Dec. 7, 2017
by Tony Jones
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — University of Notre Dame men’s soccer standouts Jeff Farina and Jack Casey have been tabbed to 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-America® teams, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced on Thursday. Farina was a first-team selection, while Casey was named to the second team for Division I men’s soccer.
The Irish duo are the 15th and 16th Notre Dame men’s soccer players to claim CoSIDA Academic All-America® honors since 1995. Some 13 Irish recipients of Academic All-America scrolls have played for Notre Dame dating back to the 2001 campaign. Farina is the seventh first-team CoSIDA Academic All-America® selection for Notre Dame all-time, and the first Irish player on the top team since both Patrick Hodan and Michael Shipp earned the distinction in 2015.
Farina (Wilmette, Illinois) appeared in 76 career games at forward for Notre Dame, earning 55 starts. He scored 14 career goals and added 21 assists for 49 totals points, chipping in five game-winning goals during his Irish tenure. Farina enjoyed a breakout season as a senior, scoring eight goals (three game-winning goals) and contributing seven assists for 23 points in 20 starts. He was named to the 2017 All-ACC Third Team in recognition of his strong play.
Farina has maintained a 3.41 GPA as a finance major in the Mendoza College of Business, and has previously been named to the ACC All-Academic Team in 2014 and ACC Academic Honor Roll in 2016.
Casey (Morristown, New Jersey) has competed in 38 games over two seasons (20 starts) in the Irish midfield. He has scored one goal and added eight assists, including a career-high five assists in 20 starts in 2017. A total of four of Casey’s five assists in his sophomore campaign were earned on either go-ahead or ultimate game-winning goals for Notre Dame.
Casey had carried a perfect 4.00 GPA as an economics major in the Mendoza College of Business, and is a two-time Dean’s List recipient. He was also named to the 2016 ACC Academic Honor Roll as part of his outstanding academic achievement.
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Tony Jones, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2012 and coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame softball and men’s soccer programs. A native of Jamestown, New York, Jones is a 2011 graduate of St. Bonaventure University, and prior to arriving at Notre Dame held positions at the University of Louisiana Monroe and with the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills.