General | 6/21/2023 12:30:00 PM

New York, New York - Borough of Manhattan Community College men's soccer star student-athlete El Hadji Gaye's (Dakar, Senegal) monumental career continues to rewrite the program record books and garner national recognition with the sophomore becoming the first-ever Panther in school history to receive CSC (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-America ® accolades on Wednesday, June 21. Gaye was one of 10 players from the two-year level selected for the 2022-23 Academic All-America ® Men's At-Large Team out of 94 nominees and the lone two-year representative from the CUNYAC (The City of New York Athletic Conference) to receive the honor. 

"As an Athletic Director, there is nothing better than the tremendous year our student-athletes have had in the classroom this past year," said Matthew Ruiz, Director of Athletics & Recreation at BMCC. "Leading the way for the Panthers has been El Hadji Ady Gaye, who has brought home every academic achievement this year and has now topped it off with being named a CSC Academic All-American. The fact that he is one of only 10 student-athletes from across the two-year level to receive this honor is truly amazing. I couldn't be happier to have such an amazing student-athlete receive such a great honor as he graduates from BMCC!"
 
The 2022-23 College Division Academic All-America® At-Large Team featured a cumulative GPA of 3.91 for its 10 honorees, including Gaye, and four team members with 4.00 GPAs.
 
The CoSIDA Academic All-America® Men's At-Large Team recognizes student-athletes from all sponsored sports, two-year colleges, Canadian Institutions, and any other institution not affiliated with the NCAA or the NAIA. Student-Athletes must have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.50 or better at their current institution, be a prominent contributor on their team, compete in at least 50 percent of their team's scheduled competitions, and complete at least one full calendar year at their current academic institution while being on a college roster in that sport for two years.

The Academic postseason awards continued to come the Senegal native's way after being honored in May at the national and Conference level when he became the first student-athlete in BMCC Athletics school history to be named to the 2022-23 CSC Academic All-District® College Division At-Large Team and the 19th in program history to receive CUNYAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. 

An Engineering Science major, Gaye proved himself more than worthy of this honor during his time at BMCC, maintaining a 3.98 cumulative grade point average and earning a spot on the Dean's list for two of his four semesters at BMCC. He also received BMCC Foundation Inc. Scholarship honors three times in 2019, 2021, and 2022, along with a 2022 CUNYAC Fall Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll recognition. 

Gaye's athletic accomplishments are on par with his academic achievements since arriving at 199 Chambers Street. He made his presence known on the pitch in 27 career appearances during his two-year career for the Panthers men's soccer program, serving as Mr. Clutch by leading his team to their 12th and 13th conference championship in exciting fashion, assisting on the game-winning goal on a corner in the 2019 CUNYAC Final and burying both regulation goals and netting the game-clinching marker in penalty kicks during the 2022 Conference Championship. His epic performance in the 2022 CUNYAC CC Men's Soccer Championship earned him MVP honors and propelled him to a 2022 CUNYAC Player of the Year selection, the sixth in program history.

Gaye also was named All-Region 15 First Team and concluded his career with 31 career points, and his 13 career goals are tied for the eighth most in program history with Ryuichiro Yasuda. 

For more information on the 2022-23 CSC Academic All-America® program, visit AcademicAllAmerica.com.


ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
The athletic program at Borough of Manhattan Community College encompasses a total of 12 varsity teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level. For the latest news on the Panthers, please visit us at https://bmccathletics.com - The official site of BMCC Athletics. Follow the Panthers on Instagram (@bmcc_athletics) and Twitter (@BMCCAthletics), and Like Us on Facebook (BMCC Athletics).