EMAIL THIS PAGE

American Men’s Soccer Signs Six Student-Athletes to National Letters of Intent
Coach Todd West announces Eagles’ Class of 2007

Men's Soccer Head Coach Todd West signed six student-athletes to National Letters of Intent.

February 6, 2003

WASHINGTON -- American University head men’s soccer coach Todd West announced today the program has signed six incoming student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. Joining the Eagles as members of the Class of 2007 are Nathan Baker (Bowie, Md./St. John’s College High School), Jonathan Barbarin (San Diego, Calif./University of San Diego High School), Michael Bertram (Bowie, Md./DeMatha), Salvatore Caccavale (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip), Garth Juckem (Tampa, Fla./Tampa Jesuit) and Zyad Qamer (Fairfax, Va./Robinson).

"I am thrilled with the 2003 recruiting class,” Coach West said. “The players have a great deal of experience both at the club level as well as internationally with their ODP programs. Our goal with every recruiting class is to bring in intelligent technical soccer players and we have certainly done so with this freshman class. The goal each and every year is a Patriot League Championship and success in the NCAA tournament; this class of student-athletes should help us compete to achieve these goals for years to come.”

Baker, a 5-11 defender/defensive midfielder, was the 2002 Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) Player of the Year and named to the Washington Post All-Met First Team. The team captain of his St. John’s, Md. Olympic Development Program (ODP) squad as well has his club team, the Potomac Cougars, Baker was named to the WCAC First Team his junior and senior seasons. He has been named to the honor roll every semester in high school and is a member of the National Honor Society.

A 5-11 defender, Barbarin helped lead his team to the Western League Championship in 2001 and 2002 while the squad was also 2002 CIF Champions. Named a 2002 High School Scholastic Athlete by the San Diego Union-Tribune, Barbarin was selected to the CIF First Team in 2002. He also earned the 2002 CIF Sportsmanship Award. Barbarin also played on the nationally renowned club team, Surf Football Club.

The captain of DeMatha’s squad his senior year, Bertram is a 6-1 midfielder. His club team, the Bethesda Alliance, placed fourth in the 2002 national championship. Bertram also played for the Maryland ODP team from 1999-2002. A member of the National Honor Society, he has been named to the honor roll all four years in high school.

Caccavale, a 5-7 attacking midfielder/forward, was named All-Conference, County and State his junior and senior years. The 2001 Suffolk County Player of the Year, Caccavale was named to the NSCAA All-Region team and an NSCAA High School All-American in 2001. For his high school career, Caccavale tallied 42 goals and 20 assists. A five-year member of the New York State ODP team, he also is a four-year member of the U.S. Regional Team that played in tournaments in Italy and France. Caccavale was selected to the Adidas Elite Soccer Program in 2001 and 2002 and led both of his club teams to state championships and the regional semifinals.

Juckem joins the Eagles as a 5-8 midfielder. A member of the 2001 winter NSCAA National Champions and Florida 2A State Champions his sophomore year, Juckem scored 25 goals and had 41 assists for his high school career. He was named to the Puma Invitational High School All-Tournament Team and Tampa Tribune All-County First Team as a junior. Juckem’s club team are four-time Florida State Champions and 2000 Nike Cup World Finalists in Amsterdam, Holland. He was a four-time member of the ’85 Florida State Team and participated with the ’85 Region III Team at the inter-regional event in 2002. A member of the National Honor Society, Juckem has been on the honor roll for three years.

Qamer comes to AU as a 5-9 defender. A five-time member of the Virginia ODP State Team, Qamer helped to lead Robinson to the Patriot District Finals in 2001. He was named all-state and all-conference in high school. Qamer’s club team, the Braddock Road Nighthawks were Virginia State Champions in 1999 and state finalists in 1998. In 2001, he helped guide the Chantilly Cannons to the Virginia State Cup finals. Qamer earned the Scholar-Athlete Award and he has been named to the A/B honor roll in high school.

The Eagles made their second consecutive NCAA appearance in 2002, defeating George Washington, 1-0, in the NCAA First Round game held on AU’s Reeves Field. The trip to the NCAA Tournament was AU’s seventh in school history.

American University, which fields a 19-sport NCAA Division I athletics program featuring 10 women’s sports and nine for men, is in its second year of membership in the Patriot League. Since joining the Patriot League, the University has captured league championships in men’s cross country, women’s cross country, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and women’s volleyball, and regular-season titles in men’s basketball and women’s lacrosse.

Chartered by an Act of Congress in 1893, American University features students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and more than 160 nations worldwide.