Bowling Green State University Athletics
Sullivan Named to Senior CLASS Award All-America Team
May 13, 2021 | Men's Soccer
Stellar senior earns second-team accolades
OVERLAND PARK, Kansas – Bowling Green State University men's soccer star Chris Sullivan has been named a Senior CLASS Award All-American for 2020-21. Sullivan was named to the organization's Senior All-America Second Team.
In March, Sullivan was one of 60 NCAA men's and women's soccer student-athletes who excel both on and off the field to be selected as candidates for the award. Those lists included 30 men's soccer and 30 women's soccer candidates. Sullivan and Achille Robin each were named candidates at that time, making BGSU the only school with two student-athletes among the 30 candidates for the men's soccer award.
Then, in early April, those lists were trimmed to the 10 men's and 10 women's finalists. Sullivan was the only Mid-American Conference student-athlete among the 20 total finalists (both men's and women's soccer). The finalists were chosen by a selection committee, and nationwide fan voting, along with media and Division I head coaches' votes, determined the winner.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.Â
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character, and competition.
Sullivan, from Naperville, Ill., led the team in goals, assists and points for the second-straight season. A team tri-captain, he scored 13 points on four goals and five assists, and was directly involved in the scoring of nine of BGSU's 13Â goals this season. He had a goal and two assists in the season opener vs. Dayton, and also found the back of the net against SIUE and in both matches vs. Northern Illinois.
His goal vs. SIUE was a 'Golden Goal,' while his goal in the first NIU meeting came midway through the second half and also proved to be the GWG in a 1-0 victory. Sullivan was named to the All-MAC First Team and the All-Region Second Team. He was the USC National Player of the Week on Feb. 23, the first Falcon to earn that honor in program history, and was named MAC Player of the Week twice.
Sullivan helped lead the 2020(-21) Falcons to the MAC regular-season title and a berth in the NCAA Championships. BGSUÂ won the MAC's regular-season championship outright for the first time since 1996 and just the second time since the MAC began sponsoring the sport in '93. The Falcons advanced to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 1997.
BGSU went 5-2-1 in conference play, including a 3-0-1 mark at Cochrane Stadium, and BG has a record of 25-14-4 over the last 43 matches, dating to late in the 2018 season.
For more information on the Senior CLASS Award for men's soccer and other sports, visit SeniorCLASSaward.com.
And, for more information on the MAC Champion men's soccer program, follow the Falcons on Twitter (@BGAthletics and @BGSUmenssoccer), Instagram (bgsumenssoccer) and Facebook (BGMensSoccer) as well as on the web right here at BGSUFalcons.com.
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Jacob Graiber, UIC
Thomas M'Barek, Cleveland State (Senior CLASS Award Winner)
George Proctor, Georgia State
Tor Saunders, Coastal Carolina
Marc Ybarra, Michigan
Second Team All-Americans
Justin Malou, Clemson
Jacob Montes, Georgetown
Yannik Oettl, UCF
Chris Sullivan, Bowling Green
Joel Walker, Oregon State
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In March, Sullivan was one of 60 NCAA men's and women's soccer student-athletes who excel both on and off the field to be selected as candidates for the award. Those lists included 30 men's soccer and 30 women's soccer candidates. Sullivan and Achille Robin each were named candidates at that time, making BGSU the only school with two student-athletes among the 30 candidates for the men's soccer award.
Then, in early April, those lists were trimmed to the 10 men's and 10 women's finalists. Sullivan was the only Mid-American Conference student-athlete among the 20 total finalists (both men's and women's soccer). The finalists were chosen by a selection committee, and nationwide fan voting, along with media and Division I head coaches' votes, determined the winner.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.Â
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character, and competition.
Sullivan, from Naperville, Ill., led the team in goals, assists and points for the second-straight season. A team tri-captain, he scored 13 points on four goals and five assists, and was directly involved in the scoring of nine of BGSU's 13Â goals this season. He had a goal and two assists in the season opener vs. Dayton, and also found the back of the net against SIUE and in both matches vs. Northern Illinois.
His goal vs. SIUE was a 'Golden Goal,' while his goal in the first NIU meeting came midway through the second half and also proved to be the GWG in a 1-0 victory. Sullivan was named to the All-MAC First Team and the All-Region Second Team. He was the USC National Player of the Week on Feb. 23, the first Falcon to earn that honor in program history, and was named MAC Player of the Week twice.
Sullivan helped lead the 2020(-21) Falcons to the MAC regular-season title and a berth in the NCAA Championships. BGSUÂ won the MAC's regular-season championship outright for the first time since 1996 and just the second time since the MAC began sponsoring the sport in '93. The Falcons advanced to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 1997.
BGSU went 5-2-1 in conference play, including a 3-0-1 mark at Cochrane Stadium, and BG has a record of 25-14-4 over the last 43 matches, dating to late in the 2018 season.
For more information on the Senior CLASS Award for men's soccer and other sports, visit SeniorCLASSaward.com.
And, for more information on the MAC Champion men's soccer program, follow the Falcons on Twitter (@BGAthletics and @BGSUmenssoccer), Instagram (bgsumenssoccer) and Facebook (BGMensSoccer) as well as on the web right here at BGSUFalcons.com.
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2020-21Â Senior CLASS Award Winners
First Team All-AmericansJacob Graiber, UIC
Thomas M'Barek, Cleveland State (Senior CLASS Award Winner)
George Proctor, Georgia State
Tor Saunders, Coastal Carolina
Marc Ybarra, Michigan
Second Team All-Americans
Justin Malou, Clemson
Jacob Montes, Georgetown
Yannik Oettl, UCF
Chris Sullivan, Bowling Green
Joel Walker, Oregon State
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Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Soccer
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