Riding a five-match win streak, the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ men’s soccer team has claimed the first No. 1 national ranking in a regular-season poll by a team in school history in the United Soccer Coaches’ week nine rankings released Tuesday, garnering seven of eight first-place votes.

The latest ranking comes on the heels of three consecutive weeks with the No. 2 spot, and represents the seventh straight week with a top five national ranking, as well as the ninth consecutive week with a top 15 spot in the organization’s poll. The Knights (9-1-2, 5-1-1 SBC) also overtook first place in the Sun Belt table with their latest win over the South Carolina Gamecocks Sunday, vaulting past Marshall and the West Virginia Mountaineers with a conference-best 16 points and two matches remaining in the regular season.

While ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ went 2-0 with wins over South Carolina and the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers over the past week, the previously top-ranked Marshall Thundering Herd suffered back-to-back losses to then No. 5 West Virginia and the Kentucky Wildcats. Marshall fell to No. 6 in the United Soccer Coaches’ latest release and the Mountaineers jumped to No. 2.

Rounding out the Knights’ 2023 opponents to be represented in the latest poll, the Clemson Tigers earned a share of No. 10 with North Carolina, and Florida International slotted in at No. 24.

The top-ranked ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Knights will look ahead to their penultimate match of the regular season, a road contest at the Georgia State Panthers Oct. 27, before returning home for their regular season finale against James Madison Oct. 31.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ alumnus Phil Dalhausser and student Afia Charles are among the competitors vying for the gold this summer. Opening ceremonies for the London Olympics are Friday, July 27, and the games run through Aug. 12.

Dalhausser, who graduated from ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, will compete in beach volleyball. The volleyball pro lives in Ventura, Calif. He and his volleyball doubles partner, Todd Rogers, won gold medals in beach volleyball at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Dalhausser was born in Switzerland and lived there for a year before moving to the United States. Β He played basketball and tennis at Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, and took up volleyball his senior year.

Dalhausser was a member of the Men’s Volleyball Club at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½, which competes locally and nationally, and he has been named Beach Male Athlete of the Year by USA Volleyball for the past four years.

The preliminary phase of the beach volleyball Olympic tournament will be Saturday, July 28.

Rising junior Charles is ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s first track and field Olympian. Charles, who holds dual-citizenship with Antigua, will be competing for the island nation in the 400-meter dash. Charles has raced for Antigua since she first picked up running in high school.

Charles trained at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ alongside U.S. Olympian DeeDee Trotter – anΒ already an Olympic bronze and gold medalist – Β who is coached by ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ track and field head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert. The women will compete in Round 1 on Friday, Aug. 3.

Dalhausser and Charles aren’t the only Knights representing ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ in London.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ soccer player A.J. Nelson won’t be competing in the games, but he will be in London working as a video logger for NBC Sports. The senior forward is spending more than 20 days in London watching events and cutting highlight tapes as part of a summer internship.

The Olympic spirit will be hitting the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ campus, too. On-campus celebrations include:

C-USA annually presents $4,000 postgraduate scholarship awards to graduates as selected by the league’s faculty athletics representatives and approved by the board of directors.

“This is a great honor and I am very appreciative,” Scott said. “It was an honor to even be nominated for the scholarship because ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ has so many great student-athletes. My coaches, teammates and the academic support staff at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ always pushed me to be the best student-athlete I could be. Without their support, I don’t think I would be where I am today.”

In May, Scott graduated from ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ with a bachelor’s degree in political science with a 3.66 grade-point average.

On the pitch, Scott helped the Knights reach the second round of the NCAA Championship as a junior and senior. In 2011, the midfielder played in and started 12 matches and recorded three assists. As a junior, Scott totaled three goals and eight assists.

Scott was a seven-time Dean’s List recipient and earned the prestigious President’s Honor Roll Certificate this past spring. He was active with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, serving as the marketing chairman as a junior and the vice president as a senior.

