Nov. 19, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- UCLA midfielder Michael Stephens was named Pac-10 Player of the Year, OREGON STATE forward Danny Mwanga was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and UCLA head coach Jorge Salcedo was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year, Commissioner Tom Hansen announced today.

PAC-10 PLAYER OF THE YEAR -- MICHAEL STEPHENS, JR, MF, UCLA

Stephens, a junior midfielder from Naperville, Ill., becomes the third player in UCLA history to be named Pac-10 Player of the Year, joining Matt Taylor (2003) and Patrick Ianni (2004). Stephens earns his first All-Pac-10 honors as he finishes the regular season leading the Conference in points (23) and tied for first in assists (9). He also becomes the first Pac-10 men's soccer player ever to earn Player of the Week honors three times in the same season. Stephens leads his team in points, is tied for first in assists and ranks second in goals. The junior totaled four assists in the regular season finale at San Diego State to tie a UCLA record for most assists in a game.

PAC-10 FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR -- DANNY MWANGA, F, OSU

Mwanga, a forward from Portland, Ore., is the third Oregon State player to be named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. A second team All-Pac-10 selection, Mwanga ranks seventh in goals per game (0.36) and ninth in both shots per game (2.09) and points per game (0.73). In Conference only matches, Mwanga was tied for sixth in goals (3), tied for seventh in shots (20) and tied for 10th in points (6). The freshman proved to be an immediate impact for the Beavers as he played in and started his first collegiate match at Loyola Marymount on Sept. 28 and scored the game-tying goal to force overtime.

PAC-10 COACH OF THE YEAR -- JORGE SALCEDO, UCLA

UCLA head coach Jorge Salcedo has been named Pac-10 Coach of the Year for the second time in his career and the first time outright, as he was Co-Coach of the Year in 2004. In his fifth year at the helm of the Bruin program, Salcedo has led UCLA to its fifth Pac-10 Championship since 2000 and its 26th consecutive NCAA appearance. This season, he guided UCLA to a 7-1-2 Conference record, a 10-4-6 overall record and a first-round matchup with Cal Poly in the NCAA Tournament this weekend. The Bruins finished the regular season leading the Pac-10 in goals (37), assists (45), points (119) and saves (81). Additionally, they rank in the top 50 in the nation in scoring offense (1.85) and shutout percentage (0.40).

2008 ALL-PAC-10 MEN'S SOCCER TEAMS

FIRST TEAM

Name Pos. Yr. School
Raphael Cox MF Sr. WASH
Stefan Frei* GK Jr. CAL
Maxwell Griffin F Sr. UCLA
Hector Jimenez MF So. CAL
George John* MF Sr. WASH
Jason Leopoldo* MF Sr. UCLA
Brad Rusin D Sr. UCLA
Michael Stephens MF Jr. UCLA
Michael Strickland MF Jr. STAN
Bobby Warshaw MF/F So. STAN
Andrew Wiedeman F So. CAL

*two-time All-Pac-10 honoree

SECOND TEAM

Name Pos. Yr. School
Tyler Barry D Sr. CAL
Nick Cardenas D Jr. SDSU
Servando Carrasco MF So. CAL
Ryan Imamura D Sr. STAN
Daniel Leach D Sr. OSU
Taylor Mueller D So. WASH
Danny Mwanga F Fr. OSU
Brian Perk GK Jr. UCLA
A.J. Soares D So. CAL
Evan Toft MF Jr. SDSU
Jamel Wallace D/MF Jr. SDSU


HONORABLE MENTION (received votes):

Ryan Callahan (Sr., MF, OSU); Robby Christner (Sr., F, OSU); Casey Cunningham (Jr., D, WASH); Khadim Diouf (So., F, SDSU); David Estrada (Jr., F, UCLA); Garrett Gunther (So., MF, STAN); Taylor Hoss (Jr., MF, WASH); Tim Jones (Sr., D, STAN); Jo Jo Katz (Jr., MF, WASH); Pat Marion (Sr., MF, CAL); Matt McManus (Jr., D/F, SDSU); Mike Miller (Jr., GK, OSU); John Moore (Jr., GK, STAN); Davis Paul (So., F, CAL); Raymundo Reza (So., MF, SDSU); Brent Richards (Fr., F, WASH); Andy Rose (Fr., D/MF, UCLA); Dennis Sanchez (Sr., D, SDSU); Danny Suits (Jr., D/MF, UCLA); Ryan Thomas (So., D/MF, STAN); Jacob Wilson (Jr., F, CAL).

-www.pac-10.org-