Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, January 21, 1994 TAG: 9401210188
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Postseason awards can soothe, as Dustin Fonder discovered Thursday.
The Roanoke College senior, whose team lost in four overtimes in an NCAA Division III men's soccer quarterfinal in the fall, has been chosen ISAA/adidas Division III 1993 national field player of the year in voting by coaches.
"Once we got there, I really wanted to win it," Fonder said of the NCAA Tournament. "I'd trade in the award for a title. [The award] is kind of like some consolation, I guess.
"It just cheered me up, because I was pretty depressed. The fact I wasn't going to play anymore really hit me hard."
Fonder, a graduate of the North Cross School, played well enough in '93 to set school records in every offensive category, finishing with 22 goals, 20 assists and 64 points.
The midfielder finished second on the Maroons' all-time scoring list, with 108 points. Ted Delledera had 111 from 1982-85.
Fonder is a four-time first-team All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference selection and was the ODAC's 1993 player of the year. He becomes the second consecutive ODAC player to win the national award, following Virginia Wesleyan's Mike McFarland.
"We're elated," said Scott Allison, the Maroons' coach. "I really felt he was deserving of at least Fonder consideration."
Fonder wasn't sure what to think until the Maroons won their first ODAC championship and qualified for their first NCAA Tournament.
"It's something I really didn't expect," said Fonder, who is playing basketball for Roanoke's nationally ranked team. " . . . When I saw the other top guys [during the NCAA Tournament], I thought I had a good chance at it. I think I can play with anyone."
He'll test that notion in February, when he tries out for the Hampton Roads entry in the U.S. Interregional Soccer League, a 64-team outdoor soccer league. He said he also plans to try professional indoor soccer.
If nothing else, he has left his mark on the program at Roanoke. The Maroons were 20-4 in '93 and ranked No. 19 in the final Division III poll.
by CNB