Long Branch, NJ -- Anchoring one of the top back lines in the Northeast Conference is not always glamorous.
Harald Sollund (Viken, Norway/Frederik II High School), a two-year defender for the St. Francis Brooklyn men’s soccer team, rarely had his name stand out in the box score or the postgame recap, despite the fact that he was an integral part of a Terriers’ defense that ranked in the league’s top two during each of his two seasons in Brooklyn.
But Sollund’s tireless work ethic on the pitch coupled with his dedication in both the classroom and in the community paid off, as he was capped off an impressive career by winning the NEC Male Team Student-Athlete of the Year Award presented by Provident Bank. The Norway-born NEC defender is the first men’s soccer player to ever take home the league’s most prestigious individual honor.
In the process, Sollund becomes the second St. Francis Brooklyn athlete to garner the award in as many seasons, as Djordje Spasic, a recent graduate and member of the school’s men’s swimming and diving team, became the first-ever Terrier to earn the distinction.
Sponsored by Provident Bank, the NEC uses the Student-Athlete of the Year Award to annually recognize individual excellence in both the academic and athletic realms as well as leadership and contributions to one’s community.
Sollund was chosen out of a pool of nine finalists across the NEC’s core membership. He joins Central Connecticut’s Angie Rafter (women’s track and field) and Saint Francis U’s Mekenzie Saban (softball), who were recognized as the NEC Female Team co-Student-Athletes of the Year.
“I came to a program that had not done too well the previous years, and I was determined to leave St. Francis Brooklyn in a better spot than where I found it,” said Sollund.
He did just that.
Prior to his arrival in 2019, St. Francis Brooklyn missed the NEC’s postseason after going 3-5-1 in conference play. In Sollund’s first season, the Terriers did a complete one-eighty, going 5-1-1 in an unconventional spring slate that was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
That season, St. Francis Brooklyn won both the NEC regular season and tournament titles. But the Terriers were not done there, as they made some noise at the national level. Taking down UW-Milwaukee to earn the program’s first NCAA Tournament win in 1978, they came just shy of reaching the Sweet 16 after falling in penalty kicks to powerhouse Indiana in the Second Round.
The following season, Sollund made it back-to-back regular season titles for St. Francis Brooklyn for the third time in program history after he helped the Terriers post a 10-5-2 record.
His individual contributions did not go unnoticed. Earning a spot on the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List this past fall, the All-NEC first team and United Soccer Coaches All-Northeast Region first team performer became just the third men’s soccer player in conference history to win back-to-back NEC Defensive Player of the Year awards.
Sollund was a workhorse in the classroom in his two years at St. Francis Brooklyn, as well. Earning a spot on the NEC Academic and Commissioner’s Honor Roll on two occasions, he sported a 3.784 cumulative grade-point average as a Management major. Sollund also landed on the Dean’s List in each of his four semesters with the Terriers.
Several doors have opened for Sollund as a result of his success as a NEC student-athlete. He was recently granted the opportunity to continue both his soccer and academic careers in Italy, where he will enroll in a Master’s program and return to the pitch in Rome.
Sollund’s passion for the game of soccer has also given him the experience of sharing his talents with the younger generation. Coaching both teams and private sessions, he was able to gain a better understanding of the Brooklyn community in an experience he describes as “extremely rewarding.”
“The opportunity to be a student-athlete opened my horizons to a new world where I was able to find the passion and purpose in serving the greater community after having realized how fortunate I was to be involved in such a wonderful experience,” said Sollund. “To leave a place better than how I found it has always been important to me. I feel I have left a legacy and a lasting impact on the community be getting involved in numerous activities.”
NEC STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR RECIPIENTS
2021-22 Harald Sollund, St. Francis Brooklyn (male team, soccer)
Angie Rafter, CCSU (female team, cross country/track and field)
Mekenzie Saban, Saint Francis U (female team, softball)
2020-21 Djordje Spasic, St. Francis Brooklyn (male team, swimming and diving)
Tiffany Hanna, Wagner (female team, track and field)
2019-20 Jonathan Besselink, Wagner (male team, cross country/track and field)
Sara Phelan, Saint Francis U (female team, track and field)
2018-19 Evan McDonald, Fairleigh Dickinson (male team, baseball)
Pascalle Tego, Wagner (female team, golf)
2017-18 Charlton Boyd, Wagner (male team, tennis)
Dana Davis, Robert Morris (female team, lacrosse)
2016-17 Kyle Mummau, Bryant (male team, lacrosse)
Brianna Tredway, Wagner (female team, softball)
2015-16 Max Vogt, Bryant (male team, tennis)
Amanda Lucia, Wagner (female team, swimming)
2014-15 Phil Faccone, Wagner (male team, football)
Nicole Sleith, Robert Morris (female team, softball)
2013-14 Meredith Ketchmark, Wagner (swimming)
2012-13 Steve Cioicci, Wagner (football)
2011-12 Julia Prantl, Fairleigh Dickinson (tennis)
2010-11 Katherine Bossardet, CCSU (cross country, track and field)
2009-10 Kundayi Mawema, Bryant (field hockey)
2008-09 Alexandra Tomlinson, Wagner (swimming)
2007-08 Tiffany Hahn, Monmouth (track and field)
2006-07 Erika Jacobs, Saint Francis U (cross country, track and field)
2005-06 Joy Gallagher, Wagner (basketball, softball)
2004-05 Beth Swink, Saint Francis U (basketball)
2003-04 Naomi Campano, Mount St. Mary’s (lacrosse)
2002-03 Sabrina Mariani, CCSU (soccer)