Another successful season saw the Dalton State College men’s soccer team rise to as high as No. 2 in the nation and reach the NAIA national quarterfinals.
A few individuals that helped push the Roadrunners to those heights are receiving some national recognition.
Dalton State senior defender Guilherme Franca has been named an All-American first teamer on both the United Soccer Coaches All-American list and the NAIA All-American team.
Dalton State sophomore wingback Josh Ramos was named to the second team on the USC All-American list, while Dalton State leading goal scorer Jack Stainrod, a sophomore striker, has been named a third-teamer on the NAIA All-America team.
Franca is a repeat first-teamer on both lists, earning the same honor after 2022.
Franca, the 2022 Southern States Athletic Conference Player of the Year and the 2023 SSAC Defender of the Year, anchored the back line of defense for Dalton State.
Franca was a stalwart and leader for the Roadrunners in his fifth season of collegiate soccer and his fourth with Dalton State. After playing a more attacking role early in his Roadrunner career, Franca settled into a role helping lockdown opposing offenses for a defense that allowed a half of a goal a game this season and put up 11 shutouts. Franca, starting all 20 Roadrunner games, had four goals and a pair of assists on the year too.
Ramos scored six goals on the season, good for second on the team behind Stainrod, and tallied 10 assists to lead the Roadrunners this year. Ramos was also named to the All-SSAC first team this season.
Stainrod, a first-year Roadrunner, won the SSAC’s Golden Boot award for leading the conference in goals and was also named an All-SSAC first teamer. Stainrod piled up 13 goals on the year and had two assists.