MORGANTOWN, W.Va – Two recent Trinity Christian School graduates that helped lead the Warriors to an OVAC 1A-3A championship in 2023 received national academic recognition on Tuesday.
Forward Carmelo Kniska and goalkeeper Ben Lohmann have been named United Soccer Coaches High School Scholar All-Americans. The pair are the only West Virginians named to the list in 2024 and the first Trinity products to receive this honor.
Kniska was a Class AA/A first team all-state selection in 2023, scoring 25 goals on the pitch and delivering a 4.6 grade point average in the classroom. He will attend Columbia University this fall.
Lohmann was named to the Class AA/A all-state first team while also earning his second consecutive Class AA/A Goalkeeper of the Year selection. Keeping eight clean sheets between the sticks and posting a 4.25 GPA, he was named the West Virginia Region I Player of the Year and a finalist for state Player of the Year. He plans to attend West Virginia University this fall.
Kniska and Lohmann have been invited to the United Soccer Coaches All-America Ceremony on January 11, 2025 in Chicago to be recognized alongside the other boys and girls Scholar All-Americans at the youth, high school and college levels.