ALBANY, N.Y. – Russell Sage College men's soccer team had two players named to the 2022 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team on Tuesday afternoon. Earning acclaim for their balance of academic and athletic success were fifth-year senior Christian Vålstuen (Lillestrom, Norway/Lambertseter Athletic) and junior Ian Maguire (Dunstable, MA/Groton Dunstable Regional).
The pair, who both served as the team's co-captains this year, will now move onto the national ballot for an opportunity to earn College Sports Communicators Academic All-America acclaim when the team is released on December 7, 2022. The Gators earned a No. 3 seed in the 2022 Empire 8 Tournament and capped the year with a record of 8-8-2 overall after a 5-4 record in the league.
Vålstuen was also selected to the Empire 8 Men's Soccer All-Conference Team at midfield for the third consecutive year. A strong two-way play for the Gators, he tied for second on RSC with seven points on two goals and three assists. He also helped the squad collect seven shutouts along the way. A veteran leader, he closed his career ranked ninth in career points (29), career goals (10) and career assists (9). Majoring in health sciences at RSC, he has earned multiple Empire 8 Presidents' List sand Dean's List selections and is a Sage Scholar-Athlete honoree as well as a two-time inductee into Sage's Athletic Honor Society. He was honored as the team's Gator of the Year twice during his career as a rookie in 2018 and again in 2021.
Maguire, who also pulled double-duty as a member of the midfield and defensive units for the Gators, is majoring in biology with a path to pre-physician's assistant at RSC. This past season, the Gator team co-captain started all 18 matches and was part of a squad that had seven shutouts. He also connected for an assist in the team's win over Alfred University on October 15. As a sophomore, he played in 17 matches with 16 starts. He added four points on a goal with two assists and tallied the game-winning goal to lift RSC past Hartwick (10/19). An accomplished student in the classroom, he has earned numerous E8 Presidents' List selections as well as a several Dean's List citations and is also a Sage-Scholar-Athlete.
