Cleveland, Ohio – Senior Sergio Manesio of the Cleveland State University men's soccer team was selected as one of 30 national semifinalists for the Senior CLASS Award in an announcement by Premier Sports Management Friday afternoon.

From all initial nominations, 30 men's soccer student-athletes were chosen for having notable achievements in four areas of excellence—community, classroom, character and competition.

Manesio is one of two Horizon League student-athletes to advance to this stage of the award process.

While Manesio's on-field contributions are impressive, he has put up noteworthy numbers away from the pitch as well.

Manesio has demonstrated an ability to excel in the classroom as he owns a 3.66 grade point average while majoring in finance. A five-time Dean's List honoree, Manesio was named the Horizon League Men's Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year after the 2015 season. He has also been named to the Horizon League Fall Academic All-League Team in each of the past two years. Manesio was partially drawn to the finance field to have the ability to use his degree to help others to become more financially stable.

Manesio is serving as the captain for the Vikings again in the 2016 season. He leads and helps organize the team from his central defense position, and he has also been willing to sacrifice his individual statistics for the betterment of the team.

Manesio has shown a willingness to get involved with the communities which he is a part of, both in Cleveland and his home country of England. Manesio and his teammates have volunteered at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, where they helped package bags and meals. He has also helped teach and coach soccer to children of various age groups, working with youth from the Mayfield Soccer Club and helping high school and middle school age groups during the summers in his hometown of London. Through the club team he competed on in England, Manesio would also take part in trips to local schools to help with reading exercises. Manesio also earned an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sport Scholar award earlier this year. In addition to a student-athlete's on field-performance, the award also factors in the individual's commitment to service and student leadership.

Manesio made an immediate impact upon arriving to the Cleveland State program and, in three years, he had developed into the top defender in the Horizon League. Manesio was named Horizon League Defender of the Year and All-League First Team for the 2015 season. After CSU allowed 11 goals in its first three games a year ago, Manesio was moved from a forward role into center defense with the hope of stabilizing that area of the field. He made sure the moved worked perfectly, as Cleveland State allowed only 12 goals in its final 16 games last season with the Vikings posting six shutouts in their final eight games, all of which Manesio started. Manesio would also earn All-Ohio accolades after the 2015 campaign. Manesio earned his first All-League honor in the 2014 season and had collected Horizon League All-Freshman honors in 2013. To date in his career, Manesio has started all 65 games in which he has appeared. He owns 15 career goals and three assists despite seeing significant time in the defensive third of the field in his career.

From the list of 30 semifinalists, a national media committee will narrow the list to 10 finalists, and those individuals will be placed on the final ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies combined excellence in each of the categories.

The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2016 NCAA Men's and Women's College Cup championships in December.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. Sportscaster Dick Enberg first conceived of the idea of an award for seniors in 2001. The award was initially awarded in men's and women's basketball but has since expanded to numerous other NCAA sports, including men's and women's soccer in 2007.

Cleveland State resumes action Saturday, Oct. 8, as it contests a Horizon League match at Northern Kentucky.