Adam Najem

Height:
5-8
Weight:
157
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Clifton, N.J.
High School:
Paramus Catholic

Honors
Second-Team NSCAA All-American (2015)
Third-Team NSCAA All-American (2016)
First-Team NSCAA Academic All-American (2015, 2016)
CoSIDA Third-Team Academic All-American (2016)
College Soccer News All-Freshman (First Team, 2013)
Top Drawer Soccer All-Freshman (Second Team, 2013)
College Soccer News Preseason All-American (2015)
First-Team All-MAC (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)
MAC Player of the Year (2016)
MAC All-Tournament Team (2014, 2016)
NSCAA/Continental Tire All-Great Lakes Regional First Team (2014, 2015, 2016)
First-Team All-Ohio (2014, 2015, 2016)
Academic All-MAC (2014, 2015, 2016)
MAC Distiguished Scholar-Athlete (2014, 2015, 2016)

2016: Signed with the Philadelphia Union of the MLS after his homegrown contract rights were acquired from the New York Red Bulls…started all 22 games for Akron en route to earning third-team All-America accolades after registering five goals and five assists in 2016…recorded 47 shots, including 17 on frame and was selected as the Mid-American Conference Player of the Year…he joined an exclusive club as only the third Akron player to earn first-team All-MAC honors in each of his four campaigns as a Zip, joining Anthony Ampaipitakwong (2007-10) and Matt Tutich (2005-08) as the only other Akron standouts to be so recognized…garnered assist on Tyler Sanda’s game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory over No. 9 Seattle (Aug. 28)…registered goal in a 6-1 setback at No. 9 UCLA (Sept. 5) before scoring game-winning tally in a 2-0 win over No. 5 UC Santa Barbara (Sept. 12)…netted a goal and an assist in a 4-0 decision versus Buffalo (Oct. 7)…also posted assists at Michigan State (Oct. 11), at Penn State (Oct. 18) and against Western Michigan (Nov. 5)…became the third Zip to garner first-team NSCAA Scholar All-America accolades twice joining Chad Barson (2011, 2012) and Kofi Sarkodie (2009, 2010)…finished his Zips’ career with 209 career shots, the fourth-highest total in program history…appeared in 89 games for Akron, fourth-most in program history…capped his brilliant Akron career this past season ranking first, first, fourth, sixth, 10th and 18th, respectively, among active career players in NCAA Division I for the 2016 campaign in games played (89), assists (29), points (95), goals (33), assists per game (0.33) and points per contest (1.07)…was named to the 2016 Hermann Trophy Watch List…was named by TopDrawerSoccer.com to its men’s soccer preseason Division I Best XI first-team squad and a first-team 2016 preseason All-American by College Soccer News… selected by TopDrawerSoccer.com to it Men’s National Top 100 team (No. 2) for preseason, No. 24 for midseason and No. 27 for the postseason before being tabbed to its Men's Division I Best XI third team…a 2016 CoSIDA third-team All-America honoree and Academic All-District V first-team selection…garnered Academic All-MAC accolades and was named a MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete honoree…an Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association first-team All-Ohio award winner…a first-team Academic All-Ohio recipient…ranked third in the MAC in assists (5), fourth in goals (5), points (15) and shots (47), sixth in shots per game (2.14), seventh in points per contest (0.68), ninth in goals per tilt (0.23) and 10th in assists per game (0.23)…finished third, sixth and seventh, respectively, in MAC league-only games in assists (0.40), points (0.80) and shots (2.20) per game...MAC All-Tournament selection.

