ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Jakub Drazek (Des Plaines, Ill./Elk Grove) of the Northern Illinois University men's soccer team has been named to the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete First Team, announced by the league office on Tuesday (Dec. 3). 

This is the second academic honor of the season for Drazek, who was named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team on Nov. 19. 

Drazek, a sport management major with a 3.93 GPA, appeared in all 16 matches for the Huskies in 2024, making 12 starts. A versatile player who can play in both midfield and outside back, Drazek started seven of NIU's eight conference games. He played 863 total minutes, tallying nine shots, with four on target.

The native of Des Plaines, Ill., becomes the fourth player in Huskie history to earn Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete honors, joining Dylan Banker and Parker Jeppson, who earned first team honors last season, and Jakub Rojek, who was a second team honoree a year ago, during NIU's first season in the conference. 

The criteria for the honor parallels the CSC standards for Academic All-America voting. Nominees must be starters or important reserves with at least a 3.50 cumulative GPA (on a 4.00 scale). Student-athletes must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institution (true freshmen and redshirt freshmen not eligible).