AUSTIN, Texas --- Washington and Lee University goalkeeper Gillen Beck added a very unique honor to his career list of plaudits on Tuesday afternoon as he was named a Second Team Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Beck is the first men's soccer player in Generals' history to earn Academic All-America laurels. His honor brings W&L's all-time total of Academic All-Americans to 73 since 1975.
To be eligible for Academic All-America, an athlete must have earned a spot on his or her Academic All-District team. Nominees must be of sophomore academic standing, be a started or important reserve, and boast a grade point average of at least 3.30 on a 4.00 scale.
RELATED: CoSIDA Academic All-America Release
Beck, a senior from Blacksburg, Va., starred on the field and continues to stand out in the classroom. Beck maintains a 3.952 grade point average as a Mathematics and Physics double major. He is a W&L Scholar as well as a multi-honoree on the All-ODAC Academic Team. A member of Phi Eta Sigma (first year) and Sigma Pi Sigma (physics) honor societies, Beck is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree as well as two-time recipient of the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete Award for men's soccer.
On the field, Beck adds this honor to an All-ODAC Third Team selection this season and a second team award last year and a first team nod in 2015. Beck started 21 games for the Generals and posted a 0.97 goals-against-average, which ranked fifth in the ODAC. He also registered a .783 save percentage, 72 saves, and seven shutouts. For his career, Beck owns a 0.88 GAA, which ranks second in program history. His 16 career shutouts are tied for third in the team record books.