Jan. 17, 2007

ST. LOUIS - The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) announced that two Saint Louis men's soccer players have landed on the 2006 NSCAA/adidas College Men's Scholar All-America teams. Senior midfielder John DiRaimondo (St. Louis, Mo./Edison Academic Ctr.) earned first-team recognition, while senior back Dan Guffey (St. Peters, Mo./Howell North) earned a spot on the second team. The two became eligible for All-America status after being named to the Scholar All-North/Central Region first-team.

An accounting major, DiRaimondo was named the 2006 Atlantic 10 Men's Soccer Student-Athlete of the Year along with his second straight appearance on the conference's All-Academic Team. In addition, he was named an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American for the second straight season. A two-time Hermann Trophy semifinalist, DiRaimondo earned third-team NSCAA All-America honors after leading the Billikens in scoring with 15 points (5G, 5A). He finishes his Billiken career ranked 18th on SLU's career scoring chart with 72 points (22G, 28A).

Guffey, a finance major, earned a spot on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII first-team. He was named first-team All-Conference after anchoring a Billiken defense that allowed a league-low 0.90 goals per game and posted 10 shutouts. He was named the Defensive MVP at IU's adidas Classic and was selected to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week for his defensive effort at the tourney.

DiRaimondo and Guffey helped SLU to a 13-5-2 overall record and an 8-0-1 ledger in A-10 play in 2006. The Billikens, who finished the season tied for seventh in the final regular season NSCAA poll, claimed the A-10 regular-season title and earned the 11th overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.