Lubbock Christian’s Tariq Bakkali was named the 2022 Lone Star Conference Men’s Soccer Academic Player of the Year as the conference released the men’s soccer academic awards on Thursday evening.
Bakkali led a group of 11 standout student-athletes honored for their work in the classroom and on the pitch and is the first Chap to claim the league’s top academic honor. The All-Academic team is chosen by the league’s sports information directors, who select players on the basis of both athletic and academic achievement. To be eligible for LSC academic honors, a student-athlete must have played in at least 50 percent of their team’s contests, reached sophomore athletic and academic standing, completed at least one full academic year at the nominating institution and have a minimum 3.30 cumulative grade point average based on the 4.0 system for their entire collegiate career.
The LCU graduate student was joined on the team by DBU’s Alexander Knepper, Ethan Unger, Payton Franklin and Peyton Voelker, St. Mary’s Andre Schlaefli, Dani Gimena and Deni Cresto, UT Permian Basin’s Gustavo Barroso, UT Tyler’s Sergio Sola and West Texas A&M’s Anthony Perea.
Bakkali, a forward from London, earned the league’s top academic honor with a nearly perfect GPA as an Master of Business Administration major at LCU. The fifth-year Chap ranks among the league’s best in goals (5) and assists (5), while his 15 points this season stand sixth in the LSC. Bakkali has helped lead the Chaps to a 7-7-4 overall record in 2022 and back-to-back tournament berths in the LSC tournament. He also tops the LCU record book in matches played, with 78 appearances to his name.
2022 LSC MEN’S SOCCER ALL-ACADEMIC AWARDS
| Player |
School |
Year |
Pos. |
Major |
Hometown |
| Alexander Knepper |
DBU |
Grad. |
GK |
MBA |
Tulsa, Okla. |
| Ethan Unger |
DBU |
Sr. |
MF |
Finance |
Frisco, Texas |
| Payton Franklin |
DBU |
Sr. |
DEF |
Biology |
Greenville, Texas |
| Peyton Voelker |
DBU |
So. |
F |
Business Administration |
Timnath, Colo. |
| Tariq Bakkali |
Lubbock Christian |
Grad. |
F |
MBA Accounting |
London, England |
| Andre Schlaefli |
St. Mary's |
Jr. |
GK |
Accounting |
Katy, Texas |
| Dani Gimena |
St. Mary's |
Jr. |
MF |
International Business |
Ondara, Spain |
| Deni Cresto |
St. Mary's |
Grad. |
MF |
Exercise & Sports Science |
Curitiba, Brazil |
| Gustavo Barroso |
UT Permian Basin |
Sr. |
MF |
Business |
São Paulo, Brazil |
| Sergio Sola |
UT Tyler |
Sr. |
MF |
Biochemistry |
Aranda de Duero, Spain |
| Anthony Perea |
West Texas A&M |
Jr. |
DEF |
General Business |
Frisco, Texas |