Academy Alums in College Ranks

Colleges across the country have kicked off their 2012 seasons and the Sporting KC Academy is well represented on rosters from coast-to-coast. View the list of Academy alums below who are now continuing their careers at the college level:

• Tom Adams (Oral Roberts) - Sophomore forward from Stillwell, Kan. (Blue Valley HS) saw action in 14 games as a freshman, with four starts. He scored three goals; his first career goal, a game-winner, in a Summit League win over Oakland (9/23) before tallying a brace in ORU's victory over Nebraska-Omaha (10/2). Tom has played in all four matches for ORU this season, scoring in the team's season opener against Houston Baptist.
• Jovanny Bonilla (Barton County CC) - Freshman midfielder from Dodge City, Kan. (Dodge City HS)
• Andrew Brown (Bradley University) - Freshman midfielder from Overland Park, Kan. (St. Thomas Aquinas HS) was one of seven Bradley newcomers to appear in both games of the opening weekend, Brown earned a starting nod for the 2012 season-opener, a 2-0 victory against Eastern Illinois.
• Eric DeJulio (Creighton University) - Freshman defender from Overland Park, Kan. (Blue Valley NW HS) came off the bench in season opener in 3-1 win against Northern Illinois.
• Christian Duke (University of San Diego) - Senior midfielder from Overland Park, Kan. (Shawnee Mission South HS) started in season opener against UC Irvine. Christian started all 18 games as junior with four assists. Made 15 starts in 17 appearances as a sophomore and was named All-WCC honorable mention with two assists on the year. Earned two appearances as a freshman for the Toreros in 2009.
• Brandon Fricke (Butler University) - Sophomore defender from Grimes, Iowa (Dallas Center-Grimes HS) scored the game-winning goal in a 2-0 victory over IUPUI yesterday. Brandon played in 16 games for the Bulldogs in 2011, including 15 as a starting defender. He recorded his first collegiate goal against Western Illinois and was named to the 11-player Capital One Academic All-District V University Division Men's Soccer Team.
• Laeth Hamil (Baker University) - Senior defender from Olathe, Kan. (Olathe East HS) has played in 53 games in his four-year career with two goals.
• Daniel Hare (Loyola University in Chicago) - Freshman defender from Overland Park, Kan. (Rockhurst HS) started season opener against Central Arkansas and played in both of the team's pre-season exhibition matches.
• Asher Herbet (Long Island University) - Sophomore midfielder from Overland Park, Kan. (Shawnee MIssion South HS) has appeared in both of the team's games thus far in 2012, starting in the team's most recent match against George Mason. He played in 16 matches, including two starts, as a freshman and was a member of Northeast Conference Fall Academic Honor and Commissioner's Honor Roll.
• Armando Hipolito (Barton County CC) - Freshman midfielder from Dodge City, Kan. (Dodge City HS)
• Eric Hymer (Fort Hays State) - Sophomore from Overland Park, Kan. (Olathe East HS) started two games and appeared in 12 matches as a freshman.
• David Isaacks (University of Rhode Island) - Freshman midfielder from Blue Springs, Mo (Blue Springs HS) is one of 25 finalists for the 2012 CFCareForward Thriving Undergraduate Scholarship worth $20,000. Text Vote3 to 23000.
• Raymond Lee (Saint Louis University) - Sophomore midfielder from Kansas City, Mo (Park Hill HS) started against perennial powers Akron and Indiana, and earned an assist against 3-2 loss against Memphis. Ray was named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team in 2011. He was second on the squad with nine points (4G, 1A) and started all 17 matches. He scored in each of the Billikens' first two games (Northern Illinois and Indiana) and was named A-10 Rookie of the Week on Sept. 6 after assisting on Alex Johnston's game-winning goal against No. 10 Notre Dame. He scored the Billikens' goal in a 1-1 draw against Missouri State on Homecoming and tallied again one game later at Drake.
• Andrew Lightner (University of Dayton) - Freshman defender from O'Fallon, Mo (Fort Zumwalt West).
• Marques Mayoras (Ohio State University) - Sophomore midfielder from Overland Park, Kan. (Blue Valley NW HS) played 15 minutes in pre-season exhibition match against Duquesne. He was one of six freshmen to earn minutes in 2011.He recorded playing time in four games, including two Big Ten matchups and earned Ohio State Scholar-Athlete recognition.
