« Men’s Soccer 2009

Alexander Torda

School
University of Dayton
Position
Forward
Major
Entrepreneurship and Finance
G
2
A
1
PTS
5

Classroom

Torda takes high-honor classes at the University of Dayton and carries a 3.6 GPA. He was named to the prestigious 2008 NSCAA/adidas Scholar All-America Team, as well as the 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America second team. He was one of 11 players named to the Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team in 2008 and was also a first team All-District IV ESPN The Magazine All-Academic Selection. He has also been named to the Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and University of Dayton’s Dean’s List. In addition, he was a finalist for the University of Dayton Presidential Outstanding Scholar-Athlete Award, a very prestigious honor which recognizes two student-athletes - one male and one female - who have demonstrated academic excellence, qualities of leadership, and service to the University and Dayton community. He is also the finance officer in Dayton’s entrepreneurship program.

Character

Torda was adamant about attending the University of Dayton to play soccer. The Flyers coaching staff told him several times he was not the type of player that would fit well in their system and discouraged him from coming. He scored two goals as a freshman and the last two years has been the Flyers’ leading scorer. And now he has emerged as one of the top players in the Atlantic 10. Fr. John Putka, S.M., Pd.D. has said Torda inspires with his enthusiasm and is an excellent role model and mentor for others, and exemplifies UD’s commitment to Learn, Lead and Serve. The University of Dayton men’s soccer team conducted a peer evaluation and Torda topped each category, demonstrating the immense respect he gets from his teammates.

Community

Torda contributes his time to TOPS Soccer (The Outreach Program for Soccer), which is a national soccer program created to train young people with disabilities in a caring coaching environment. By providing a community-based training and team placement program for young people with disabilities, any boy or girl, age five and up who has a mental or physical disability, will have the opportunity to learn and play soccer. Torda, like so many UD student-athletes, is also involved in Christmas on Campus, which involves “adopting” a child to give them a better holiday. He also volunteered his time at the Thomas J. Memorial 5K and for Drive 75, a canned food drive initiative to help support local food banks. He also helped put on UD’s Inner City soccer clinic in Trotwood, Ohio.

Competition

Torda became the first-ever at University of Dayton to be named a candidate for the Hermann Trophy in 2008. He lived up to the billing his junior season, leading the Flyers to an Atlantic 10 Tournament Championship and the first-ever NCAA berth for University of Dayton men’s soccer. He was named to all-tournament teams in three of the four tournaments Dayton played during the 2008 season. He was named UD’s Offensive Player of the Year after leading the team in goals and points. Torda is a two-time All-Atlantic 10 selection, honored to the first team in 2007 and the second team in 2008. He is also a two-time All-Ohio first team member, as well as NSCAA/adidas All- Mid Atlantic Region. He repeated as a pick on the A-10 Preseason All-Conference Team this season, after also getting the preseason recognition in 2008. He was also recently named to the 2009 College Soccer News third team Preseason All-America.