Ben Sippola Earns League Academic Honor

INDIANAPOLIS, IND. -- Senior Ben Sippola, who’s helped lead the Butler men’s soccer team to the best start in school history, has been named Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Month for September.  

Sippola led the 11-0-0 and #9-ranked Bulldogs in scoring during the first month of the season with six goals and five assists.  He was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Kentucky Invitational, after leading the tournament in scoring and helping Butler to the team title.  And he was named Horizon League Men’s Soccer Athlete of the Week on Sept. 13, after becoming just the ninth player in men’s soccer history to record a “hat trick” with three goals in Butler’s 5-1 victory over Houston Baptist.

The Butler midfielder is tied for first in the Horizon League in assists and stands second in the league in goals and points (17).  He ranks 15th in the NCAA Division I in points, 22nd in assists and 29th in goals.

An English Literature major, Sippola boasts a 3.72 grade-point average.  He was named to the 2009 Horizon League Academic All-League Team and the 2009-10 Horizon League Academic Honor Roll.  He also was chosen to the 2009-10 NSCAA Scholar All-North/Central Region Team and was named to the Butler Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.

The Horizon League instituted the Scholar-Athlete of the Month award as a way to recognize outstanding academic and athletic achievement by its student-athletes.  To be eligible for the honor, a student-athlete must maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 3.20 or better (on a 4.00 scale), have completed at least one year at the member institution, passed 24 semester or 36 quarter hours and perform well during the month’s competition.  Winners are selected by the league’s faculty athletics representatives from nominations provided by sports information directors.