Six Men’s Soccer Players Receive College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® Honors

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GREENWOOD, Ind. - Six UNC Asheville Men's Soccer players received Academic All-District® honors from College Sports Communicators, announced by the organization today.

Senior midfielder Louis Beckett, junior defender Lennart Granzow, senior defender Viðar Ragnarsson, senior midfielder Rinta Takagi, sophomore midfielder Charlie Wood and fifth-year defender Benian Yao each earned the honor for Asheville. To qualify for Academic All-District honors, a student-athlete must:

Must be at least a sophomore both academically and athletically
Maintain at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA
Appear in 90 percent of their team's competitions or start in 66 percent of competitions

Beckett was named to the Big South Conference Top Returners Watch List prior to the start of the season, appearing in 15 matches making six starts as a senior. He scored three goals for six points on the season. Beckett two goals at Longwood on Oct. 12, also scoring once against Furman on Oct. 21. He was named Big South Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 13 and to the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week Honorable Mention list on Oct. 14. Academically, he holds a 3.70 grade point average in interdisciplinary studies.

This is Beckett's first career Academic All-District honor. He is a native of Bridlington, U.K.

Granzow appeared in 15 matches making 12 starts in his first season in Asheville. He scored three goals for six points on the year, scoring his first goal of the season at East Tennessee State on Sept. 16. He also scored a goal against Radford (Sept. 27) and at Winthrop on Oct. 25. Granzow totaled 1,158 minutes on the pitch including playing all 90 minutes in 12 straight matches to end the season. He was an All-Conference First Team At-Large selection, as well as a 2025 Big South Conference All-Academic Team selection. Academically, he holds a 3.59 grade point average in business.

This is Granzow's first career Academic All-District honor. He is a native of Hamburg, Germany.

Ragnarsson was named to the Big South Conference top Returners Watch List prior to the start of the season. He scored one goal and tallied one assist on the season from the back line, tallying all three points at Winthrop on Oct. 25 including the game-winning goal. Ragnarsson totaled 1,411 minutes including playing all 90 minutes in 13 matches this season. He was named to the Big South Conference Midseason Watch List and the Big South Conference All-Conference Second Team. Academically, he holds a 3.50 grade point average in business.

This is Ragnarsson's first career Academic All-District honor. He is a native of Reyjjanesbaer, Iceland.

Takagi played and started in all 16 matches as a senior. He tallied two assists on the season for two points, with his first assist of the season coming against Radford on Sept. 27 before helping on a goal in the win at Winthrop on Oct. 25. Takagi totaled 1,204 minutes on the pitch including playing all 90 minutes three times. Academically, he holds a 3.54 grade point average in computer science.

This is Takagi's first career Academic All-District selection. He is a native of Gifu, Japan.

Wood was named to the Big South Conference Top Returners Watch List prior to the start of the season, playing and starting in all 16 matches as a sophomore. He totaled one goal and two assists for four points on the season. Wood posted three points with a goal and an assist in the season-opening win over Howard on Aug. 21, before tallying an assist in the win over Georgia State on Aug. 26. He also totaled 1,383 minutes on the pitch, including playing all 90 minutes 13 times on the year. Wood was also named to the Big South Conference Midseason Watch List. Academically, he holds a 3.65 grade point average in business.

Yao was named to the Big South Conference Top Returners Watch List prior to the start of the season. He scored one goal and tallied one assist from the back line for three points, recording both of those at Longwood on Oct. 12. Yao also totaled 1,059 minutes on the pitch including playing all 90 minutes on five occasions. He was named to the Big South Conference All-Conference Second Team. Academically, he holds a 3.77 grade point average in business.

This is Yao's second career Academic All-District honor. He is a native of Waxhaw, N.C.