San Antonio - Trinity University Tigers senior defender Tyler Czinege of Kansas City, Kan. (Rockhurst), has been elected to the ESPN College Division Academic All-America Men's Soccer First Team.

Czinege, a business administration and marketing major with a 3.99 GPA, was a Third team Academic All-American last year.

The ESPN Academic All-America program is administered nationwide by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Czinege has been one of the top defenders for the Tigers, ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division III. He has played in 12 games this season and started twice (scoring one goal), and helped lead Trinity to a 19-2-1 record and a berth in the NCAA Sectionals.The taut Tiger defense has yield only 16 goals this season, an average of .72 per game. Trinity has also recorded 10 shutouts.

Czinege is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the Omicron Delta Epsilon International Economics Honor Society.

Trinity, led by 20th-year Head Coach Paul McGinlay, is competing in its 14th NCAA Division Tournament, and ninth in a row. On Saturday, Trinity tangles with Lynchburg (Va.) at the NCAA Sectional (third round) at Ohio Wesleyan in Delaware, Ohio. It will mark Trinity's seventh appearance in the Sectional round. The winner plays in Sunday's quarterfinals. 

The Tigers, who won a 14th Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference title, lead all of Division III in goals scored (86) and goals scored per game (3.91). 

Trinity will co-host, with San Antonio Sports, the NCAA Division III Men's and Women's Soccer semifinals and finals Dec. 3-4 at Blossom Soccer Stadium.