ROCK HILL, S.C. – The postseason accolades continue to pour in for Kensho Yoshikoshi, newly tabbed with South Atlantic Conference Men's Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors, as announced by the league on Wednesday.
Yoshikoshi is just the second Eagle in program history to receive the accolade. The last one to do so was Arthur Garnes back in 2000. In terms of school history, he is now the 16th SAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Carson-Newman has seen across its teams since 1998 and the first since men's basketball player Sawyer Williams in 2017.
"I don't think there is a more deserving candidate than Kensho as he epitomizes what you expect from a student-athlete," Carson-Newman coach Stephen Lyons said. "What he has achieved off the field is a testament to his hard work and perseverance. The first day he arrived on campus his English was very limited so to prove himself in the classroom and on the field at such an elite level is simply phenomenal.
"I am very proud of his achievement and congratulate him setting a new level of expectation across the board for the returning players by receiving this honor."
This is the second time this season that the senior has been awarded for his work in the classroom. He was tabbed an Academic All-District first-team selection back in November by the College Sports Information Directors of America, marking the third-straight year than an Eagle had received the honor.
Of the six awards he has received this postseason, three have come from the SAC. He adds this latest plaudit to being a first-team All-SAC selection and the Defensive Player of the Year. Outside of the conference, he was named a first-team All-Southeast Region selection by both the Division II Conference Commissioners' Association (D2CCA) and the United Soccer Coaches, the latter coming earlier this week.
The last Carson-Newman men's soccer player to rack up six or more postseason accolades was Sindre Welo. Welo and Ross Frame still sit as the most decorated players in team history, both receiving seven awards throughout the postseason in 2015 and 2013, respectively.
Off the pitch, the Tokyo, Japan native holds a 3.89 GPA as a graduate student and is currently pursuing a Masters in Business. He was tabbed a Platinum Eagle Scholar in September after maintaining a 4.0 GPA through his first year at C-N. Additionally, he is on the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll.
Away from the classroom, Yoshikoshi joins his teammates in serving for Appalachian Outreach and volunteering with the Lakeway Soccer Club.
Yoshikoshi scored three goals on the season to push his career total to five, all coming on headers. He logged a career day in the 4-2 loss to Lenoir-Rhyne on Oct. 2, scoring both of C-N's goals in the match. His five goals paired with three assists, one coming this season against Lincoln Memorial, gave him 13 points in his career. For a second-consecutive season, the defender started in all 17 matches played by C-N this season, giving him 34 starts in all 34 of C-N's matches during his career. He was honored during the season as the SAC AstroTurf Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 5, his first weekly honor from the league in his career.
He led a C-N backline that allowed a mere 1.11 goals per game with five clean sheets, including over then No. 15 Coker, as the Eagles went on to collect the program's tenth regular season SAC title.
The South Atlantic Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year award is presented annually to one student-athlete in each of the Conference's championship sports, and is voted on by the SAC's Faculty Athletic Representatives Committee. The winners are selected based on their achievements in academics, athletics, service and leadership.
Men's Soccer Scholar-Athlete Finalists
Riccardo Ricci, Coker
Victor Cascon, Lenoir-Rhyne
Jeppe Christenson, Mars Hill
Eric Brody, Newberry
Mattia DiTommaso, Wingate
