The 2004 NSCAA/adidas National Players of the Year for NCAA Division II and III feature three athletes who led their teams to national championships and one who was the most prolific intercollegiate scorer in the nation, regardless of level of play.
Bobby McAlister of Seattle University, Ymara Guante of Metro State College, Patrick McGinnis of Colorado College and Jessica Elsen of Wheaton (Ill.) College will be honored by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America at its All-America Luncheon on Saturday, Jan. 15, held in conjunction with the annual NSCAA Convention.
Division II Men - Bobby McAlister, Seattle, Wash., Seattle University
McAlister set Seattle University and Great Northwest Athletic Conference single-season records for goals (22), points (49) and game-winning goals (11) and led the Redhawks to a 22-0-1 record and the school’s first NCAA Division II national title. He scored both game-winning goals in the Redhawks’ two matches at the NCAA Division II Final Four, earning Offensive Player of the Tournament honors. He also assisted Seattle’s game-winning goal in the NCAA quarterfinals against Incarnate Word with three seconds remaining in the regulation. He was featured in Sports Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd in the Dec. 23, 2004, issue.
Division II Women - Ymara Guante, Tucson, Ariz., Metro State College
Guante was an integral part of the Roadrunner's national championship team. She became Metro’s all-time career assist leader with 29 in only two seasons after transferring from Pima Community College. She also rewrote the school season record with 18 assists this fall, breaking the previous school mark of 16, and tied the school single-game mark with four against Colorado Christian on Sept. 24. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Year, she was named to the NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Championship All-Tournament Team and also received Midwest Region All-Tournament honors.
Division III Men - Patrick McGinnis, Colorado Springs, Colo., Colorado College
With 39 goals and 86 points, McGinnis led the nation in both goals and points per game this season, regardless of NCAA division and broke the school’s single-season records in both categories. He scored eight hat tricks during the 2004 campaign, including a personal-best five goals in a 6-2 win at Concordia College-Minnesota on Oct. 3. He posted 13 multi-goal games and recorded nine game-winners, scoring all of CC's goals in five of the Tigers' victories. Behind his prolific scoring, CC finished the season with a 16-4-1 record and earned a berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs for the third time in the last four years. A philosophy major with a 3.61 grade point average, he also has been named to the NSCAA/adidas Scholar All-America Team.
Division III Women - Jessica Elsen, Winnebago, Ill., Wheaton (Ill.) College
Elsen was named the Outstanding Defensive Player of the Division III tournament while helping Wheaton to its first NCAA title. She recorded an assist in Wheaton 's 3-1 win over Wheaton College (Mass.) in the national semifinal and was superb at both ends of the field in the title match, scoring Wheaton 's third penalty kick in the decisive shootout. The 2002 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Player of the Year helped Wheaton’s defense post a school record 0.31 goals against average, allowing only eight goals this season and logging 18 shutouts. The team co-captain was credited with five assists this season and was named first-team all-conference for her impressive defense throughout the year.
