Cabildo, Jallow Named NAIA-Daktronics Scholar-Athletes

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DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) released its men’s soccer Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athletes Friday (Dec. 5) as national tournament play nears a close in Delray Beach, Fla. Alex Cabildo and Abdoulie Jallow represented head coach Matt Johnson and the Mustangs this year, becoming two of 413 student-athletes across the NAIA’s landscape to receive the honor for their commitment to the classroom.

The impressive 413-recipient list in 2014 is a vast improvement over last year’s total of 355 student-athletes honored by the NAIA and Daktronics partnership.

Cabildo, a senior from Westland, Mich., caps off a stellar three-year career donning the Mustang Green and Gold by earning his second-consecutive NAIA-Daktronics honor. The gritty midfielder was one of two men’s soccer student-athletes honored last year (Ahmed Almosawi). Cabildo, a two-time United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Academic All-American and WHAC All-Academic Team member, is the latest in a string of academic standouts that have graduated from Johnson’s squad since the program’s inception in 2009.

The former Westland John Glenn High School standout appeared 18 games, starting 17, and chipped in with a pair of goals and an assist for a five-point 2014 season. Cabildo notched the lone game-winning goal of his career as a Mustang on his own senior day in a 2-0 win over Aquinas on Oct. 15.

Jallow (Bansang, The Gambia/Rust College), one of the more exciting players to watch in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC), joins Cabildo on the heralded academic list after exceeding the requirements of being a junior or above in academic standing while possessing a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA, among other qualifications. Jallow’s NAIA-Daktronics honor is a first, adding to a pair of USCAA Academic All-American nods and a mention on the WHAC’s All-Academic Team.

On the pitch, Jallow put together a remarkable season, tallying eight goals and 11 assists – both team bests for Johnson and the Mustangs in 2014. The junior forward’s 27-point season was good for third overall in the WHAC, leading him to a First Team All-Conference selection after a vote of the league’s coaches. For his career, Jallow has amassed an equal 21 goals and 21 assists for 63 points. The junior forward has totaled eight game-winning goals and is the Mustangs all-time assists leader through three seasons of play.

MEN’S SOCCER CONTACT: Tim Johnston | [email protected] /* */ | @tjohnston56
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