AUSTIN, Texas --- Four Tusculum University student-athletes have been named to the 2023 NCAA Division II Academic All-District® 3 Men's Soccer team as selected by the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA).

Earning Academic All-District® honors for the Pioneers are: J-P Vital, Asbjorn Saevik, Cristobal Morales and Nicolas Leite.

The 2023 Academic All-District® Men's Soccer Teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.

District 3 is comprised of colleges and universities representing the South Atlantic Conference, Peach Belt Conference and Conference Carolinas. To be eligible, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher, must be at least a sophomore and played in 90 percent of their team's matches or start in 67 percent of their contests.

Vital, a senior forward from Greeneville, Tennessee, has a 3.73 GPA as a marketing major. He is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Athletic Director's Honor Roll, Dean's List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. He is also a two-time recipient of the Division II Athletic Directors Association Academic Achievement Award. Vital was the team's top scorer in 2023 as he finished with six goals (9^th in SAC) and an assist for his 13 points. He led the team with three match-winning goals (6^th in SAC / 46^th in NCAA II). For his 35-match career, he posted seven goals with five assists for his 19 points.

Saevik, a sophomore defender from Ulsteinvik, Norway, has a 3.70 GPA while majoring in economics. He is a member of the AD Honor Roll, Dean's List, SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll and the Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. He was responsible for three assists in his 16 appearances with 15 starts.

Morales, a junior midfielder from Las Condes, Chile, is majoring in business administration and has a 3.63 GPA. He is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Dean's List, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List and the Athletic Director's Honor Roll. He is a two-time recipient of the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award. In his 15 starts in 2023, he posted two goals which were both match-winners. He also tallied an assist to give him five points.

Leite, a junior goalkeeper from Santo Andre, Brazil, has a 3.68 GPA and is majoring in sport management. He is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Dean's List, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List and the Athletic Director's Honor Roll. His 1.02 goals against average is the fourth lowest in the league and 38^th-best in the nation. His four shutouts were sixth in the SAC and his 54 total saves were seventh-best in the conference. He posted an .806 save percentage which is second in the SAC and 17^th in the country.

The Pioneers finished the season with an 8-5-3 overall record including 1-1-1 versus nationally-ranked teams.

The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes soccer honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in December.

The Division II and III CSC Academic All-America® programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2023-2024 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs.