Two Bison Earn All-GAC Honors

SHAWNEE – Italo Vichiatto and Alejandro Castillo were named to the All-Great American Conference team Thursday night. The awards were announced at the GAC awards banquet ahead of tomorrow's semifinal matches in Searcy, Arkansas.
 
Vichiatto, a sophomore from Belo Horizonte, Brazil, was Oklahoma Baptist's lone First Team All-GAC honoree. The defender started in 14 matches and made 15 total appearances. His only goal of the season against Adams State proved to be the match-winner. It is the first time in his career to be named to an all-conference team.
 
Castillo, a junior midfielder from Peralta, Spain, took home Second Team All-GAC laurels. Castillo had four goals and three assists for a share of the team lead with 11 points. It's the second time for Castillo to be named to an all-conference team in his career, having previously been named to the All-GAC First Team as a sophomore.
 
Scholar athlete awards were also handed out on Thursday night, and OBU had three recipients. Michael Stewart, a junior from Broken Arrow, was one of two Elite Scholar Athletes, an honor bestowed on a player for having the highest GPA among individuals at the GAC Tournament. Alec Young, a senior forward from Shawnee, and Jonathan Frank, a senior forward from Wichita Falls, Texas, were both named Distinguished Scholar Athletes.
 
Oklahoma Baptist takes on No. 1-seed Harding at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 2 in the GAC semifinals.