Former General Polk drafted in first round of MLS Super Draft
HERKIMER, NY – On Thursday (1/14) former Herkimer Generals men’s soccer player Ben Polk was selected by the Portland Timbers with their 20th pick in the first round of the Major League Soccer (MLS) Super Draft at the Baltimore Convention Center.
Polk led Herkimer in 2014 to the national championship tournament and Syracuse in 2015 to the NCAA Final Four. As a General, he led the nation in goals with 33, helping him to Region III Male Athlete of the Year, All-American honors from the NJCAA and NSCAA and the prestigious SUNY Chancellor’s Scholar Athlete Award. As a member of the Orange, Polk led them in points (28) and goals (12), then captured a spot on the All-South Region First Team.
“I am extremely proud and happy for Ben,” said Head Men’s Soccer Coach Pepe Aragon. “He is the first player in the history of our program to be selected in the first round of the MLS Super Draft! To be selected by the coaching staff of the defending MLS Cup Champions shows you how impressive he was at the combine. Our Herkimer family will be following his professional career at Portland.”
-Giorgio Varlaro