More UVA Soccer academic honors: Bell named ACC Scholar Athlete

Former UVA Soccer midfielder Joe Bell (Wanaka, New Zealand) was named the ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year on Tuesday.

Bell is the first UVA men’s soccer player to be bestowed the league’s highest academic honor.

Bell and teammates Robin Afamefuna (Wuerselen, Germany), Henry Kessler (New York, N.Y.), Colin Shutler (Middleburg, Va.) and Andreas Ueland (Bryne, Norway) were also all members of the ACC All-Academic team, according to a release from the school.

Bell was recognized for the third straight season, in the process becoming the seventh UVA men’s soccer player to be recognized three times in their respective collegiate careers.

Afamefuna and Shutler each landed on the All-Academic team for the second straight season.

The five honorees from the team were a new school record and are tied with Duke for the most in the ACC.

A psychology major, Bell was also named the United Soccer Coaches Scholar Athlete of the Year this year, as he was also racking up, on the pitch, consensus first-team All-America honors.

Earlier this month, Bell signed a professional contract in Norway with Viking FK.

Afamefuna and Kessler have also moved on to the professional ranks after being selected in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft. Afamefuna was taken in the second round by the Colorado Rapids while Kessler was selected sixth overall by the New England Revolution.

To be eligible for consideration for the ACC All-Academic team, a student-athlete must have earned a 3.00 grade point average for the previous semester and maintained a 3.00 cumulative average during her undergraduate and/or graduate academic career. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in selecting the All-ACC Academic Team.

The ACC Honor Roll, which recognizes all conference student-athletes with a grade point average of 3.0 for the current academic year, will be released in July.