October 30, 2008

DITTRICH EARNS SPOT ON ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT FIRST TEAM
Defender has made every start and posted a 3.49 GPA

RICHMOND, Va. – Senior Dirk Dittrich (Stuttgart, Germany) of the Virginia Commonwealth University men’s soccer team is known for being one of the hardest working defensemen in the Colonial Athletic Association.

His hard work is not just displayed on the field as his dedication in the classroom earned him a spot on the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District First-Team.

"Dirk has been a tremendous example of the type of student-athlete we want as a part of our program," Head Coach Tim O'Sullivan said. "You know that every day, Dirk brings everything he can to everything he does. If it is on the soccer feild or in the classroom Dirk always gives his best effort. In this way and in many other ways, he is an outstanding leader for our program. He has been a tremendous asset to our program and to our team."

Dittrich is one of only five players in the CAA who earned the honor, only three were named to the First Team in their respective districts. Tobias Nagy of Georgia State and Kyle Davis of Delaware were the other First-Team members, while Filipe Carvalho of Georgia State and Nathaniel Baako of William & Mary earned Second-Team honors.

In the classroom at VCU, Dittrich has posted a 3.49 cumulative grade-point average, while majoring in business administration.

On the field, he has been just as outstanding as the key member of a stifling backline that has limited its opponents to just one goal per game and only 10.2 shots per contest.

This is not the first time the veteran has been honored for his off the field accomplishments as he was named to the NSCAA/Adidas Academic All-American Third Team last season.