For the eighth time since 2011, the ETSU men’s soccer team has received the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award.

This award is given to the teams who maintain a combined 3.0 GPA or better during the school year. 

“I’m always very proud of the guys when they do well in the classroom,” said head coach David Casper. “It’s an expectation here, to be fair — we set the standards very high not only on the field, but in the classroom as well. It’s expected, but it’s never easy. They have to put in a lot of work to achieve it.” 

David Casper (Contributed/ ETSU)

Casper started his head coaching time at ETSU in 2018, and from then to now, the soccer team has received this award each semester, including setting the highest team GPA in the program’s history. 

“I can’t say that I do a whole lot, I just try to hold them accountable and make sure they understand what’s required,” Casper said.

The coaching staff has set up higher standards for their athletes than what the NCAA requires, meaning if the Bucs want to compete, they have to keep up a higher GPA than the minimum requirement set by the NCAA.  

“I’ve got a great staff,” Casper said. “Both my assistants, Josh Scott and Daniel Hrenko, do a good job to speak with the guys regularly to make sure they’re doing well in the classroom. The academic staff — Linda Dobele, in particular, works with our team. She does a great job to help make sure the guys are on track with what they do.”  

Being a student-athlete comes with a commitment and requires a lot of hard work to be put in both on and off the field.  

“To be a Division I athlete is a sacrifice,” Casper said. “We tell them all the time, you did not sign up to be a normal student. What you do all the time is more difficult. Our guys are monitored a lot closer, and because of that, I think they do a good job to excel.”

“I’m very proud of the work that they’ve done over the last two years.”