Men's Soccer | 12/12/2024 8:00:00 PM

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Bloomsburg men's soccer team continued its impressive postseason awards haul Thursday afternoon with three student-athletes earning All-America honors from the United Soccer Coaches.

Junior defender Kody Besser (Lacey Township, N.J./Lacey Township) and graduate goalkeeper Brady Rimple (Cherryville, Pa./Northampton Area) earned their place as first-team All-Americans. At the same time, sophomore forward Owen Hollobaugh (State College, Pa./State College) garnered a spot as a third-team All-America honoree. The three bids from the United Soccer Coaches are the first three All-America honors from the organization in program history. The three players join senior defender Patrick Walsh (Macungie, Pa./Emmaus) as the only Bloomsburg men's soccer student-athletes to be placed on an All-America squad.

The group of players helped the Huskies to a defining year in the program's 50 seasons of action, including a single-season record 15 wins and the first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) title in team history.

Besser's impressive third-year campaign highlights one of the most decorated careers in program history. The junior is a two-time United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic Region honoree, a two-time D2CCA All-Region recipient, and a three-time All-PSAC East member. The defender became the ninth player in team history to be a three-time all-conference recipient and the sixth among that group with multiple first-team nods. The Lacey Township, N.J. native additionally became the ninth player in program history to be a two-time all-region honoree from the United Soccer Coaches. The junior is just one of two players in the team's history to be a two-time D2CCA All-Region honoree. Besser has started in 54 career games for the Huskies, accumulating 13 goals and eight assists for 34 total points. 

Rimple's send-off season in Maroon & Gold is a testament to his on and off-the-field efforts. The Cherryville, Pa. native is the first goalkeeper in program history to receive All-America consideration after being the first shot-stopper since 2014 to receive All-Region consideration. The graduate student added to his list of academic accomplishments, first claiming the PSAC Champion Scholar award before being named a second-team CSC Academic All-American. On the field, Rimple's efforts between the sticks shined, leading to first-team All-Region honors from the United Soccer Coaches and D2CCA and first-team All-PSAC East accolades. The goalkeeper's heroics were on full display en route to the team's first PSAC title, garnering PSAC Tournament MVP honors in the process. 

Hollobaugh had a flying start to his Husky career, receiving second-team All-PSAC East honors and being named the PSAC East Freshman of the Year. The second-year forward followed that performance by becoming a first-team all-conference honoree and receiving United Soccer Coaches All-Region notice. Hollobaugh became the first forward since 2017 to receive all-region consideration and the first since 2015 to garner a spot on the United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic First Team. The forward is now the lone player at his position in team history to hold All-America honors. The sophomore has appeared in 38 games through his first two seasons at Bloomsburg and made 25 starts. In those games, Hollobaugh has scored nine goals and five assists for 23 points while playing an integral role as a pressing forward for the Huskies.

The Huskies' accolades for the 2024 season also include seven all-conference nominations, with a program-record five first-team bids, the first PSAC East Defender of the Year in team history, the PSAC East Coach of the Year, the PSAC Champion Scholar, four United Soccer Coaches All-Region selections, featuring a program-record three first-team selections, three D2CCA All-Region distinctions, the United Soccer Coaches Atlantic Region Staff of the Year award, two CSC Academic All-Americans, one D2CCA All-America choice. 

The three players will be honored during the United Soccer Coaches Convention on Saturday, January 11, in Chicago.