Five Titans Receive CSC Academic All-District Honor

Seaton, Rodriguez, Smazil, Kedzior, and Kamau earn the award

11/21/2023 12:53:00 PM

CSC release

GREENWOOD, Ind. - Five Illinois Wesleyan University men's soccer student-athletes were named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team. Seniors Brody Seaton (Dunlap, Ill.-Peoria Notre Dame) and CJ Rodriguez (Santa Barabra, Calif.-Dos Pueblos), along with sophomores Jerry Smazil (Downers Grove, Ill.-Downers Grove South), Sam Kedzior (Cary, Ill.-Cary Grove), and Kalabi Kamau (Alpharetta, Ga.-Marist), each earned the distinction. The organization announced its selections Tuesday, Nov. 21.

These five helped lead the team to the program's first College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin championship as well as its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Titans ended their season 6-7-5 and 3-3-2 in conference.

Seaton is a finance major as well as a captain for the 2023 men's soccer team. The center midfielder helped lead the Titans to the conference championship scoring the tying goal to advance to the final before notching the game-winning goal in the conference championship game against Carthage College. The Dunlap Ill. native is a Second Team All-CCIW honoree in 2023, marking the first all-conference award of his career.

Fellow senior Rodriguez is a business major and made quite an impact on the field as well. Totaling seven points on the season, Rodriguez had a team-high five assists. Rodriguez helped the Titans advance to the semifinals in the conference tournament scoring his first goal of the season against North Park University in the CCIW Quarterfinals.

Smazil helped the Titans to a victory against Wheaton College in the conference tournament semifinals, with an assist to help push IWU into the championship. The Downers Grove, Ill. native played in 16 games and started in 14.

Kedzior, a secondary education major, played an integral part in getting the Titans to its first NCAA appearance. After facing tough competition the whole season, Kedzior then faced two rounds of penalty kick shootouts in the CCIW Tournament to reach the conference championship. Totaling 84 saves on the year, the Cary Ill. native also received Second Team All-CCIW honors.

Rounding out the Academic All-District honors for the Titans is Kamau. The Alpharetta, Ga. native has been a staple for the men's soccer team since he arrived at IWU. A defender for the team, Kamau made many stops from opportunities at goal.

The CSC Academic All-District Teams honors the nation's top student-athletes for their combined excellence athletically and academically. In order to be eligible, student-athletes must have a minimum grade point average of 3.50 and compete in at least 90% or start in at least 66% of the team's matches.

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