On the playing field, junior men's soccer defender Nik Angyal (pronounced ANGEL) helped the University of Rochester to a stellar season. Now, he has received a high national honor for his work in the classroom as well as on the field.
 
Angyal has been elected as a 2017 Second Team CoSIDA Academic All-American in men's soccer. Voting was conducted by the members of the College Sports Information Directors of America. This is the 10^th Academic All-America honor for the men's soccer program. Angyal is the eighth individual Rochester player to achieve recognition.
 
Significantly, his Academic All-America selection is the 100^th such honor achieved by Rochester students since the inaugural award in 1976.
 
Angyal was a First Team Academic All-District III selection along with two teammates – goalkeeper Redd Brown and midfielder Bryce Ikeda. District III is comprised solely of colleges and universities in New York State.
 
Rochester finished the 2017 season with a 14-4-3 record, 4-2-1 in the University Athletic Association (tied for third place). The Yellowjackets were selected for the NCAA Division III playoffs as a Pool C (at-large) team. They won three straight matches – all away from home. In the first round, Rochester defeated Connecticut College, 2-1, in overtime at SUNY Oneonta. In the second round, Rochester defeated 6^th-ranked Oneonta, 2-1. That put the Yellowjackets into the Sweet 16 for just the fourth time in school history.
 
In the Sweet 16 (held at Messiah College in Pennsylvania), Rochester rallied for a 2-1 victory over #16 Amherst College. The Yellowjackets lost in the Elite 8 round to #9 Messiah, 2-0. Messiah advanced to the Final Four and won the NCAA national championship. This was UR's 18^th Division III playoff bid, its fifth in the last six seasons.
 
Angyal (Stormville, NY/John Jay-East Fishkill) started 20 games and played in all 21 this season. As a defender, he was a crucial part of the back line that helped to post nine shutouts and held eight other teams to one goal. He was voted the Most Valuable Defensive Player of Rochester's opening Flower City Soccer Classic when the Yellowjackets shut out Illinois Wesleyan University (2-0) and defeated Misericordia University (2-1).
 
He has a cumulative GPA of 4.00 (on the 4.00 scale), majoring in chemical engineering. He is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and will be inducted into Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society, at the end of this semester. He is in his second year as a teaching assistant for Organic Chemistry and will be a teaching assisting for Fluid Dynamics in the spring. Last summer, he interned with the New York State Department of  Environmental Conservation in the Petroleum Spills Division. Working under a NY State-licensed professional engineer, Angyal reviewed site investigation reports, work plans, and closure reports for petroleum spill sites with contaminated soil and/or groundwater.  He either approved the reports or suggested additional steps be taken in the clean-up of the spills.
 
He volunteers at the Rochester International Academy as well, going into classrooms on a bi-weekly basis in the off-season to help teachers with small group activities and to interact with kids. He volunteers at home with his local soccer club in Dutchess County.