DEARBORN, Mich. – The University of Michigan-Dearborn men's soccer team is preparing for the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Postseason Tournament this weekend and one student-athlete picked up a special postseason award for his impact on the team this season.

Senior defender Grant Baker was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District Team, it was announced Thursday. The award is the first for any UM-Dearborn men's soccer student-athlete in program history.

To be selected for the award, student-athletes are nominated by their institution's sports information director and voted upon by CoSIDA members from across the country. Unlike other academic awards, CoSIDA Academic Teams take into account performance in competition.

To be nominated a student-athlete must have played in at least half of their team's games and be a vital member of the program's success. The student-athlete must also have achieved sophomore academic standing, been enrolled at his institution for one full year and hold a minimum of a 3.30 GPA at the start of the season.

Baker, from Brownstown, Mich., is the first member of his team to receive the honor after leading the team's defense this season while adding two goals. He holds a 3.91 GPA in UM-Dearborn's highly-demanding college of engineering.

Baker will move on to a national vote for the CoSIDA Academic All-American Team, which will be announced later this year.