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In one of the most illustrious careers a Fighting Scot has ever had, men’s soccer standout Brian Conaway set the bar high early via fast speed and quickness rarely seen at the NCAA Div. III level.
As a freshman in 2002, Conaway wasn’t just the lone first-year voted to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America’s All-Great Lakes first-team, he was the lone rookie named to the 33-man, three-team all-region squad. At the conference level, Conaway not only nabbed the North Coast Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year trophy, he was also voted as the NCAC’s Offensive Player of the Year behind a 10-goal and three-assist season.
Conaway proved more than a valuable addition to a Wooster squad ranked as high as No. 2 nationally, as the first-year sensation helped lead the Scots through an undefeated regular season at 15-0-3 before the Fighting Scots fell to Ohio Wesleyan University on penalty kicks in the NCAC Tournament semifinals.
Though the elusive NCAA Tournament appearance remained, well, elusive, Conaway led the Scots through another double-digit win season in 2003 as Wooster went 12-3-3, and ended the season on another heartbreaker against Ohio Wesleyan, this time 2-1 in the championship game of the NCAC Tournament. Headlining the season was a 1-0 overtime win at No. 2 Denison University behind a goal four minutes into the extra period from who else, but Conaway. The win helped bring attention to what was arguably the most impressive feat for the Scots during Conaway’s first two seasons – the team’s near-perfect road record as Wooster went 15-0-4 away from the friendly confines at Carl Dale Memorial Field.
In 2004, Conaway, now a junior, stepped up in what was his most productive season, statistically speaking. As part of a 13-2-0 campaign, the Scots went 8-1-0 in NCAC play, with Conaway posting 12 goals – eight of which were game-winners – and a career-high seven assists. Conaway helped Wooster to the regular-season conference title, and he earned his second NCAC Offensive Player of the Year honor and third all-region certificate.
Though the 2005 capstone season, one which ended with a then-NCAA Div. III record eight overtime matches for the Scots, concluded without an NCAC Tournament appearance and that ever so sought after national tournament berth, Conaway ended his career as the second player in league – and program – history to garner three NCAC Player of the Year awards, and he became the second Wooster great to earn first-team All-NCAC honors all four years.
After earning his third first-team all-region selection, Conaway’s career awards list took one step onward and upward after earning a spot on the NSCAA All-America third-team.
For his career, Conaway led the Scots to a 49-10-10 record (.783), including a phenomenal 27-5-4 mark in NCAC play. Conaway’s 43 goals and 18 assists rank third and fifth respectively in the program record books, and no Wooster student-athlete since has come close to either total.
After graduating from the College with a bachelor’s degree in computer science, Conaway began his career at Ernst & Young as a consultant in data and analytics. Following a brief stint at General Electric Aviation as a program manager, Conaway returned to Ernst & Young as a senior manager in the data and analytics department. His focus is now split between analyzing the energy industry and supporting human resources with the company’s mergers and acquisitions.
Personally, Conaway is married to Anlyn Addis, a 2007 alumna and field hockey standout at Wooster, and resides in Ann Arbor, Mich. His hobbies include golf, running, and brewing his own beer.