Lander Claims CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team
AUSTIN, TX – Senior midfielder
Richard Lander (Narrowsburg, NY/Sullivan West) of the Alfred University men's soccer team was selected to the 2016 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America ® Second Team on Friday afternoon.
Lander was the only member on either First, Second or Third Team of the CoSIDA Academic All-America ® listings from an Empire 8 school and is only one of two players who are natives of New York state, joining SUNY Geneseo's Brad Campion of Delmar, NY who made Third Team honors.
This is Lander's second season in a row of him earning a Second Team selection while he is carrying a 3.94 GPA in mechanical engineering. He ends his four-year career as a Saxon having played in 71 games with 53 starts, accumulating 64 points from 22 goals and 20 assists and scoring six game-winning goals. He is 4-of-6 on penalty kicks and has taken a total of 281 shots with 137 on target. During his collegiate career, he has helped the Saxons earn an overall record of 33-33-8 with a home record of 21-12-5, away of 10-19-3 and neutral of 2-2. Lander and the Saxons were 9-14-4 in Empire 8 play.
This season, Lander has earned CoSIDA Academic All-District III First Team, All-Empire 8 Athletic Conference First Team as a midfielder, Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) North Offensive Player of the Week and Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week.
In his junior season, he was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division III Men's All-East Region Third Team, CoSIDA Academic All-America ® Second Team, CoSIDA Academic All-District III First Team, ECAC Division III men's Soccer Upstate First Team All-Star, All-Empire 8 Athletic Conference First Team, Empire 8 President's List for both Fall and Spring, Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week and GoSaxons.com Athlete of the Week. He was also inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma, a national honors society for collegiate athletics.
Lander earned All-Empire 8 Athletic Conference Second Team in both his sophomore and freshman seasons.