FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 30, 2006

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - Monmouth University, the top-rated team in the North Atlantic Region, placed four players on the 2006 NSCAA/adidas Division I All-North Atlantic Region First Team, as seniors Hugh MacDonald (Kearny, N.J./Kearny) and Steven Holloway (Hamilton, New Zealand/Hamilton), and juniors Daniel Schenkel (Campo Verde, Brazil) and Tom Gray (Middletown, N.J./Middletown South) were all honored.

The Hawks, who finished the regular season as the No. 16-ranked team in the nation after posting a second straight unbeaten mark in Northeast Conference play, advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.

"Four guys making first-team all-region is a tremendous honor," stated head coach Rob McCourt. "It is a well-deserved honor and a reflection of the success of our program. It is confirmation of how far the program has come."

MacDonald, the two-time NEC Defensive Player of the Year, was named All-Mid Atlantic Region first team in 2005. The senior helped pace a Hawks' defense which allowed just 10 goals in 21 matches this season. The Hawks' 0.45 team goals against average ranked second in the country. MacDonald, a team captain, also added three goals and an assist for seven points for the Hawks, while being named to the All-NEC first team and the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Season second team.

Holloway, the Northeast Conference Player of the Year after leading the league in goals (18) and points (40), set new Monmouth single-season records in both categories. The NEC Tournament MVP, Holloway finished the season with six game-winning goals and four assists, en route to his first-team accolade. Holloway was also added to the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Season fourth team, as the forward ranked fourth in the nation in both goals per game (0.9) and points per game (2.0).

Schenkel, the first-team all-conference goalkeeper, posted a school-record 13 shutouts on the year, including seven straight to end the regular season and lead Monmouth to the 2006 NEC title. His 0.457 goals against average ranked fifth in the country, while the junior registered an .884 save percentage, which also ranked fifth in the nation. Schenkel, who played all but 16 minutes between the pipes for the Blue and White in 2006, allowed more than one goal in a game just once on the year.

Gray, Holloway's running mate up top for the Hawks' attack, led Monmouth with a career-best 14 assists, which ranked him second in the nation in assists per game (0.67). The junior, a first-team all-league selection, also netted four goals and 22 points on the season.

Monmouth won back-to-back Northeast Conference regular season titles in 2005 and 2006, and faced No. 9 St. John's in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, falling 1-0. The Hawks finished the season with a school-record 14 wins and are currently holding a 19-game unbeaten streak in conference play.





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