Worcester, MA --- WPI men's soccer midfielder Ben Gilde has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District I first team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (Co-SIDA).  It marks the third straight year that Gilde earned first team All-District I honors.

Gilde, who now advances to the national ballot, is one of three midfielders who were selected to the first team in the College Division, which is comprised of NCAA Division II and III and NAIA programs in New England, New York and Eastern Canada.  Last season he earned second team All-America honors after nabbing third-team All-America accolades in 2006.

Gilde sports a 3.92 GPA while majoring in actuarial mathematics and minoring in management and entrepreneurship.  During each of his first three years at WPI he has been honored with a major award at the department's annual banquet.  The awards include the Poly Club Award as the junior male athlete, the Leo S. Jansson Award, who best exemplifies the high standards expressed in "The WPI Athlete." and the Charles R. McNulty freshman award.  Gilde also earned the Charles O. Thompson scholarship for outstanding academic success at WPI as a freshman.

This season Gilde led the Engineers in scoring for the third straight season.  He tallied a team-best six goals and added a pair of assists en route to amassing 14 points.  The Engineers, under the tutelage of  17th-year head coach Malcolm MacPherson, finished the season 8-8-1 and dropped a hard-fought 1-0 decision to regionally ranked MIT in the NEWMAC Tournament quarterfinals   

Gilde, a senior who hails from Manchester, NH, is the son of Walter and Helen Gilde. He played scholastically for head coach Chris Leberge at Manchester Central while being home schooled.  He completed his IQP project in Melbourne, Australia where he adapted the Victoria Zoo's educational programs for students with disabilities in the spring of 2008.