COLCHESTER, Vt. - Four Saint Michael's College men's soccer players recently qualified for College Sports Communicators (CSC) NCAA Division II Academic All-District honors.
 
Fifth-year senior Alessandro Pescina (Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela/Colegio Loyola Gumilla), senior Jake Manley (Burlington, Vt./Burlington), junior Xolo Miralles (Vinaròs, Spain/IES Leopoldo Querol/Otero) and sophomore Aliou Cisse (Ithaca, N.Y./Ithaca) all claimed accolades. Manley and Pescina both earned their third career nod, while Miralles was recognized for the second time.
 
Saint Michael's was one of two schools in the Northeast-10 Conference with at least four qualifiers, joining Adelphi University (5). The four Purple Knights were among 19 total from the NE10.
 
College Sports Communicators, formerly known as College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), moved to a qualification system for All-District accolades in 2022, with major contributors toting at least a 3.50 cumulative grade-point average by their sophomore seasons eligible. Each school was able to put six student-athletes forward for an award that previously necessitated voting. Instead, All-District honorees can now advance directly to the Academic All-America ballot, which will still incorporate national membership voting.
 
Pescina scored three goals and added two assists in 18 games, including 16 starts. He has qualified for the NE10 Academic Honor Roll seven times and landed a trio of Division 2 Athletics Directors Association (D2 ADA) Academic Achievement Awards. The engineering major holds a 3.80 GPA.
 
Manley turned in one goal and two assists in 18 games, including three starts, assisting the 82nd-minute winner during a 2-0 victory over Bentley University on Nov. 6 that clinched the Purple Knights a postseason berth. The captain is a six-time NE10 Academic Honor Roll qualifier and owns a pair of D2 ADA Academic Achievement Awards. Manley has a 3.68 GPA as a double major in accounting and business administration.
 
Miralles made all 16 of his appearances as a starter in the midfield, contributing a goal and two assists. The business administration major, who has a 3.59 GPA, is a three-time NE10 Academic Honor Roll qualifier and landed a D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award last year.
 
Cisse made eight of his 17 outings in the starting XI in his first season as a major contributor. He scored once and lent a pair of assists, including on the lone goal in a 1-0 win over American International College on Oct. 26. The two-time NE10 Academic Honor Roll qualifier has a 3.80 GPA as a digital media & communications major.
 
Through the Academic All-America program, CSC names separate Academic All-District and Academic All-America teams at each the NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II and NCAA Division III levels, while the College Division team combines NAIA, Canadian and two-year schools.