All-MIAA Conference Selections Released Today

The official All-MIAA conference teams were released on Thursday morning from the league offices and three members of the Upper Iowa men’s soccer team were named honorable mentions.

Two freshman forwards were honored with honorable mention selections on Thursday including Jason Bishop and Jared Newman. Both players stepped up for the Peacocks late in the season and shined in big games.

Bishop tied for the lead in scoring with three goals in 2012 with fellow freshman forward Rafael Pedroso. The Elgin, Illinois native earned his first goal of the season and the game-winning goal in overtime against Mount Mercy back on September 9^th. Bishop then scored two goals against North Iowa Area CC on the 7^th of October to give him three total scores in 2012. The 19-year-old freshman also had two assists in the regular season, with one coming against NIACC. Bishop's performance against NIACC helped the Peacocks earn a 3-0 victory.

Newman was another newcomer to step up when he was called upon late in the season. After only seeing the practice field for the first six matches of the season, Newman slowly impressed the coaches and was inserted into the starting lineup in October. Newman started five total matches for UIU at forward and his impact was felt immediately. The Kettering, England native scored his first collegiate goal on October 11^th as the Peacocks hosted Southern Nazarene University. That goal eventually became the game-winner in a 1-0 victory. Newman then followed that performance up with a goal in the 11^th minute of action the very next day against Fort Hays State. Newman’s two scores were tied for second on the team with Andres Cuesta and Jared Devine. Newman also had an assist in UIU’s second to last home match against the Southwest Baptist Bearcats.

Junior midfielder Alejandro Castaneda also earned an honorable mention selection on Thursday. The Guatemala City native led the Peacocks with five assists, all of which came in different matches. Castaneda took a team-high 26 shots, but did not find the back of the net in 2012. Castaneda will lead the Peacocks midfield next year as a senior.

UIU finished just 5-13 overall, but did play well against some very strong teams in the MIAA conference. The Peacocks will bring back a majority of their starters in 2013 after only three seniors graduated this past season.