Ben Zemanski

Classroom

Zemanski was named to the All-Academic Mid-American Conference team last fall while posting a team-high 3.51 cumulative GPA as a mechanical engineering major at Akron.

Character

Zemanski was voted team captain for the 2009 season by his teammates and coaching staff. “Ben is our beating heart and he has all the intangibles, which is why we named him a captain this past winter,” said UA head coach Caleb Porter. “His ball winning, work rate and leadership in the holding midfield position are crucial to our defensive organization and pressure. He is an outstanding leader and I expect him to drive our team game in and game out in his final year.”

Community

Zemanski has participated in a host of community outreach events with his teammates during his three-plus seasons at UA. These events include free soccer clinics, hospital visits and a charity fundraiser for a local coach who was diagnosed with cancer. He has also worked with his teammates to build houses in cooperation with Habitat for Humanity.

Competition

Zemanski was an All-MAC second team honoree last season in addition to being named to the Academic All-MAC team. He started all 23 games last fall and was a key component in the nation’s 11th-ranked scoring offense. Individually, he finished 24th in the nation with a career-high 10 assists (0.43/game). Of that total, eight set up game-winning goals for the Zips, who advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament while posting the fifth-best win percentage in the country (.826).