Dias Named Michael L. Slive Conference USA Male Co-Athlete of the Year

IRVING, Texas – Marshall men's soccer junior midfielder Vitor Dias was named the Michael L. Slive Conference USA Male Co-Athlete of the Year, the league office announced Wednesday.

Dias shares the award with Kigen Chemadi, a senior track and field athlete from Middle Tennessee who finished first in the 3000m steeplechase at the NCAA East Preliminary and earned a spot to the NCAA National Championships in Eugene, Ore. Anastasia Hayes, a redshirt junior from Middle Tennessee, and the C-USA Women's Basketball Player of the Year took home the Female Athlete of the Year award.

Dias is the first Marshall male athlete to be honored and the first Herd athlete honored since softball's Morgan Zerkle was named as the Female Athlete of the Year in 2017. It is the 18th season that the league has honored Male and Female Athletes of the Year and the fourth time that the awards have been named in remembrance of C-USA's founding commissioner Mike Slive following his passing. The winners are determined by a vote of the conference's Athletic Directors.

Dias, nicknamed "The Magician" by teammate Jamil Roberts, helped lead Marshall to back-to-back Conference USA Titles and its first ever College Cup National Championship. Dias adds the award to his already impressive list of accolades including United Soccer Coaches First Team All-America, NCAA All-Tournament Team, MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist, All-Southeast Region First Team, C-USA Player of the Year, C-USA Offensive MVP and First Team All-C-USA.

The Brasilia, Brazil native led the Herd with six goals, seven assists and 19 points. Dais notched four of his assists and came through with clutch kicks in Marshall's NCAA Tournament run. He assisted on the Herd's first goal against No. 23 Fordham in the second round. Next, Dias buried the final penalty kick in the shootout win over No. 1 Clemson in the Sweet 16 to move Marshall to its first ever Elite 8 appearance.

The junior continued assisting with game-winners in the 70th minute against No. 8 Georgetown in the Elite 8, the game-winner in the 60th minute against No. 16 North Carolina in the Final Four, and of course the game-winner in the 97th minute of the National Championship victory over No. 3 Indiana.

Conference USA Michael L. Slive Athletes of the Year
2020-21          Vitor Dias, Marshall men's soccer & Kigen Chemadi, Middle Tennessee track & field/
  Anastasia Hayes, Middle Tennessee women's basketball
2019-20          Javion Hamlet, North Texas men's basketball/Erica Ogwumike, Rice women's basketball
2018-19         Jake Sanford, WKU baseball/ Erica Ogwumike, Rice women's basketball
2017-18         Nick Sandlin, Southern Miss baseball/Alyssa Cavanaugh, WKU volleyball
2016-17         Emmanuel Korir, UTEP track & field/Morgan Zerkle, Marshall softball
2015-16         Brandon Doughty, WKU football/Kylee Hanson, Florida Atlantic softball
2014-15         Anthony Rotich, UTEP track & cross country/Miranda Kramer, WKU softball
2013-14         Anthony Rotich, UTEP track & cross country/Ebony Rowe, Middle Tennessee basketball
2012-13         Anthony Rotich, UTEP track & cross country/Aurieyall Scott, UCF track & field
2011-12         Case Keenum, Houston football/Camilla Carrera, UTEP softball
2010-11         Chad Zurcher, Memphis baseball/Tori Bowie, Southern Miss track & field
2009-10         Anthony Rendon, Rice baseball/Blessing Okagbare, UTEP track & field
2008-09 Jason Colwick, Rice track & field/
Toni Paisley, ECU softball & Sara Radosevic, Tulane volleyball
2007-08         Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis basketball/Angel Shamblin, Houston softball
2006-07         Joe Savery, Rice baseball/Ebonie Floyd, Houston track & field
2005-06         Brad Lincoln, Houston baseball & DeAngelo Williams, Memphis football/
Jillian Robbins, Tulsa basketball
2004-05         Lance Broadway, TCU baseball/Sandora Irvin, TCU basketball
2003-04         Michael Kogan, Tulane tennis/Chandi Jones, Houston basketball

For all of the latest information on the Marshall men's soccer team, follow the Herd on Twitter @HerdMSoccer, Facebook at Marshall University Soccer and on www.herdzone.com.

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---HerdZone.com---

Marshall University Athletics

Dias Named Michael L. Slive Conference USA Male Co-Athlete of the Year

Players Mentioned

Vitor Dias

Jamil Roberts

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