• Andrew Miller (Baker University) - Freshman defender from Overland Park, Kan. (Blue Valley West HS) has appeared in both of the team's matches thus far in 2012.
• Eric Moore (Rockhurst University) - Sophomore defender from Overland Park, Kan. (Blue Valley West HS).
• Romeo Munoz (Iowa Western) - Freshman defender from Kansas City, Kan. (Shawnee Mission North HS). Assistant Coach Mike Brown had this to say about Romeo, "After seeing Romeo play, it was clear that he would be an excellent fit in our system and style of play. He is very comfortable on the ball and is an excellent passer. We expect him to provide depth at multiple positions for us."
• Michael Oakley (University of Missouri Kansas City) - Sophomore defender from Lee's Summit, MO (Lee's Summit North HS) started and played the full 90 minutes in both of the Roos matches thus far in 2012. He started and played in every game but one during his freshman campaign in the central defense, earning a spot on the Summit League All-Newcomer Team. He led the team to three shutouts and a 1.73 goals against average. Michael was named to the Fall Academic All-League team, and as a Distinguished Scholar for his work in the classroom.
• Paul Oliver (California Baptist) - Sophomore defender/midfielder from Overland Park, Kan. (Blue Valley North HS) transferred from Oral Roberts, where he started all 16 of his appearances at right back in 2011 as a freshman. He scored two goals and assisted on two others for six points.
• Nate Opperman (University of Evansville) - Freshman forward from Olathe, Kan. (Olathe South HS) has started all four of the team's matches in 2012. He scored the game-winning goal in his first career regular season match, a 2-1 win over Lipscomb and also started in a 2-1 win over Belmont.
• Garrett Pulliam (Barton County CC) - Freshman forward from Overland Park, Kan. (Blue Valley West HS) for the No. 3 ranked Bluejays.
• Jordan Rideout (University of Missouri Kansas City) - Sophomore forward from Southport, England (Blue Valley North HS) has started both of UMKC's matches this season. He was the 2011 Summit League Newcomer of the Year. He was also named first-team All-Summit League as a true freshman and he scored seven goals to lead the team, six of which came in conference play. He led the league with those six strikes in conference action, while ranking third overall in the conference in scoring.
• Derek Schrick (Southern Methodist University) - Freshman midfielder from Kansas City, Mo (Rockhurst HS).
• Alex Sweetin (Saint Louis University) - Junior midfielder from Overland Park, Kan. (Rockhurst HS) recorded an assist in the team's 2-0 win over Jefferson College and scored a goal in a 3-2 loss against Memphis in the pre-season. He started for SLU in matches against perennial powers Akron and Indiana. Alex did not play in 2011 after suffering an injury in pre-season. He was named a second-team All-Atlantic 10 Conference selection in 2010 and tied for team-high honors with 8 points (2G, 4A). As a freshman, Alex was voted Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Year and named to TopDrawerSoccer.com's Rookie "Team of the Season." He was third on the team with 12 points, which included three goals and a team-high six assists and was one of three Billikens to start all 22 matches. He scored twice against Tulsa in the second-round NCAA Tournament match.
• Chris Tuso (Creighton University) - Freshman defender/midfielder from Overland Park, Kan. (Blue Valley NW HS)
• Taylor Vinnage (Benedictine) - Sophomore goalkeeper from Overland Park, Kan. (Blue Valley NW HS) made three saves in a 3-2 OT loss to Jamestown. He transferred from Rockhurst University, where he helped shut out Indianapolis with four saves in a 2-0 win in his only appearance his freshman year.
• Taylor Walter (Colgate University) - Freshman midfielder/defender from Overland Park, Kan. (Blue Valley HS).
• Drew Wilson (Fort Hays State University) - Freshman defender from Overland Park, Kan. (Olathe East HS).
• Will Witherspoon (Virginia Tech) - Sophomore forward from Ankeny, Iowa (Ankeny HS) played in 18 games, drawing three starts, as one of four true freshmen to see action.
• Shane Woods (Drury University) - Freshman forward from Kearney, Mo (Kearney HS)
• Evan Wright (Saint Louis University) - Freshman goalkeeper from Overland Park, Kan. (Blue Valley HS) played 30 minutes in 2-0 pre-season win over Jefferson College, making one save.