Nov. 6, 2003

EAST LANSING, Mich - Men's soccer standout striker John Minagawa-Webster (Jr., Monroe) was named to the Academic All-District IV University Division Men's Soccer Team. The packaging major has carried a 3.64 GPA since arriving on campus in the fall of 2000. As a member of the all-district team, he will be considered for Academic All-America honors.

In his three years at Michigan State, Minagawa-Webster has started every game in which he has played. During his first year he scored six goals and four assists. As a sophomore he netted two goals and one assist. In 2002, Minagawa-Webster suffered a season ending knee injury in the first game of the season and spent the year as a medical redshirt.

One year later Minagawa-Webster stormed back into action. After a slow start in the Spartans' first three games, he went on a scoring streak, netting seven goals in five games. Now, he leads the team with eight goals and is second in points with 19.

Minagawa-Webster will lead the Spartans into the upcoming Big Ten Tournament in Bloomington, Ind., Nov. 13-16. MSU's first round match will be announced next week as regular season Big Ten play ends for some schools this weekend.

The district team is made up of student-athletes from Division I schools in Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. To be nominated, student-athletes must be a starter or important reserve and carry a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher. Team members are selected by a vote of the members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) within the district.