Tennant McVea

Classroom

McVea will graduate in the spring with a degree in communications with a concentration in advertising and public relations. He has completed advanced studies certificates in chemistry, politics and physics.

Character

McVea will serve as team captain for the third year in a row during the 2009 season. Loyola head coach Mark Mettrick describes McVea as “a truly excellent leader. He is a great communicator on, and off, the field, and he is one of the toughest competitors that I have ever seen. He has all of the intangibles that you would ever want in a player. He is completely uncompromising on the field and is a great organizer on the field.”

Community

McVea serves as a volunteer for the St. Mary’s School Homework Club, helping underserved children in an area near Loyola with study and academic skills. He has organized volunteer soccer clinics at St. Mary’s School and been an instructor at Chick-Fil-A Soccer Clinics. McVea has been a member of Loyola’s Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) during his sophomore, junior and senior years. He has organized a clothing drive for an orphanage in Brazil and volunteered with the Loyola Campus Ministry group and Fr. Jack Dennis to deliver care packages to area homeless men and women. At home in Northern Ireland, he has participated in the Cross-Community Protestant-Catholic Initiative, to help raise money to support children in multi-faith neighborhoods. At the Greenwell Street Presbyterian Church in Northern Ireland, he volunteered to serve meals and give gifts to disadvantaged children at Christmas and Easter.

Competition

On the MAC Hermann Trophy watch list for 2009, McVea is a member of the 2008 NSCAA/adidas All-America first team and the 2008 NSCAA/adidas All-North Region first team. He is a two-time Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year (2007 and 2008) and a two-time All-MAAC first team selection (2007 and 2008). He has helped Loyola reach the NCAA College Cup second round in both 2007 and 2008. He led Loyola’s defense to a league-best 0.66 goals against average (14th in NCAA Division I). The Greyhounds led NCAA Division I in goals against average (0.47) and shutout percentage (0.74) in 2007 under McVea’s guidance.