Cory Brown Named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year

NEW YORK – Xavier men's soccer junior Cory Brown was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year on Saturday in addition to reeling in All-BIG EAST First Team honors for the second time in his career. The center back was joined by fellow defender Matt Nance, who earned All-BIG EAST Second Team honors for the first time.

Freshman Derrick Otim was named to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team.

The major conference award marked a fifth straight year the Xavier men's soccer program has produced a conference player of the year. It's also XU's fifth major award in four years and the fourth consecutive year the Musketeers have landed at least one player on the first team.

Brown, who was All-BIG EAST Second Team as a freshman, has now been named to the first team in back-to-back seasons. He was named the preseason BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year and has backed up the early recognition by making starts in all 18 matches for XU, playing all but 27 minutes of the season to this point. A part of five shutouts, Brown has also added a goal and an assist from the backline this season.

Nance has made 18 starts as well at left back and has missed just 19 minutes overall this season, providing steady defense and excelling at playing forward in the attack as well. The junior from Washington, Mich. is tied for third on the team with 10 points this season, recording three goals and four assists.

Otim ranks fifth on the team with eight points on three goals and two assists. The freshman from Nottingham, England has made an immediate impact, starting 17 of Xavier's 18 matches and ranking fourth on the team with 14 shots on goal.

Xavier begins play in the BIG EAST Championships on Sunday, Nov. 6, traveling to Omaha, Neb. to take on Creighton in the quarterfinals. Match time is set for 4 p.m. ET.

XU MAJOR AWARDS SINCE 2012

• 2016 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year: Cory Brown
• 2015 BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year: Dallas Jaye
• 2014 BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year: Eric Osswald
• 2014 BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year
• 2013 BIG EAST Defender of the Year: Nick Hagglund
• 2012 Atlantic 10 Defender of the Year: Nick Hagglund

REGULAR SEASON AWARDS

ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM
David Goldsmith, Butler, Sr., F *
Julian Gressel, Providence, Sr., F *
Harry Cooksley, St. John's, Jr., M/F
Ricardo Perez, Creighton, Sr., M/F
Jared Timmer, Butler, So., M
Simon Megally, DePaul, Sr., M
Christopher Lema, Georgetown, Jr., M
Cory Brown, Xavier, Jr., D
Mark Jecewiz, Providence, RS-Jr., D
Lucas Stauffer, Creighton, Jr., D
Colin Miller, Providence, RS-So., GK

ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM^
Riggs Lennon, Creighton, Sr., F
Ricky Lopez-Espin, Creighton, Jr., F
Miguel Polley, Villanova, RS-Jr., M/F
Andres Arcila, Seton Hall, So., M
Arun Basuljevic, Georgetown, Jr., M
Andreas Bartosinski, Villanova, Jr., M
Mitch LaGro, Creighton, RS-So., D/M
Mitch Ostrowski, Butler, RS-Sr., D
John Pothast, Marquette, RS-Sr., D
Shane Bradley, Villanova, Fr., D
Matt Nance, Xavier, Jr., D
Alex Kapp, Creighton, Sr., GK

BIG EAST ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM ^^
Isaac Galliford, Butler, Fr., M*
Lewis Suddick, Butler, Fr., M/F *
Max de Bruijne, DePaul, Fr., D
Dylan Nealis, Georgetown, Fr., D
Luka Prpa, Marquette, Fr., M *
Danny Griffin, Providence, Fr., M*
Joao Serrano, Providence, Fr., D*
Liam Wilson, Providence, Fr., D
Alistair Johnston, St. John's, Fr., M
Jonathan Jimenez, Seton Hall, Fr., F
Shane Bradley, Villanova, Fr., D
Derrick Otim, Xavier, Fr., M

BIG EAST CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
David Goldsmith, Butler, Sr., F
Julian Gressel, Providence, Sr., F

BIG EAST MIDFIELDER OF THE YEAR
Ricardo Perez, Creighton, Sr., M/F

BIG EAST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Cory Brown, Xavier, Jr., D

BIG EAST CO-GOALKEEPERS OF THE YEAR
Alex Kapp, Creighton, Sr., GK
Colin Miller, Providence, RS-So., GK

BIG EAST FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Luka Prpa, Marquette, Fr., M

BIG EAST COACHING STAFF OF THE YEAR
Providence*

* - denotes unanimous selection
^ - due to a tie in voting, there are 12 student-athletes on the All-BIG EAST Second Team
^^ - due to a tie in voting, there are 12 student-athletes on the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team

AMONG THE NATION'S ELITE

• Xavier men's soccer has reached the NCAA Tournament in four of the last six seasons.
• The Musketeers finished 2015 at 12-6-1 overall, marking a sixth straight season with at least 10 wins – one of just 12 programs that can claim the feat.
• Last fall also marked Xavier's third straight finish in the top-four of the BIG EAST.
• XU was ranked in the nation's top-10 by the NSCAA for the third time in four years, while knocking of the national No. 1 (Creighton) and No. 2 (Notre Dame) on the road last season. The Musketeers are widely believed to be the first program to ever knock off both a No. 1 and a No. 2 on the road in the same season.

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