Oct. 30, 2008

DeKalb, Ill. - Five Northern Illinois soccer players were named to the 2008 CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District Soccer teams Thursday. First Team honors went to Kyle Knotek and Chris Johnson on the men's team. Lindsey Curnock and Thea Johnson earned first team honors on the women's side, followed by Annie Wyer, who was selected to the second team.

Knotek (Geneva, Ill./Geneva HS), a junior carries a 4.0 GPA under his business administration major. He has played in all 16 games this season, starting in 15 of them, contributing to the Huskie primarily as a defensive midfielder. In 2007 he was named to the Academic All-MAC team.

Chris Johnson (Colorado Springs, Colo./Air Academy HS), a senior political science major, carries a 3.57 GPA. Splitting time both as a forward and midfielder, Johnson has played in all 16 games this season, starting 10 of them. Johnson scored his first goal of the season against Xavier in 4-0 Huskie victory.

Curnock (Batavia, Ill./Batavia HS), a junior psychology major, carries a 3.90 GPA. The goalkeeper has started 16 games this season, posting a 9-4-4 record with nine shutouts. She currently holds the NIU career shutout record with 25, after coming into the season with 16. In addition, Curnock earned Academic All-MAC honors as a sophomore.

Thea Johnson (Homewood, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor HS), a senior physical education major, currently holds a 3.61 GPA. The midfielder has started all 18 games this season. Johnson leads the team in total points with 17, scoring five goals and totaling seven assists. She has started 90 matches in her career, missing only one in her junior season.

Wyer (Geneva, Ill./ Community HS), a sophomore physical therapy major, has a 3.98 GPA. The forward/midfielder has played in all 18 games this season, starting four of them. Wyer scored her first career goal this year versus Bowling Green in a 2-1 victory.