HOME OF BULLDOG MEN'S SOCCER - 1967, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 SCIAC Champions

The Colorado Rapids selected University of Redlands men’s soccer senior forward Ross Schunk (Portland, OR) with the 47th pick of the 2009 Major League Soccer (MLS) SuperDraft, which took place today in St. Louis, MO.

Schunk received an invitation to work out at the MLS combine, which took place on Jan. 10, Jan. 11 and Jan. 13. He competed on the adidas® Tiro team throughout the combine and notched one assist throughout the three-day event.

No other NCAA Division III student-athlete received an invitation to the combine nor was selected in the 2009 SuperDraft.

With his selection, he becomes the first Redlands men’s soccer student-athlete to enter the MLS via the SuperDraft. Adam Acosta ’05 was signed in 2006 by Real Salt Lake but did not enter the league through the draft process.

“When I saw my name come up on my screen, I was in shock,” Schunk said. “It was one of the happiest moments in my life; it was a joy.”

While the odds of being drafted as a Division III player were slim, he held on to a small bit of hope.

“I thought that if it [being drafted] would happen, it would happen in the fourth round,” he said. “It was great being picked early in the fourth round since I didn’t have to sweat it out toward the end.”

Schunk said that while Colorado was making the pick, Rapids Head Coach Gary Smith called him up on his cell phone to notify him of the selection.

As a drafted player, Schunk gains an invitation to Colorado’s training camp. All Rapids SuperDraft picks are expected to report to training camp on Jan. 25 and will start their first day of on-field training on Jan. 28.

As a Bulldog student-athlete, he set the career program record for goals (63) and points (139) while garnering three First-Team All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) honors, two SCIAC Player of the Year awards, two College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA)/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District recognitions, three National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas® All-Far West Region laurels and two NSCAA/adidas® All-America nominations.

In addition to Schunk, the Rapids drafted midfielder/forward Kwame Adjeman-Pamboe of George Mason University with the 28th pick, goalkeeper Steward Ceus of the University of Albany with the 37th pick, forward Jordan Seabrook of the University of Southern Florida with the 51st pick, defender Henry Kalungi of Winthrop University with the 53rd pick and defender Michael Holody of the University of Michigan with the 59th pick.

Colorado finished the 2008 season 11-14-5 and placed fourth in the Western Standings.