WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Brandon Perdue and Mertcan Akar earned Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) recognition announced by the organization Wednesday afternoon. Perdue was named a major award winner with Rookie of the Year honor, while Akar earned VaSID All-State First Team honors.
This is the second straight year a Monarch has earned Rookie of the Year, which included Sebastien Hauret in 2016.
Full VaSID Release attached
Freshman Brandon Perdue led the Monarchs with 18 points on seven goals and four assists. Perdue earned C-USA All-Freshman Team and C-USA Second Team All-Conference. The Chesapeake, Va. native started in 11 games and played in 20 in his first year as a Monarch. Perdue helped lead ODU to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a goal in the first round over NC State.
Placed on the VaSID All-State First Team, Mertcan Akar tallied 10 shutouts and 82 saves. Akar was named to the C-USA First Team All-Conference as well as recipient of the C-USA Golden Glove Award. Most recently, Akar was named to the 2017 Men’s Southeast Region Team. Adding to his accolades, Akar was named C-USA Defensive Player of the Week three times in 2017.
Akar appeared in every match for the Monarchs, compiling nearly 2000 minutes in the net.
VaSID names 27 All-State teams in 15 sports each year, as well as an Academic All-State squad and an all-sports champion in both the University and College Divisions. Membership in VaSID is open to all media relation’s professionals working at a university or conference in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Major Award Winners
Player of the Year: Antonio Bustamante, William & Mary
Rookie of the Year: Brandon Perdue, Old Dominion
Coach of the Year: Chris Norris, William & Mary
VaSID All-State First Team
Forward – Marcelo Acuna, Virginia Tech^
Forward – Rafael Andrade Santos, VCU%
Forward – Sivert Daehlie, Radford^
Forward – Kieran Roberts, Radford
Midfielder – Francesco Amorosino, VCU
Midfielder – Antonio Bustamante, William & Mary ^
Midfielder – Kevin Mendoza, Liberty^
Defender – Fraser Colmer, Radford^
Defender – Alex Dominguez, Liberty
Defender – Sergi Nus, Virginia^
Goalie – Mertcan Akar, Old Dominion
VaSID All-State Second Team
Forward – Ryder Bell, William & Mary%
Forward – Henning Dirks, George Mason
Forward – Tresor Mbuyu, Liberty^
Midfielder – Manuel Ferriol, James Madison
Midfielder – Jean-Christophe Koffi, Virginia
Midfielder – Victor Valls, Radford
Defender – Marcel Berry, William & Mary%
Defender – Max Edwards, Radford
Defender – Elias Tamburini, Virginia Tech
Defender – Remi Frost, William & Mary
Goalie – Jeff Caldwell, Virginia%
^ - Two-Time VaSID Selection
% - Three-Time VaSID Selection