Luke Persenico named NAIA All-America First Team

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - For the first time in the 41-year history of the Clarke University men's soccer program, a member of the Pride has been named an NAIA First Team All-American as senior forward Luke Persenico was officially given that honor on Monday afternoon when the NAIA announced the All-America Teams.

Persenico had one of the best senior seasons of any athlete to wear the Clarke navy and gold as he finished 2024 with a program-best 19 goals while breaking the CU men's soccer record for career goals along the way, finishing with 46 in his four seasons, on his way to being named the Heart Offensive Player of the Year, another first for a member of the Pride men's soccer team.

His 19 goals finished tied for fourth in the entire NAIA as he played the second-fewest amount of games (17) of anyone in that had 19 or more goals on the season while adding six assists on the year to also set the new single season mark for points in a season at 44.

Persenico led the Heart of America Athletic Conference in goals and points as he recorded at least a point in all but four of the 17 games he played including finding his name on the scoresheet multiple times in eight games this season. The St. Charles, Ill. native was the back-to-back Heart Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 7 and Oct. 14 in a four-game stretch that saw him score nine goals and record an assist that included a four-goal game on Oct. 5 against Baker in a 7-2 CU win as that would also propel Persenico to his second-career NAIA Offensive Player of the Week that was awarded on Oct. 8.

With today's announcement, Persenico officially finishes off a collegiate career that included four All-Heart selections, a Third-Team in 2021, and Second-Team in 2023, and a pair of First-Team nods in 2022 and 2024, the Heart Offensive Player of the Year, becoming the single-season and career goals and points king at Clarke, and now this All-America First Team selection will make him the most decorated soccer player in the history of Clarke University.

Along with Persenico's success, the Pride men's soccer team had their best season in program history, finishing with a 2024 overall record of 11-6-1 and a Heart record of 7-4 to receive their first NAIA Tournament bid in program history.