The NCAA Regular Season has ended and the tournament bracket is set. On Monday morning the NCAA unveiled the 48 team field set to compete for a national championship after conference titles and at-large bids were given.
RSL Academy graduates and their teams fought for their places in the NCAA tournament since the season's commencement in August and while some will miss a chance at silverware in 2017, some will be in the thick of the action as the tournament kicks off on Thursday, Nov. 16. Here is the list of academy graduates and where their teams stand at the end of the regular season:
Clemson – 8th seed; 1st round bye – Will host the winner of Coastal Carolina/Mercer on Nov. 19; (ACC Tournament Semifinalist)
Tanner Dieterich – (Grad. 2016) –Dieterich featured in all 18 matches for the Tigers this year while serving as the team captain with one goal and two assists to his name during the regular season.
University of Washington – Hosts Seattle University in 1st Round on Nov. 16; (3rd place PAC-12)
Elijah Rice – FW, (Grad. 2016) – Rice started 11 matches for the Huskies during the regular season playing 804 minutes and scoring four goals.
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Scott Eklund/Red Box Pictures)
University of Maryland – Hosts Albany in 1st Round on Nov. 16; (Big Ten Quarterfinalist)
Miles Stray – MF, (Grad. 2016) – 708 minutes played in the back line for the Terrapins thus far in 2017 making nine starts while appearing in 12 games in the regular season.
Amar Sejdic – (Grad. 2015) – Sejdic has played 1495 total minutes for the Terrapins during the regular season. Sejdic has three goals and four assists to his name this season from the central midfield position. Sejedic has started all 18 matches this season for Maryland.
University of New Mexico – Did not make tournament; (Conference USA, Quarterfinalist)
Alex Vedamanikam – FW, (Grad. 2017) – In his first year as a University of New Mexico Lobo, Vedamanikam has earned 523 total minutes across 16 matches in 2017, against California State University Northridge on September 8 in the Grange and Ashwill Invitational.
Aaron Herrera – DF, (Grad. 2015) – Earned Tournament MVP at the Grange and Ashwill Invitational, scoring the winning goal in New Mexico’s win over UC Irvine, his first goal of the year. A member of the U-20 USMNT, Herrera has been a mainstay in the Lobo lineup since arriving in Albuquerque in 2015 and has appeared in 17 games this season, starting all of them for a total of 1539 minutes played. In an Oct. 18 match against UCLA, Herrera scored from the halfway line to earn his fifth goal of the 2017 campaign. Herrera finished the season with five goals and five assists.
(Moji Photography)
Sam Gleadle – FW, (Grad. 2014) – As a senior Gleadle has started and played 14 regular season matches for the Lobos having scored three goals with two assists, one at Marquette on Sept. 4 and one at South Carolina on Sept. 22 and the third on Sept. at Marshall. Gleadle has registered 1114 minutes to his name this season.
Utah Valley University – Did not make tournament; (WAC, 8th place)
Alec Felix – MF, (Grad. 2016) – Felix played 1576 total minutes in 2017 for UVU, starting all 18 games in central midfield for the Wolverines. Felix notched his first goal for UVU in the Wolverines match against San Jose State on Sept. 29 and added his second goal in a 2-0 win over Houston Baptist on Oct. 19. Felix finished the season with two goals and two assists.
(August Miller, UVU Marketing)
Gui Leme – FW, (Grad. 2016) – In 1030 total minutes in 2017, Leme scored three goals while earning three assists. Earned the Western Athletic Conference Athlete of the Week for Sept. 4-10 for his two-goal performance over that time.
UCLA – Did not make tournament; (PAC-12, 4th place)
Alex Knox – DF, (Grad. 2016) – As a defender for the Bruins, Knox played 789 minutes this season making 11 starts and notching two goals and two assists. Knox scored his two goals of the season in a 5-0 rout of Oregon State on Oct. 26.
Erik Holt –DF, (Grad. 2015) In 16 starts for the Bruins in 2017, Holt has registered one goal and an assist in 1440 minutes playing nearly every minute available to him over the course of the season, starting in the center back position.