“You would be hard pressed to find a more deserving student-athlete to receive the postgraduate scholarship,” ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ head coach said. “Spencer was dedicated to success at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ academically, athletically and socially. He did great work with SAAC and in the classroom and played a tremendous role with our team the last four years.”

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s medal winners represent ten sports programs. The women’s rowing team led the way with six student-athletes, followed closely by the women’s soccer and softball teams with five each.

At least 32 Knights have earned medals during three of the last four years.

“Achieving a GPA of 3.75 or higher is a tremendous accomplishment for our student-athletes, who work hard in their classes while balancing the rigorous demands of their sports,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics Todd Stansbury. “The fact that so many of our student-athletes have earned academic recognitions from Conference USA is a testament to their determination and the support of our dedicated faculty members, coaches and academic advisors.”

C-USA announced its academic honor roll (3.0 GPA or better) Tuesday, and 221 Knights were on the list. That total ranked second among all C-USA schools and first among the league’s public institutions.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s student-athletes have collectively achieved a GPA of at least 3.0 for each of the last eight semesters.

In October, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ posted a program-best 83 percent Graduation Success Rate, which tied with the University of Florida for the top rating among Florida’s public universities.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s academic medal winners are listed below in alphabetical order by sport:

Football: Jacob Bundy (Business Economics) andΒ Β (Social Science Education master’s program)

Men’s Golf: Μύ(΅ώ³ά²υΎ±²Τ±π²υ²υ-±θ±π²Τ»εΎ±²Τ²΅)

Women’s Rowing: Jesse Baldwin (Communication Science and Disorders), (Finance), (Elementary Education with a Coaching minor), Kelsey McCreary (Cinema Studies), Beatriz Merino (Pre-Clinical Allied Health with a Spanish minor) andΒ Β (Sport and Exercise Science/Psychology)

Men’s Soccer: Augusto Braccialli (Civil Engineering), (Psychology), (Molecular and Microbiology) and Μύ(±Κ²υ²β³¦³σ΄Η±τ΄Η²΅²β)

Women’s Soccer: (Biomedical Sciences), (Public Administration/Nonprofit Management), (Psychology), (Biology) andΒ Β (Communication Sciences and Disorders)

Softball: (Early Childhood Education), (Hospitality Management), (Elementary Education), (΅ώΎ±΄Η±τ΄Η²΅²β)Μύ²Ή²Τ»ε Β (Mathematics Education)

Men’s Tennis: (Finance-pending) and Β (Interdisciplinary Studies with a Math minor)

Women’s Tennis: Β (Communication Sciences and Disorders)

Track and Field: (Undeclared), (Athletic Training), (Elementary Education)Β and Μύ(±Κ³σΎ±±τ΄Η²υ΄Η±θ³σ²β)

Volleyball: (Marketing) andΒ  (Molecular Biology and Microbology)

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s total ranked first among all Conference USA public institutions for the sixth-consecutive year.

Student-athletes named to the honor roll must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better. Student-athletes with a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or better also receive the C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal. Those recipients will be announced Wednesday.

Tuesday’s announcement marked the latest of many accomplishments for the Knights in the classroom.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s student-athletes have achieved an overall GPA of at least 3.0 for each of the last eight semesters.

In October, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ posted a program-best 83 percent Graduation Success Rate, which tied with the University of Florida for the top rating among Florida’s public universities.

The Knights also have enjoyed success on the field in 2011-12. Six teams have earned national top 25 rankings: men’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s indoor track & field, women’s outdoor track & field and baseball. The women’s soccer team advanced to the Elite Eight, and the women’s indoor track & field team placed eighth at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Only one member of the 12-school Conference USA placed more student-athletes on the honor roll than ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½. Rice, an elite private school, had 232 student-athletes garner recognition.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ is coming off one of the finest seasons in school history. The Knights spent nearly the entire 2011 season in the top 25 nationally, moving to as high as No. 6, and again picked up a victory in the NCAA Championship.

