NASHVILLE, TENN. - - Former Belmont men’s soccer players Jay Ayes has been named a finalist for an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, it was announced earlier this week.

Ayres graduated in December 2007 after a distinguished career on and off the pitch. He started in 68 matches, which is second most ever in Belmont history and in the top-10 in Atlantic Sun history. He was named the Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Year for two consecutive seasons in 2006 and 2007. Ayres made the All-Conference first-team in each of those years. He was also named to the Atlantic Sun All-Academic team all three years he was eligible to receive the award. This past season, Ayres scored one goal and anchored a defense that had six shutouts, which tied the all-time record for the Bruins in a season.

Ayres has recently been invited to the training camp of the Major League Soccer (MLS) expansion franchise, the San Jose Earthquakes, and has played in several exhibition matches for the team.