ALFRED, NY — Three members of the Alfred University men’s soccer team have earned all-academic honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of American (NSCAA).

Senior midfielder Tony Gai (Burke, VA/Lake Braddock), junior forward/midfielder Jeff Thomas (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua) and junior goalie Jacob Bird (Auburn, NY/Auburn) were given honorable mention as NSCAA College Division All-East Region Scholars, the NSCAA announced recently.

Criteria for being considered as NSCAA scholar-athletes include having a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 or higher; and starting at least half of his team’s games and being a “significant contributor” to his team. Gai, a physics major with a 3.44 GPA, is a repeat East Region Scholar, having earned honorable mention as a junior in 2011. Thomas, a political science major with a GPA of 3.43, and Bird, a finance major with a 3.83 grade point average, are first-time selections.

Gai had 12 points (third on the team) in 2012 on four goals and a team-leading four assists. Thomas was named a Second Team Empire 8 Conference All-Star this season after netting 14 points (second on the team) on six goals (second-most) and a pair of assists. Bird played 12 games in net for the Saxons (11 starts) and had a 2.96 goals against average and made a team-best 46 saves (.648 save percentage).

As a team, Alfred finished the Fall 2012 semester with a team GPA of       3.06.