ATLANTA – Georgia State senior forward Aris Briggs has been named the Sun Belt Preseason Offensive Player of the Year as announced by the league office on Thursday afternoon.

Briggs was also one of four Panthers along with Matthew Fearnley, Ross Finnie, and Paul Tyson to earn All-Sun Belt Preseason recognition while Georgia State was picked to finished tied for second in the preseason coaches' poll.

Georgia State has reached the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship Game five years in a row, advancing to the NCAA Tournament in 2018. Central Arkansas was picked to finish first in the league with 12 points, with the Panthers and Coastal Carolina tying for second each collecting 10 points in the vote. Georgia Southern was picked fourth with eight points.

Briggs earned 2019 Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year honors along with All-Sun Belt First Team recognition. The senior finished with 16 goals and one assist for 33 total points last year. His 16 goals ranked seventh among all players in Division I men's soccer and ranked tied for ninth in the GSU record book for goals scored in a single season. He led the Sun Belt in total points (33), points per game (1.65), goals (16), goals per game (0.80), and was tied for first with six game-winning goals.

Tyson, the Panthers' senior goalkeeper, earned 2019 Sun Belt All-Tournament recognition after garnering 2018 All-Sun Belt First Team honors. Last season he started 19 games to accumulate nearly 1,800 minutes in goal while finishing with an 11-4-4 record in goal. Tyson had eight clean sheets, setting a new single-season school record. He ranked first in the Sun Belt in goals against average (0.95) and save percentage (.787).

Fernley enters his junior season after appearing in 20 matches while starting in 16 last year. He finished second on the team and tied for fifth in the Sun Belt in goals scored (7) and second on the team and eighth in the league in total points (15). Fernley ranked first in the Sun Belt in total shots (59) and shots per game (2.95). 

Finnie who enters his sophomore season with the Panthers earned 2019 All-Sun Belt Second Team honors. As a freshman he appeared in 18 matches and started in 17 to accumulate nearly 1,500 minutes on the pitch. Finnie finished with three assists which ranked tied for ninth in the Sun Belt.

Georgia State hopes to announce the 2020 schedule in the upcoming days with the season getting underway later in September.