Oakton men's soccer player named to Scholar All-American Team

An Oakton Community College student, sophomore Pooya Shams, has been named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Men's Junior College Division Scholar All-America Team.

The group recognized collegiate student-athletes for their dual accomplishments on the field and in the classroom. Shams, of Morton Grove, is the only member from Oakton's league, the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference, to be named as an NSCAA Scholar All-American.

The Deerfield High School graduate was honored Saturday at a luncheon held in conjunction with the 2015 NSCAA Convention in Philadelphia.

To be named to the Scholar All-America Team, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale) throughout his career, start more than 50 percent of all games while being a significant contributor to his team, and be nominated by an institution in the NSCAA.

A liberal arts major, Shams boasts a 3.76 GPA. This past season, he anchored a defense that allowed just 20 goals and helped lead Oakton to the ISCC title and an overall record of 13-2-1.

Shams this past season also was chosen for the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I All-American Third Team and was both an NJCAA Region IV First Team All-Region and ISCC First Team All-Conference selection.