Detzel And Wheeler Named To The All-Northeast Conference First Team

EMMITSBURG, Md. - Eric Detzel (York, Pa./Central York) and Chris Wheeler (Newcastle, Australia/St. Francis Xavier), members of the Mount St. Mary's men's soccer team, have been named to the All-Northeast Conference (NEC) first team, announced on Thursday.

Detzel, a senior midfielder, earns his first All-NEC first-team honor after being selected to the second team last season.  In the month of October, the senior helped the Mount to four victories after scoring the game-winner against Central Connecticut State on Oct. 1 and dishing out the game-winning assist against Fairleigh Dickinson (Oct. 10), Bryant (Oct. 22) and Robert Morris (Oct. 29). Detzel also helped the Mount to a 4-3 win against George Washington after scoring a goal and tallying two assists in a span of three minutes and five seconds in the first half on Sept. 11.

"Eric has been a tremendous team leader and it is great to see him be rewarded for his impact on the pitch," said head coach Rob Ryerson.

The senior finished tied for the league in assists (8) and ranked second in assists per game (0.44), seventh in points (14) and 10th in points per game (0.78). Detzel also ranked 19th in the nation in assists and 31st in assists per game.

For his career, Detzel has 17 goals and 17 assists for 51 points. He ranks sixth in program history in assists while also sitting in sixth place on the Mount Division I list for points and seventh in goals. The senior has excelled in the classroom and was named to the ESPN/CoSIDA Academic District 2 first team and has moved onto the national ballot.

Wheeler, a junior forward, earns his second-straight All-NEC first-team selection after being named the NEC Rookie of the Year and all-conference second-team honors in 2008. Wheeler established a new Mount Division I single-season goals record with 13 tallies in 2010 and also added two assists for 28 points, the second most points in Mount Division I history. The junior scored in half of the games, registered two goals in four matches this season and notched the decisive score against Howard on Sept. 7, Rider on Sept. 14 and Robert Morris on Oct. 29.

"Chris did very well offensively for us this year and is well respected in our conference," said Ryerson. "We are looking forward to his play again next season."

Wheeler paced the league in goals (13), goals per game (0.72), shots (80) and shots per game (4.44) while also ranking second in points (28) and points per game (1.56). In the nation, Wheeler was sixth in goals, 10th in goals per game, 11th in points and 15th in points per game.

Along with breaking the program's Division I mark for goals in a season, Wheeler became the Mount's Division I leader in career goals with 33 tallies. The junior also ranks fourth in program history for career goals while standing fourth on the Mount Division I chart for career points (71) and seventh in points in team history. Wheeler is also the all-time leader in shots (230).

It marks the first time the Mount has earned two All-NEC first-team selections since 1999 when Simon Hodkin and Rob Ray picked up first-team recognition. Wheeler became the third player in program history to earn three all-conference recognition, joining Vinnie Berry (2006-08) and Mark Southern (1994-97).

Mount St. Mary's finished 7-10-1 overall and 4-5-1 in Northeast Conference play. The Mount concluded the regular season with a 2-all standstill against 11th-ranked Monmouth on Friday.