GREENWOOD, Ind. - Men's soccer forward Brian Stepanek, who holds a 4.0 GPA and is majoring in computer science was selected by CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) as a First-Team Google Cloud Academic All-District Selection today. 

As a first-team selection, Stepanek (Davidson, N.C. / Eagles Nest Academy) will be placed on the Google Cloud Academic All-America ballot. Academic All-America honorees will be announced in early December.

"We preach to our guys that academics are incredibly important, and tell them the value of being a true student-athlete," said head coach Tony Setzer. Brian truly sets an example for the rest of our team of how important it is not only to give your best effort on the field but also in the classroom. He takes on the rigors of a difficult major and performs at a high level on the field. As a coach, he's the type of player and student you want in your program. I am proud of Brian for being a leader and truly putting the student in student-athlete. Congratulations to him on this honor."

A Gardner-Webb University Dean's List member, Stepanek was selected as an All-District selection on the NCAA Division I District III team, which features schools from North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. He joined Campbell junior Gideon Betz as the other Big South Conference honoree. The District III list featured  players from 10 different schools. The University of North Carolina was the only school to have multiple selections with two. 

Stepanek has been a member of the Gardner-Webb soccer program since 2016 and appeared in 12 matches during the 2018 campaign for the Runnin' Bulldogs. He earned the starting nod in one match and played a season-high 69 minutes in a non-conference match at Georgia State. 

For his career, Stepanek has in 23 matches with four starts, recording one goal and adding one assist. His scored his lone collegiate goal as a freshman in a 1-1 draw against conference opponent High Point and recorded his first career assist in a November 2017 victory against the Winthrop Eagles.

For more information about CoSIDA's Google Cloud Academic All-District® and Academic All-America® Teams program, visit AcademicAllAmerica.com or the Academic All-America® home page on CoSIDA.com.