Former Men’s Soccer Standout Suhail Bismilla Participates in NCAA Emerging Leaders Seminar

Men's Soccer | 2/11/2020 12:00:00 AM

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Former Goldey-Beacom men's soccer goalkeeper Suhail Bismilla (Johannesburg, South Africa), who put forth one of the greatest athletic careers in the College's history, recently was in Indianapolis for the NCAA Emerging Leaders Seminar.

"Suhail is the first student-athlete in my five years at GBC to be selected to this prestigious seminar," Associate Athletic Director Jeremy Benoit said. "He was one of very few who are selected, nationally, and we are beyond happy to have him representing the Lightning on the national scale."

The seminar, which welcomed 220 participants covering all three NCAA divisions, focused heavily on the importance of networking with an emphasis on the college sports world. Keynote speakers from some of the best organizations attended with different backgrounds and breakaway sessions covered many topics from all departments in collegiate athletics.

"One of the biggest things I took away from this amazing event was the quote 'lift as you rise.' This means as you rise within an organization or in your career, a good leader will lift those around them as they rise," Bismilla said. "College athletics is all about the team around you, whether it be your sports team or the athletic administrative team. The more people you lift as you go up the hierarchy, the stronger you become as a leader. Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you, empower them, then get out of their way and let them bring their expertise to the table and NEVER MICROMANAGE them."

Bismilla was a four-year starter for the Lightning (2015-18) and the unquestioned leader of this dynamic group. A vocal competitor who always looked to put himself and his teammates in the best spot, he made big saves in critical times and proved to be a winner both on and off the field.

His credentials include being named third team CoSIDA Academic All-America in 2017 as well as first team All-CACC both in 2016 and 2017. He is just one of six student-athletes in the College's history to be tabbed CoSIDA Academic All-America.

Bismilla in 2017 also was the Men's Soccer winner of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Top XVI Award, given to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA participating at the finals site for each CACC championship. He also was picked to the league's all-tournament team that season.

Bismilla graduated first in school history with 14 shutouts, second with 279 saves and third with a 1.51 goals-against average.

Among his team accomplishments, Bismilla helped the 2017 squad win the CACC title and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The league title was the second in the program's history and the first-round victory over 10th-ranked Merrimack marked the College's first head-to-head victory for a men's team in the NCAA Tournament in any sport.

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