University Park, Pa. — Senior midfielder Ryan Badaracco (Wexford, Pa.) has been honored on the 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® First Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Awarded in recognition for achievements earned both on the field and in the classroom, Badaracco is the first Nittany Lion soccer player to be named to the ESPN The Magazine first team. In 2006, the Wexford, Pa. native was honored as a third team academic All-American.
Badaracco, a team co-captain for the 2008 season, has continued the Penn State men's soccer tradition of academic excellence, graduating with honors in the spring with a degree in finance and an impressive 3.92 grade point average. In total, Nittany Lions have been named to academic all-region/district or all-America teams on 27 occasions.
A player with an unparalleled work ethic, Badaracco returned from a knee injury that forced him to miss the entire 2007 season to start all 19 games and log over 1600 minutes of playing time this year. A starter of 52 career games whose versatility allowed him to play both in the midfield and on the back line, Badaracco totaled two goals and one assist. In 2006, he scored the first goal of his collegiate career in Penn State's thrilling 2-1 double overtime victory over Northwestern at the Big Ten Championship, securing him a spot on the all-tournament team.
Also valued for his strength of character and leadership abilities, Badaracco was Penn State's 2006 and 2008 recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, an honor bestowed on one player from each team in the conference who best reflects the principles of sportsmanship and fair play established by the Big Ten.