Bulle NAC Rookie of the Year, 1st Team; Abass 2nd Team
JOHNSON, Vt. - Johnson State freshman striker Noor Bulle (Somalia/Burlington) had been named North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Rookie of the Year as well as a NAC 1st Team member while junior teammate Victor Abass (Sudan/Cedar Park Christian) was voted to the NAC 2nd Team.
Bulle, undeclared at this point, led sixth seeded Johnson State to a semifinal birth in 2009 where JSC failed to advance on penalty kicks 4-2 to second seeded Castleton State. Bulle led the Badgers in scoring for the season with 22 points on 10 goals and two assists while playing in 16 of 17 games.
Bulle's quick-strike ability was well recognized throughout league. With tremendous speed and ball-striking skills, Bulle recorded a point in six of his first eight games including a streak of five games with at least one goal per game. Bulle also earned NAC Player of the Week honors on 9/14 and NAC Rookie of the Week on 9/28.
Junior Victor Abass was the pillar of the Johnson State defense that was third in the NAC in goals allowed with 1.65 per game. Abass also scored three goals on the season for a total of six points. Abass' ability to protect the box area during corner kicks as well as his limiting of shots by opponent top scorers was invaluable to Badgers all season long.
Abass, a Business Management major, will now join the JSC men's basketball team for his third varsity season.