MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University men’s soccer senior defender Jack Elliott has been selected by the Philadelphia Union in the fourth round (77th overall) of the 2017 Major League Soccer SuperDraft.
“Thank you to the Philadelphia Union for giving me this opportunity,” Elliott said. “It’s something that I have been working toward for a long time and will continue working at. A great thanks to everyone that has supported me throughout the years.”
“Congratulations to Jack on his selection to the Philadelphia Union in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft,” WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc said. “We are obviously very proud of Jack and all of his accomplishments over the last four years. We are looking forward to seeing him develop and compete at the next level as a professional.”
Elliott is the 11th Mountaineer and ninth under LeBlanc to be drafted professionally. He will join former WVU star Ray Gaddis in the Philadelphia Union organization. Gaddis, who played at West Virginia from 2008-11, has played in the MLS for the Union since 2012.
A London, England, native, Elliott played in 72 career matches for the Mountaineers with 66 starts. In 6,039 minutes, he scored six goals and recorded five assists. In his four years with the Gold and Blue, he missed just one match. As a senior in 2016, Elliott anchoring a back line that recorded eight shutouts, including a shut-out streak that lasted a program-record seven consecutive matches and 758 minutes.
Elliott has earned numerous national accolades throughout his West Virginia career. This year, he was named to the Scholar All-America Second Team and the All-Great Lakes Region First Team by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).
He also was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team, becoming WVU men’s soccer’s first ever three-time Academic All-America honoree. Elliot was recognized as a Distinguished Scholar-Athlete and on the All-Mid-American Conference (MAC) Team twice in his career.
A Management Information Systems major with a 3.96 grade-point average, Elliott’s academic honors also include being named to the Academic All-MAC and Academic All-Big 12 At-Large teams, the Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll, the President’s List and the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll throughout his career.
