for a program-record 0.54 goals against average. Christopher Newport ranked fifth nationally in GAA and fourth in save percentage as the formidable defender helped lead one of the nation's top back lines.
The Captains' defense piled up 11 shutouts in the 2019 season, including a 1-0 win and a 0-0 draw in NCAA Tournament action. Cook was on the field for nearly all of it, playing in 95.6% of the Captains' minutes played this season with a team-high 1,926 during his senior season. He started all 21 games in the center back position and was named the Capital Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
Cook also led the team offensively, tying for the Captains' scoring lead with 18 points. He registered six goals and added six points while going a perfect 6-for-6 in penalty kick opportunities. He wrapped up his tenure a two-time All-Conference selection with this year's first team All-CAC designation.
The Yorktown, Va. native was named a second team All-American and joins Gerard Mosley (1985, 1986), Sean Moriarty (2011), and
Harry Nodwell (2016) as the only Captains' defenders to earn the national distinction.
2019 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division III Men's All-America Team
| First Team |
| Pos. |
Name |
Class |
School |
Hometown |
| K |
AJ Marcucci* |
Jr. |
Connecticut College |
West Chester, Pa. |
| D |
Ben Rickson |
Sr. |
Worcester Polytechnic Institute |
West Warren, Mass. |
| D |
Cooper Robbins |
Sr. |
Messiah College |
Randelman, N.C. |
| D |
Connor Whitacre |
Sr. |
Franklin & Marshall College |
Lancaster, Pa. |
| M |
RJ Moore |
Jr. |
Johns Hopkins University |
Vienna, Va. |
| M |
Hunter Olson |
Sr. |
Calvin University |
Canton, Mich. |
| M |
Gabriel Soriano |
Sr. |
University of Mary Washington |
Fredericksburg, Va. |
| F |
Ben Alexander |
So. |
Catholic University |
Bel Air, Md. |
| F |
Joe Braun* |
Sr. |
Tufts University |
Yardley, Pa. |
| F |
Joe Fala* |
Sr. |
Ramapo College |
Cape May Court House, N.J. |
| F |
Alexander Garuba* |
Sr. |
Centre College |
Atlanta, Ga. |
| F |
German Giammattei |
So. |
Amherst College |
Pinecrest, Fla. |
| F |
Witman Hernandez |
Sr. |
SUNY Oneonta |
Huntington, N.Y. |
| F |
Baboucarr Njie |
Jr. |
North Carolina Wesleyan College |
Washington, D.C. |
| F |
Cole Schwartz |
So. |
Gustavus Adolphus College |
Jakarta, Indonesia |
|
|
|
|
|
| Second Team |
| Pos. |
Name |
Class |
School |
Hometown |
| K |
Aaron Katsimpalis |
Jr. |
University of Chicago |
Harrison Township, Mich. |
| D |
William Birchard |
Jr. |
Claremont-Harvey Mudd-Scripps Colleges |
Tucson, Ariz. |
| D |
Derek Cook |
Sr. |
Christopher Newport University |
Yorktown, Va. |
| D |
Halvor Houg |
Jr. |
University of St. Thomas |
Baerums, Norway |
| M |
Evan MacDonald |
Sr. |
Salve Regina University |
Candia, N.H. |
| M |
Peder Olsen* |
Jr. |
North Park University |
Larvik, Norway |
| M |
Jesse Riggs |
Sr. |
Covenant College |
Chesapeake, Va. |
| M |
Gavin Tasker |
Sr. |
Tufts University |
Concord, Mass. |
| M |
William Turrittin |
Jr. |
John Carroll University |
Medina, Ohio |
| F |
Ian Adams |
Sr. |
Calvin University |
Grand Rapids, Mich. |
| F |
Adetayo Adefioye |
Sr. |
Knox College |
Lagos, Nigeria |
| F |
Khalid Balogun* |
Sr. |
St. Mary's College of Maryland |
Bowie, Md. |
| F |
Luis Green* |
So. |
Texas Lutheran University |
Monterrey, Mexico |
| F |
Nicholas Jannelli* |
Sr. |
Haverford College |
Springfield, Pa. |
| F |
Benjamin Keller |
Sr. |
Luther College |
White Bear Lake, Minn. |
| F |
Ryan Marcano* |
Sr. |
Oglethorpe University |
Atlanta, Ga. |
|
|
|
|
|
| Third Team |
| Pos. |
Name |
Class |
School |
Hometown |
| K |
Jack Long |
Jr. |
Catholic University |
Manasquan, N.J. |
| D |
Mason Anderson* |
Sr |
University of Texas-Dallas |
Frisco, Texas |
| D |
Trevor Bisson |
Jr. |
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
Baton Rouge, La. |
| D |
Matthew Nigro |
Sr. |
John Carroll University |
Strongsville, Ohio |
| D |
Taylor Petkovich |
Sr. |
Central College |
Littleton, Colo. |
| M |
Makenson Cadet |
Jr. |
Hardin-Simmons University |
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos |
| M |
Nilton DeAndrade |
Jr. |
University of Massachusetts-Boston |
Fogo, Cape Verde |
| M |
Hector Gomez |
So. |
Ohio Wesleyan University |
Columbus, Ohio |
| M |
Alejandro MacLean |
Jr. |
Johns Hopkins University |
Riverside, Conn. |
| M |
Roberto Ventura |
Jr. |
SUNY Oneonta |
Brentwood, N.Y. |
| F |
Patrick Agyemang |
So. |
Eastern Connecticut State University |
East Hartford, Conn. |
| F |
Max Busch |
Fr. |
Bethany Lutheran College |
Odenthal, Germany |
| F |
Evan Couchot |
Sr. |
Endicott College |
Mason, Ohio |
| F |
Demian Gass |
Sr. |
Williams College |
Houston, Texas |
| F |
Danny Ruple |
Sr. |
Baldwin-Wallace University |
Berea, Ohio |
| F |
Sam Twigg |
So. |
Calvin University |
Auckland, New Zealand |
* - Indicates repeat selection