“We are very excited to add this class,” Cunningham said. “We feel great about these young men. They fulfill a lot of needs, not just replacing our group of seniors that just left, but moving forward as we prepare to head to the BIG EAST. This group will get us well on our way.”

Anton Sealey, 6-1/200, D, Nassau, Bahamas/North Carolina

Bryan Cunningham on Anton Sealey: “He is a ball-winner. Anton is versatile – he can play center back or right back and he has come in and blended in right away with our back four. We look forward to big things from him. Anton is a tremendous athlete. He is building up his fitness level now and is getting his touch back.”

Mason Miller, 6-0/180, M, Dallas, Texas/Lake Highlands HS

Bryan Cunningham on Mason Miller: “Mason is a very versatile player. We liked him from the minute that we saw him play. He fits into how we do things. He is a hard worker and a winner. He can play a number of positions and we feel really good about Mason coming in here and helping right away.”

Michael Russo, 5-7/145, M, McLean, Va./McLean HS

Bryan Cunningham on Michael Russo: “Michael is a tremendous soccer player. We saw him a few years ago and put him right on our list. He can handle the ball. He loves to play holding midfield, which is where we expect him to play. He is very intelligent for his age and we look forward to having Michael come in and fit right into our system and style of play.”

Romario Williams, 5-11/173, M, Portmore, Jamaica/Kingston College

Bryan Cunningham on Romario Williams: “Romario is a fantastic midfielder. He is here with us in the spring and is doing very well. We look forward to great things from him. He is very technical and sees the field very well. He moves the ball very well and has a lot of bite to play in that center midfield role for us.”

If the Knights defeat Florida Gulf Coast, they will play at USF in Tampa on Sunday evening.

β€œI am really happy for our seniors,” Cunningham said. β€œOur whole team has worked so hard, and it is great to have the chance to continue the season. The NCAA selection committee recognized our efforts and we are all very excited.”

The Knights have enjoyed a memorable 2011 campaign, as the team has spent the entire season ranked in the top 25 nationally. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ enters the NCAA Championship 11-5-3 overall. The Knights were ranked as high as No. 6 in the country during the regular season, as the team started the year 6-0-1. Last week, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ advanced to the Conference USA Championship semifinals in Tulsa, Okla.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ and Florida Gulf Coast will be meeting in Orlando for the second time this year. The teams played on Sept. 24, and the Eagles ended ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s unbeaten start to the season by posting a 2-1 victory.

Florida Gulf Coast received the Atlantic Sun’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship by claiming the league tournament title with a 1-0 win over East Tennessee State Sunday. The Eagles (12-5-2) will be making their first NCAA Championship appearance.

In 2010, the Knights rolled to a 3-0 NCAA Championship first-round victory over visiting USF. The Knights headed to Ann Arbor for the second round, where they fell 2-1 to Michigan.

β€œThe fact that we are hosting an NCAA game for the second-straight year speaks volumes about how far our program has come. It is a huge honor for us to host a first-round game. It is great that we can reward our fans with another home game,” Cunningham said.

The at-large berth in the NCAA Championship is just the second for the Knights since the program moved to the Division I level in 1984.

Robson netted the game-winning goal at the 70-minute mark. Senior Spencer Scott (Palm City, Fla.) set up the score with a cross that was handled inside the box by freshman Matthew Gaskins (St. Petersburg, Fla.) before a spinning Robson shot across his body past Tulsa (5-10-0, 1-5-0) goalkeeper Michael Murray.

Robson, who now has six goals on the year, tied the match in the 65th minute when he scored on a free kick from 20 yards out.

The win over Tulsa was the first in nine tries for the Knights, who improved to 5-1 at home in 2011 with the victory. The Golden Hurricane grabbed a 1-0 lead seven minutes into the match when a Tulsa header bounced off a ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ defender and was controlled by Quinn Starker, who fired a shot above ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ redshirt freshman goalkeeper Sebastian Evers (Miami, Fla).

