BUIES CREEK, N.C. –Campbell University senior defender Ben Iiames is one of 11 student-athletes named to the Capital One Academic All-District 3 Men's Soccer Division I team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
A four-year starter in the Camel defense from Raleigh, N.C, Iiames owns a 3.30 grade-point average as a kinesiology major. He has been in the starting 11 each time during Campbell's last 68 matches, including every outing the last three seasons.
Iiames has helped lead Campbell to an 11-5-1 overall record and a 6-3-0 ledger in the Big South Conference heading into Saturday's 4:00 p.m., regular season finale at Gardner-Webb.
Ranked No.-9 in the South Atlantic Region, Campbell owns a 2-2-1 record against nationally-ranked opponents this year and a 2-1 mark against members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
A 2009 graduate of Broughton High School, Iiames has played all but 38 minutes for the Camels this season, while producing a career-high 3 goals. He scored in Big South victories over Winthrop, Presbyterian and UNC Asheville and also assisted on the game-winner earlier this year vs. UNC Wilmington.
In 2011, Iiames scored the golden goal in a 1-0 overtime victory against NC State. He played full time this year in a 1-1 season-opening draw at No.-16 SMU as well as in wins over No.-17 North Carolina State and No.-25 High Point.
He has appeared in 72 games in his career with 70 starts and played an average of 87 minutes per outing.
Iiames earned a place on the 2011-12 Big South Conference Presidential Honor Roll. He was named to the 2010 Atlantic Sun all-conference second team, while also gaining a spot on the A-Sun all-academic unit. Iiames was an all-conference and all-region choice at Broughton, which won a pair of 4-A state titles during his career.
"We are proud of Ben's academic accomplishments and the example he has set for our younger players and the program," said head coach Steve Armas. "We have appreciated his leadership during his time here at Campbell."
Iiames' selection marks the fourth time that a Campbell men's soccer player has been chosen to the Academic All-District unit. Scott Phillips and Devin Sheppard were honored in 2006, while Austin Skakle was named in 2008.
Four Big South Conference players earned academic all-district notice this fall. Shawn Sloan of High Point and Bobby Castro from UNC Asheville joined Iiames on the District 3 squad. Alex Isern of Winthrop was named to the District 4 team.
CoSIDA's 1800 members in the United States and Canada nominate players for Capital One Academic All-America® recognition. To be eligible, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore in academic standing, have at least a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average, and be a starter or key reserve on his or her team.
CoSIDA members vote on the all-district teams; then a national panel selects the Academic All-America squads from all first-team all-district choices. District 3 includes all NCAA Division I schools in North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
2012 Capital One Academic All-District 3 Division I Men's Soccer Team
Selected by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA)
Pos. Name School Cl. Hometown GPA Major
GK Scott Goodwin North Carolina Sr. Raleigh, N.C. 3.95 Biology
MF Shawn Sloan High Point Sr. Geneva, Ill. 4.00 Chemistry
MF Tyler Gibson Charlotte Jr. Knoxville, Tenn. 3.84 Marketing
MF Matt Wescoe Elon Jr. Willow Springs, N.C. 3.53 Political Science
D Will Smith William & Mary Jr. Avon, Conn. 3.70 Government
D Thomas Allen Charlotte Jr. Charlotte, N.C. 3.36 Civil Engineering
D Bobby Castro UNC Asheville Jr. Cary, N.C. 3.85 Health & Wellness
D Ben Iiames Campbell Sr. Raleigh, N.C. 3.30 Kinesiology
F Mark Sherrod Memphis Jr. Knoxville, Tenn. 3.48 Civil Engineering
F Giuseppe Gentile Charlotte So. Charlotte, N.C. 3.53 Undeclared
F Yannick Smith Old Dominion Sr. Hillsborough, N.J. 3.37 Health & Physical Education