2015: Started all 24 contests for Akron on the campaign registering team-high marks in assists (11), points (31), shots (69), shots on goal (31) and game-winners (4) en route to garnering second-team All-America accolades...a first-team All-Mid-American Conference performer, recorded 10 goals, including a 102nd-minute free kick that propelled Akron to a 3-2 double-overtime triumph past No. 3 Creighton (Dec. 5) in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament and the program’s fourth-ever College Cup berth...tabbed as first-team NSCAA Academic All-America honoree...earned assist on Anthony Macchione’s game-winning goal in a 3-2 double-overtime victory at VCU (Aug. 28)...directed Akron to a 1-0 triumph at No. 4 Georgetown (Sept. 4) netting Zips’ lone goal in the game’s 63rd minute...tallied a goal to help Akron record a 3-2 victory at No. 6 Maryland (Sept. 7)...notched a tally in the Zips’ come-from-behind 3-2 win over Saint Louis (Sept. 11)...posted a goal and an assist in a 3-3 double-overtime draw with Ohio State (sept. 16)...netted game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory versus Penn State (Sept. 30) before besting UAB (Oct. 3) on the road with an overtime game-winner...scored 23rd-minute tally in a 1-1 double-overtime draw at Western Michigan (Oct. 24)...recorded a season-high two assists in a 4-0 triumph past Bowling Green (Nov. 7)...tallied a goal and an assist to help spark Akron to a 3-2 victory over West Virginia (Nov. 13) in the semifinals of the MAC Tournament...notched a pair of assists in the Zips’ 6-1 win against No. 23 Rutgers (Nov. 22) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament...registered an assist on a season-high nine shots in a 2-1 decision past No. 11 SMU (Nov. 29) in the third round of the NCAA Tournament...posted one shot in the College Cup semifinals versus eventual national champion Stanford (Dec. 11)...named to MAC All-Tournament squad...rated seventh, eighth, 23rd, 36th and 39th nationally in total points (31), assists (11), assists per game (0.46), goals (10) and points per game (1.29)...led the MAC in shots (69) and game-winning goals (4), second in assists (11), assists per game (0.46) and points (31), third in goals (10), fourth in goals per outing (0.42), points per game (1.29) and shots per contest (2.88)...in league-only affairs, ranked second in assists (3) and assists per contest (0.60), fifth in points (5) and points per tilt (1.00) and 10th in shots (10) and shots per game (2.00)...a MAC Distinguished Scholar and academic All-MAC honoree...named as the third-most exciting player in men’s college soccer by TopDrawerSoccer.com...tabbed by TopDrawerSoccer.com as its National Player of the Week (Oct. 6) and was selected by College Soccer News to its National Team of the Week (Oct. 5)...twice honored as MAC Athlete of the Week (Sept. 7 and Oct. 5)...named a preseason All-American by College Soccer News...tabbed to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List...concluded campaign rated fourth, sixth, seventh, 10th and 14th among active players in career assists (24), assists per game (0.36), points (80), points per tilt (1.19) and goals (28) and was Akron’s active career leader in goals (28), assists (24), points (80), shots (162) and shots on goal (77)...a first-team All-Ohio recipient.

2014: Started all 21 matches en route to registering 14 goals and four assists on 48 shots, including a team-best 27 shots on goal...tabbed a first-team All-Mid-American Conference selection as well as earning MAC All-Tournament accolades...twice named as MAC Player of the Week (Oct. 6 and Nov. 3)...chosen as a first-team 2014 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/Continental Tire All-Great Lakes Region selection...named a first-team All-Ohio honoree by Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association...selected as an Academic All-MAC and MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete recipient...recorded a team-high four game-winning goals, pair of 1-0 victories over UAB and Bowling Green and a key 2-1 win at Northern Illinois...posted nine matches with three or more shots, including a season-best five-shot effort at Ohio State in the regular season...recorded hat trick with three goals in a 5-0 victory versus Cleveland State...selected by TopDrawerSoccer.com and College Soccer News to their National Teams of the Week on Nov. 4 after scoring four goals on only six shots in wins over Cleveland State and Northern Illinois...ranked fourth, fifth, eighth, eighth and 24th nationally in total goals, total points (32), goals per game (0.67), points per match (1.52) and game-winning goals (4)...led the conference in goals (14), while ranking second in goals per game (0.67), points (32), points per game (1.52) and in game-winning goals (4), seventh in shots (48) and 10th in shots per game (2.29)...in conference-only affairs, led the league in game-winning goals (2), while rating second in goals (4), goals per game (0.80), points (10) and points per game (1.00), fifth in shots (12), sixth in shots per game (2.40), seventh in assists (2).

2013: All-MAC first-team honoree...regarded as one of the top freshmen in the country with a team-best nine assists and four goals...his nine assists represented the second-highest total recorded by a freshman in the country...it was also the most by a Zips’ freshman since Anthony Ampaipitakwong matched the total in 2007...was a game-changer with a pair of game-winning goals and five assists that led to game winners...recorded his first collegiate brace with both goals in a 2-1 victory at Cleveland State (Oct. 9)...it was the most goals scored in a game by a Zips’ freshman since Darren Mattocks did it during Akron’s national championship year of 2010...stayed hot with the golden goal in the 108th minute at Buffalo (Oct. 18) just two games later...assisted five goals over a two-game run against Western Michigan (Nov. 9) and West Virginia (Nov. 15)...his three assists against the Mountaineers were the most in a match since Scott Caldwell matched the feat in 2011...finished second on the team with 17 points.

PRIOR TO AKRON: No. 1-ranked recruit in the state of New Jersey and No. 7 midfielder in the country, according to TopDrawerSoccer.com...also rated a five-star recruit by TDS...member of the U.S. Under-18 National Team player pool...NSCAA Boys Youth All-American...member of the New York Red Bulls Academy of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy...led his Under-16 Academy team to the national title in 2012 with the game-winning assist...ranked No. 35 on ESPNHS’s Top 150 Class of 2013.

PERSONAL: Born Jan. 19, 1995...majoring in marketing management…son of Ahmed and Nelli Najem.