Two Barton Community College men's soccer players recently were awarded Division I All-American status for their performances this past season.   Becoming the fifteenth Cougar to be named to the NJCAA All-American list, Lucas Alves was recently joined by Kota Endo earning All-American status on the NSCAA awarding list.   The Cougars also obtained four other awards coming from the NSCAA landing two on the first squad of the All-North Region Team and two on the second team.

Alves wrapped up his Cougar career this past fall in a tie for the tenth spot on Barton's historical records sheet scoring twenty-one goals over his two years.  The Sao Paulo, Brazil, native led the Cougars this season with twenty-three points and was second on the team with seven goals.  Alves scored four of his goals in two separate games, the first coming in a 2-0 win at Garden City Community College with the latter coming in a five point effort powering an 8-0 win over Northwest Kansas Technical College.  Alves also had multiple games of two assists distributing two in Barton's 7-0 victory at Hesston College and two helping to lift the Cougars to a 3-1 win at Dodge City Community College.   Finishing his two-year stint just outside the historical top ten with fifty-two points, Alves netted a hat trick his freshman year to add his name amongst the twenty-eight historical three goal or more performances.

Endo was the midfield general for the Cougars dominating the pitch earning credibility around the nation.  Arriving to Barton from Chiba, Japan, Endo scored seven points his freshman season scoring three goals and one assist before adding an assist to his career total this past year.  A stable and consistent force in the midfield, Endo joined Alves as the lone two Cougars to earn both 1st Team All-KJCCC and All-Region VI honors.  

With the NJCAA honor, Alves' brings Barton's total of all-Americans in sixteen years of competition to seventeen as Kevin Ellis and Craig Ratanamorn each earned All-American status twice.

Under first year Head Coach Mike Brown, the Cougars were 13-2-1 on the season with a No. 19 national ranking having the schedule come to an end in a shootout in the Region VI Tournament. 

The season also resulted in four of the Cougars being recognized by the NSCAA on its All-North Region Teams.  Joining Endo on the first team was Boris Nana Tonzi with fellow freshman defender Julio Vicente and sophomore midfielder Vinicius Monteiro landing on the second team.  

Monteiro, the team captain for the Cougars, finished his career as a top ten record holder on the Barton historical chart, dishing out a fifth best eleven assists this past season including distributing three in the October victory over NWKS in joining seven other Cougars to achieve the feat in a single game.  The Sao Paulo, Brazil, native had two assists his freshman season leaving his legacy in the fifth spot of career assists.

A complete list of the 2016 NJCAA Division I All-American team can be found at www.njcaa.org while the NSCAA list can be found at www.nscaa.org.

About the NJCAA
Since 1938, the NJCAA has served as the nation's premier governing body for two-year collegiate athletics, providing athletic and academic opportunities for college students across the globe. The NJCAA is the second-largest national intercollegiate athletic organization in the United States with over 500 member schools in 42 states. Each year, nearly 60,000 student-athletes compete in one of 28 different sports as the organization sponsors 48 national championship events and eight football bowl games. NJCAA Headquarters has been located in Colorado Springs, Colo., since 1985. For more information please visit njcaa.org or follow on Twitter at @NJCAA.

About the NSCAA
Founded in 1941 and based in Kansas City, Mo., the National Soccer Coaches Association of America has grown into the world's largest soccer coaches' organization that serves members at every level of the game.  The NSCAA works every day to inspire coaches and ignite their passion for the game so they pass it on to players and others in the soccer community. We fulfill that goal through three core values: "Learn. Participate. Belong."  For more information please visit nscaa.org or follow on Twitter at @NSCAA.

Barton NJCAA All Americans:
2016 - Lucas Alves (Midfielder) – 3rd Team
2015 - Renan Sousa (Midfielder) – 2nd Team
2013 – Soriba "Ebu" Camara (Forward) – 2nd Team
2012 – Gonzalo Gelso (Midfielder) – 3rd Team; Diogo Quirino (Defender) – 3rd Team
2010 – Kevin Ellis (Defender) – 1st Team
2009 – Kevin Ellis (Midfielder) – 2nd Team
2008 – Marcello Carminatti (Forward) – 1st Team; Donovan Dowling (Goalkeeper) – Honorable Mention
2007 – Michael Brewer (Forward) – Honorable Mention
2006 – Craig Ratanamorn (Goalkeeper) – 1st Team; Omar Ayache (Midfielder) – Honorable Mention
2005 – Craig Ratanamorn (Goalkeeper) – 1st Team; Bruno Conceicao (Midfielder) – 2nd Team
2004 – Trey Davis (Midfielder) – 2nd Team
2003 – Malik Jobe (Midfielder) – 2nd Team
2002 – Mario Ulloa (Midfielder) – Honorable Mention