St. John's University Athletics
Macoumba Ba Named to Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, St. John’s Selected Third in East Division
8/19/2024 11:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Ba is first St. John’s player to be tabbed to the preseason team since Brandon Knapp in 2022
QUEENS, N.Y. – St. John's forward Macoumba Ba secured a spot on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team while the program was picked third in the East Division by the conference's coaches, as announced by the league on Monday.
Ba, an All-BIG EAST Second Team selection and a United Soccer Coaches' All-East Region Third Team honoree following the 2023 season, returns for his second campaign with the Red Storm after transferring in from Louisville. The Dakar, Senegal native is the team's top returning scorer entering the 2024 slate following a four-goal, six-assist showing in his first season with St. John's.
Making starts in all 17 games for the Johnnies, Ba logged 1,351 minutes of work while registering 12 of his 35 shots on target. The senior attacker also scored a pair of game-winning strikes and knocked home two penalty shots.
Ba is the first Johnnie since current Union Omaha midfielder Brandon Knapp in 2022 to earn a spot on the conference's preseason team.
For the second-consecutive season, St. John's was picked to finish third in the conference's new division alignment. Adjusting to two divisions following the addition of Akron last year, St. John's finished sixth in overall voting with 42 points. Georgetown claimed the conference's top spot with 11 first-place votes and 66 points, followed by Akron with 62 points and the favorite to claim the Midwest Division. The Johnnies trail only the Hoyas and Providence (55) in the East, seeing UConn (38), Seton Hall (28) and Villanova (17) round out the division.
The Red Storm open the 2024 campaign on Thursday, heading to Rhode Island for a 7 p.m. contest against the Rams at the URI Soccer Complex. The season opener will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be available on RedStormSports.com.
BIG EAST Preseason Men's Soccer Coaches' Poll
East Division
(first-place votes)
1. Georgetown (11) 66
2. Providence (1) 55
3. St. John's 42
4. Connecticut 38
5. Seton Hall 28
6. Villanova 17
Midwest Division
(first-place votes)
1. Akron (7) 62
2. Xavier (4) 56
3. Creighton (1) 50
4. Butler 35
5. Marquette 25
6. DePaul 18
Preseason BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year
Palmer Ault, Jr., F, Butler
Preseason BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
Maximus Jennings, Sr., D, Georgetown
Preseason BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year
Lukas Burns, Gr., GK, Providence
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Jonas Buechte, Sr., D, Akron
Malik Henry, Sr., D, Akron
Palmer Ault, Jr., F, Butler
Scott Testori, Sr., F, UConn
Jackson Castro, Sr., M, Creighton
Maximus Jennings, Sr., D, Georgetown
Marlon Tabora, Gr., F, Georgetown *
Zach Zengue, Jr., M, Georgetown
Diego Batista, Jr., M, Providence
Lukas Burns, Gr., GK, Providence
Macoumba Ba, Sr., F, St. John's
Dylan Kropp, Jr., D, Xavier
*unanimous selection
Ba, an All-BIG EAST Second Team selection and a United Soccer Coaches' All-East Region Third Team honoree following the 2023 season, returns for his second campaign with the Red Storm after transferring in from Louisville. The Dakar, Senegal native is the team's top returning scorer entering the 2024 slate following a four-goal, six-assist showing in his first season with St. John's.
Making starts in all 17 games for the Johnnies, Ba logged 1,351 minutes of work while registering 12 of his 35 shots on target. The senior attacker also scored a pair of game-winning strikes and knocked home two penalty shots.
Ba is the first Johnnie since current Union Omaha midfielder Brandon Knapp in 2022 to earn a spot on the conference's preseason team.
For the second-consecutive season, St. John's was picked to finish third in the conference's new division alignment. Adjusting to two divisions following the addition of Akron last year, St. John's finished sixth in overall voting with 42 points. Georgetown claimed the conference's top spot with 11 first-place votes and 66 points, followed by Akron with 62 points and the favorite to claim the Midwest Division. The Johnnies trail only the Hoyas and Providence (55) in the East, seeing UConn (38), Seton Hall (28) and Villanova (17) round out the division.
The Red Storm open the 2024 campaign on Thursday, heading to Rhode Island for a 7 p.m. contest against the Rams at the URI Soccer Complex. The season opener will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be available on RedStormSports.com.
BIG EAST Preseason Men's Soccer Coaches' Poll
East Division
(first-place votes)
1. Georgetown (11) 66
2. Providence (1) 55
3. St. John's 42
4. Connecticut 38
5. Seton Hall 28
6. Villanova 17
Midwest Division
(first-place votes)
1. Akron (7) 62
2. Xavier (4) 56
3. Creighton (1) 50
4. Butler 35
5. Marquette 25
6. DePaul 18
Preseason BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year
Palmer Ault, Jr., F, Butler
Preseason BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
Maximus Jennings, Sr., D, Georgetown
Preseason BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year
Lukas Burns, Gr., GK, Providence
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Jonas Buechte, Sr., D, Akron
Malik Henry, Sr., D, Akron
Palmer Ault, Jr., F, Butler
Scott Testori, Sr., F, UConn
Jackson Castro, Sr., M, Creighton
Maximus Jennings, Sr., D, Georgetown
Marlon Tabora, Gr., F, Georgetown *
Zach Zengue, Jr., M, Georgetown
Diego Batista, Jr., M, Providence
Lukas Burns, Gr., GK, Providence
Macoumba Ba, Sr., F, St. John's
Dylan Kropp, Jr., D, Xavier
*unanimous selection
Players Mentioned
Forward
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