“We knew that this was going to be a tough match,” ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ head coach Bryan Cunningham said. “You can throw their record out. They are one of the best teams in the league. We knew it was going to be a battle. The players were up for it. Going down a goal early never helps, but give our players a lot of credit. We were able to battle back and come out of here with a nice win.”

The Golden Hurricane threatened to tie the match late, but the Knights clamped down defensively. With just over a minute to play, Murray left his usual position and fired off shot on goal. Evers, who was making his collegiate debut, made a diving save to knock away the surprising shot from his counterpart.

The contest was the first at home for the Knights since Sept. 28. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ was slated to host South Carolina on Oct. 8, but the match was postponed due to heavy rains.

“People were saying, `you guys never play.’ We have not been home in a while, it is nice to be back,” Robson said. “(Conference games) are always tough. The last few minutes are always going to be a battle like that. We have learned our lessons from games where we have let a goal in the last minute, this year and last year. But we don’t do that anymore.”

The physical contest featured 32 total fouls and four yellow cards.

Evers totaled six saves in the winning effort. Tulsa recorded 11 shots, while the Knights had nine shots, with seven coming after halftime.

Last week, head coach Bryan Cunningham’s team began league play by rallying for a 2-1 overtime victory over visiting Kentucky. The Wildcats were ranked 21st by the NSCAA. The Knights then headed to Dallas and rolled to a 4-2 win at SMU, a team ranked No. 21 in the Soccer America poll.

“When you look at the start of our Conference USA schedule, you see Kentucky and on the road at SMU. We knew that it wouldn’t be easy to come out with two wins. This is a terrific start to our conference season. We couldn’t be happier with the commitment level of our players,” Cunningham said.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ was listed at No. 10 in last week’s Soccer America Top 25.

Connecticut is first in this week’s poll, followed by Maryland, defending national champion Akron, North Carolina and Creighton.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ will return to action Saturday when the Knights host C-USA foe South Carolina at 4 p.m. at the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Soccer Complex.

Junior Nik Robson (Auckland, New Zealand) gave ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ a 1-0 edge with a goal at the 32-minute mark. Two minutes later, junior Eduardo Jimenez (San Juan, Puerto Rico) scored. Sophomore McKauly Tulloch (Kingston, Jamaica), who leads the country in points per game, scored twice in the second half and now has 12 goals in only eight matches this season.

With the triumph, the Knights snapped a three-match winning streak for the Mustangs (5-1, 0-1). SMU was coming off a 2-1 victory at No. 18 UCLA.

“SMU is a first-class team. Tonight we knew that we would need a quick start,” ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ head coach Bryan Cunningham said. “We were able to go up 2-0 and that got us going for the rest of the match.”

The contest was the second this week against a ranked opponent for the Knights. On Wednesday, host ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ opened C-USA play with a thrilling 2-1 overtime win over Kentucky. The Wildcats are ranked 21st nationally by the NSCAA. SMU is listed at No. 21 in the Soccer America poll.

Robson put ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ on the board in the first half after he corralled a rebound and scored from six yards out. Just over two minutes later, Tulloch crossed the ball over to Jimenez who beat SMU goalkeeper Jamie Ibarra.

Tulloch’s first goal came at the 55-minute mark from eight yards out and was assisted by senior Warren Creavalle (Acworth, Ga.). He added another score 14 minutes later off a feed from senior Kevan George (Roxborough, Trinidad).

The win over SMU was the second-straight for the Knights, who posted a 2-1 victory over the fifth-ranked Mustangs last year in Orlando. Playing SMU for the fourth time in on the road, the Knights picked up their first win in Dallas Saturday.

“Playing at SMU is never easy,” Cunningham said. “It is extremely difficult for a road team to win at SMU. I am very proud of our players. They took advantage of chances. This was a great win.”

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ improved to 4-0-1 away from home this season.

Junior Shawn Doyle (Fort Myers, Fla.) totaled six saves in the win. SMU got goals from Ben Hill at the 42-minute mark and Damian Rosales with 17 minutes to play.

Eight Knights each logged 90 minutes in the contest.