Midwestern State junior Tyler Murphy highlighted the 2008 Southwest Soccer Conference All-Academic Team announced on Wednesday as league officials released the annual SSC academic awards.

      Murphy was named the SSC Academic Player of the Year for the second consecutive year on the 11-man All-Academic Team, which recognizes both academic and athletic achievement.

      The All-Academic Team is selected by the league's sports information directors, who vote on the basis of both academic and athletic achievement. To be eligible for SSC academic honors, student-athletes need at least a 3.20 grade point average and must be at least a sophomore. All academically qualified student-athletes not selected for the All-Academic Team are then named to the Commissioner's Honor Roll.

      Five of the 11 players honored were seniors, with three juniors and three sophomores picked as well.

      Joining Murphy on the All-Academic Team were fellow Mustangs Kyle Kmiec and Brannon Calvert, West Texas A&M's Jacob Fynboe Jensen and Oliver Mulamba, Northeastern State's Bo Evans and Zach Schmoker and Eastern New Mexico's Edgar Bear, Hugo Gonzalez, Dreaux Plair and Jacob Ford.

2008 Southwest Soccer Conference All-Academic Team

Player, Pos.                              Team                                      Year    Major                              Hometown

Tyler Murphy, MF                    Midwestern State                   Jr.        Biology                           Winfield, B.C.

Jacob Fynboe Jensen, MF     West Texas A&M                   Jr.        General Business          Horsens, Denmark

Kyle Kmiec, F                           Midwestern State                   Jr.        Accounting                    Chapel Hill, Texas

Bo Evans, F                             Northeastern State                So.      Chemistry                       Duncanville, Texas

Edgar Bear, MF                        Eastern New Mexico             So.      Undecided                     Houston, Texas

Zach Schmoker, MF                Northeastern State                So.      Undeclared                    Catoosa, Okla.

Oliver Mulamba, D                   West Texas A&M                   Sr.       Pre-Engineering            Albertson, South Africa

Hugo Gonzalez, D                   Eastern New Mexico             Sr.       Biology                           Phoenix, Del.

Dreaux Plair, D                         Eastern New Mexico             Sr.       Health & Physical Educ.       Alamogordo, N.M.

Brannon Calvert, D                 Midwestern State                   Sr.       Respiratory Care           Pryor, Okla.

Jacob Ford, D                          Eastern New Mexico             Sr.       Accounting                    Hobbs, N.M.

SSC Special Recognition

Academic Player of the Year: Tyler Murphy, Midwestern State

Commissioner's Honor Roll

Eastern New Mexico: Tyler Hart, Jr.; Mychael Contreras, So.;

Midwestern State: William Freeman, Sr.;

Missouri Southern: Ben Pantzlaff, Jr.; Jesse Clevenger, Jr.;

Northeastern State: Chad Miller, Sr.;

West Texas A&M: Austin Ridling, Sr.; Shane Taylor, So.