Men's soccer player Ilija Ilic was honored as the 2014-15 Male Athlete of the Year at Young Harris College.
Ilic, a 6-foot-2 senior forward from Belgrade, Serbia, was named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America NCAA Division II Men’s Player of the Year in addition to being selected as the NSCAA Men’s Scholar Athlete of the Year.
It was the first time that a Mountain Lion player has received those awards and Ilic was also the first player from the Peach Belt Conference to receive either honor. The Scholar Athlete of the Year was chosen from all NCAA Division I, II, and III, and NAIA institutions.
Ilic was twice named the Disney Sports/NSCAA Division II Men’s Soccer Player of the Week in 2014 as he was named an NSCAA NCAA Division II All-American and an NSCAA Scholar All-American for the second consecutive year. Ilic was also named to the Daktronics/Division II Conference Commissioners Association Men’s Soccer All-America first team as well as being recognized as the Ron Lenz National Player of the Year this season.
The two-time PBC Player of the Year and three-time All-Peach Belt performer finished second in NCAA Division II in total goals (27), total points (67), goals per match (1.29), points per match (3.19), second in total assists (13), fourth in assists per match (0.62), and sixth in match-winning goals (7). Ilic, who was named Daktronics Southeast Region Player of the Year, is tops in the YHC record book in goals (64) and points (159), and tied for first in assists (31).
