Nov. 29, 2012

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky junior men’s soccer forward Tyler Riggs has been voted 2012 Capital One first-team Academic All-America by the College Sports Information Directors Association, it was announced on Thursday afternoon.

A native of Louisville, Ky., Riggs – a third-team Academic All-America selection in 2011 – is the first player in program history to earn the award multiple times in his career. UK’s leading scorer for two consecutive years, Riggs is the fifth UK soccer star to earn CoSIDA Academic All-America accolades, joining Sean Endicot (1995-96), Ilkka Jantti (2001-02), Chris McCalpine (2001-02) and Chad Hagerty (2007-08).

Riggs, a product of St. Xavier High School, boasts a 3.91 GPA as a mechanical engineering major. On the field, Riggs led UK in scoring for the second consecutive season, owning seven goals and four assists, despite missing four games due to injury. Riggs fired 38 shots, with 25 coming on target, netting two game-winning goals.

In his three-year career, Riggs has played in 54 games with 42 starts, totaling 23 goals and nine assists (55 points). He has fired 103 shots with six game-winning goals. In UK career history, Riggs ranks sixth in points, fourth in goals and eighth in game-winning tallies.

Kentucky completed a historic 2012 season under first-year head coach Johan Cedergren, hosting the second NCAA Tournament game in program history, with UK making just its fifth all-time NCAA Tournament berth. UK, which also hosted the NCAA Tournament for women’s soccer and volleyball, is one of only three schools in the NCAA in 2012 to host all three NCAA events.