Fairfax, Va. - Of the nearly 1,000 scholar-athletes nominated, Adelphi University men's soccer junior standout Paolo Marciano was named the second runner-up for the prestigious 2021 Arthur Ashe, Jr. Male Athlete of the Year honor, as presented by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education Magazine.

Diverse: Issues in Higher Education annually recognizes those students of color who have excelled in the classroom and on the athletic field with the Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholar Awards.

Marciano joins a former men's soccer player -- Jordan Hibbert (2014) -- as the only Adelphi student-athletes to be selected as a finalist for the Arthur Ashe, Jr. Athlete of the Year award.

"I am very honored to have been named a finalist for this award," Marciano expressed. "Congratulations to the winners and all the student-athletes who competed for the award. It's a great honor for me to have been chosen as a contender for this prestigious award, among many other students from various colleges."

"As always, I want to thank the Adelphi University family for supporting me over the years. A special thanks to my coaches and teammates who have helped me improve every day as a person and as a student and achieve various awards. All of the knowledge and guidance I have acquired over the years at Adelphi will be with me for a lifetime."

Marciano, who was also named the individual sport winner for men's soccer, trailed University of Miami football quarterback D'Eriq King and Stockton University cross country and track and field student-athlete Daniel Do in the final voting.

"Congratulations to Paolo on becoming the second runner-up for the Arthur Ashe Male Scholar of the Year award. The accolade again highlights his assiduous dedication to both academic endeavor and the craft of soccer. This particular recognition and all that this award stands for is a highly fitting tribute to Paolo's continual hard work," Head Coach Gary Book stated.

"We could say that this honor would be a culmination of Paolo's outstanding career, but his time with us has only just started. Paolo continues to marvel us with his drive and passion on the field, and in the academic arena. We are so proud of Paolo on being named a finalist for this award. He continues to be a shining example of the type of student-athlete we attract at Adelphi," said Adelphi Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation Danny McCabe.

Marciano, a Management major with a 3.80 cumulative grade-point average, came to Adelphi in the fall of 2018 from his native country of Italy.

In a small sample size of two seasons on the pitch, Marciano has already left an indelible mark on the program.

His career accomplishments thus far include being recognized as the NE10 Player and ECAC Offensive Player of the Year, as well as the NE10 and ECAC Rookie of the Year. Marciano is a two-time NE10 All-Conference and D2CCA All-Region performer, and was honored as the program's sixth United Soccer Coaches First Team All-American in 2019.

In 2019-20, Marciano was selected as a Diverse: Issues in Higher Education Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholar, in addition to a CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree and a recipient of the NE10 Sport Excellence Award.

Diverse: Issues in Higher Education Magazine will make its full announcement of the 2021 Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholars, when their latest publication is released on April 29.