UMBC senior back Liam Paddock (Worcestershire, England/Chase Technology College) has been named the male 2012 Eastern College Athletic Conference Division I Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Paddock will be feted at the 2012 ECAC Honors dinner held in conjunction with the 24th Annual ECAC Convention and Trade Show that will be held September 29-October 2 at the Mystic Marriott Hotel & Spa in Groton, Conn. The Honors Dinner is slated for Sunday evening, September 30.
Rider University soccer standout Abi Cottam was the female recipient of the award.
Paddock is the first Retriever to receive this ECAC honor. He has been a starter on the soccer field since his freshman year, and is a team co-captain for UMBC in this, his final collegiate season. A center back, Paddock anchors the Retriever defense, and was named to the America East All-Rookie Team in 2009. The Retrievers won the America East title and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament during Paddock’s sophomore season.A double major in Psychology and Sociology, Paddock will graduate a semester early in December. In February of 2012, Paddock became the first Retriever to be named an America East Scholar-Athlete in the sport of men’s soccer. Paddock earned first-team all-conference honors and was the only first-team league honoree to be named to the All-Academic team in 2011. Additionally that year he was among three Retrievers selected to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America University Division Men’s Scholar All-East Region team, where he landed on the second team. Paddock has earned a place on the Fall 2010 and Fall 2011 America East Commissioner’s Honor Roll, and is a five-time member of the UMBC President’s List for earning a perfect 4.0 semester grade point average.
In his spare time, Paddock has spent over 30 hours tutoring at-risk youth in the College Gardens Youth Program. He has devoted time to Arbutus Middle School for Earth Day and the College for Every Student Program. He has also made time to volunteer with the Casey Cares Foundation Soccer Clinic for critically ill children.
One male and one female student-athlete from each NCAA Division are selected annually for the scholar-athlete awards based on extraordinary achievements in academics, athletics, and community service.
The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) is the nation’s largest athletic conference and only multi-divisional conference, with approximately 300 member institutions ranging across 16 states from Maine to North Carolina and westerly to Illinois. Established in 1938 with 58 charter members, the ECAC has since emerged as the nationwide leader in service.
Tags: Athletics
