« Men’s Soccer 2013

Mark Sherrod

School
Memphis
Position
Forward
Major
Civil Engineering
G
3
A
2
PTS
8

Classroom

Sherrod is majoring in civil engineering at Memphis and was a C-USA All-Academic Team selection in both his sophomore (2011) and junior (2012) seasons. As a junior in 2012, Sherrod was also named to the Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District IV Team, the NSCAA Men’s University Division Scholar All-America first team and the NSCAA Scholar All-South region first team. He made the CoSIDA Academic All-America third team as a sophomore in 2011. He was also named to the Tiger 3.0 Club in the Fall of 2012 and was named to the Dean’s List in the Fall of 2012. Sherrod currently has a 3.5 GPA and will graduate with his bachelor’s degree in May of 2014.

Character

Before arriving at Memphis, Sherrod suffered a serious knee injury and had to miss the 2009 season. He was able to overcome that setback to become one of the best players in Memphis history. This season, Sherrod will be a team captain, a honor that was honored as much for his attitude off the field as on it. Head Coach Richie Grant describes Sherrod as one of the hardest-working and most team-oriented players he has ever coached. He is most impressed by Sherrod’s “appetite to improve.” Teammates and coaches note Sherrod’s humility and focus on the team rather than his own statistics.

Community

Sherrod has been a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee since 2011. The group is designed to provide advice and insight into the student-athlete experience for fellow Tigers. He has been a part of numerous community events. In 2011, Sherrod volunteered at the True Blue Choices Health Fair and the True Blue Choices Homecoming Parade. True Blue Choices is an alcohol education campaign at the University of Memphis. Sherrod also worked at a Tiger Christmas, and volunteered at read bedtime stories at Brookmeade Elementary. In 2012, Sherrod volunteered at the Second Baptist Soccer Clinic and the Martin Luther King Day of Service in Memphis. He has also visited St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, the most recent visit coming in 2013.

Competition

Sherrod became just the second player in C-USA history and the first Tiger to be named to be named the Offensive Player of the Year in consecutive seasons (2011, 2012). He was also named the Conference USA Player of the Year in 2011. As a sophomore, Sherrod was an All-C-USA First Team selection, made the NSCAA All-Midwest region first team and the NSCAA All-America third team. As one of 15 semifinalists for the Hermann Trophy, Sherrod set a school record in goals scored with 19, and tied the single-season school record for points with 42. Of the 19 goals, seven were game-winning scores. In 2012, Sherrod repeated as C-USA Offensive Player of the Year and was an All-C-USA First Team selection. He also made the Hermann Trophy Watch List and was a Soccer NewsNet College Boot Finalist. Sherrod scored 12 goals and had 28 points as a junior, ranking third in C-USA in both categories. He had three game-winning goals and two multi-goal contests. Entering his senior season, Sherrod ranks fifth in school history in goals scored with 35 and sixth in program history in points with 80.