WASHINGTON - On Friday, former Georgetown men's soccer player Ian Christianson (MSB'15) crossed the stage to receive his Georgetown degree completing an impressive career on the Hilltop. While his diploma came this weekend, he had not worn a Georgetown jersey since the 2012 NCAA National Championship Game.

Christianson was a standout midfielder for the Blue & Gray and the No. 22 overall pick in the 2013 Major League Soccer Draft. He has spent the past two seasons with the New York Red Bulls having appearances in both MLS and CONCACAF Champions League games.

At Georgetown, Christianson was one of the most decorated players in program history. He received a total of four NSCAA and College Soccer News All-America honors, was a three-time NSCAA All-Northeast Region honoree and named All-BIG EAST for three seasons.

When the Cedar Rapids, Iowa native came to the Hilltop, the Georgetown program wasn't on the national radar and just a handful of Hoyas had ever played professionally. However, Christianson's class changed that as Head Coach Brian Wiese began to build a program that consistently produces professional players.

With this change, a shift on the academic side. Student-athletes come to Georgetown for the world-class education, but the MLS draft is held in January and those selected are expected to report to camp. The Hoya program now puts pro-caliber players on a fast track to graduation with seven of the last eight pros graduating in three and a half years to earn their degrees before embarking on their soccer careers.

Christianson also had the added stress of transferring into the McDonough School of Business as a sophomore meaning a demanding course load and additional classes.

In 2013, four Hoyas were selected or invited to camp by MLS teams marking the most in program history. Christianson was among them and left the Hilltop with a handful of classes remaining to pursue his dream. However, the dream of a Georgetown degree stayed with him and while playing with New York, he arranged to take classes remotely.

After two and a half years of work, he completed those final classes and received his Georgetown degree capping off an incredible career that took him to the pinnacle of the sport and helped him fulfill lifelong goals.

Following Christianson's class, the GU coaching staff has consistently brought in professional-level players that will need to leave campus early. Wiese and Co., have become well versed in how to help players complete their degrees in three and a half years, a challenging task in itself, so they leave the Hilltop with four incredible seasons of soccer and a diploma from a world-renowned university.

"Ian graduating is a tremendous accomplishment," said Wiese. "With his graduation, we now have all eight of the players who have been drafted or been in camp in the MLS over the last three years with a Georgetown degree in their back pocket."

The road isn't easy as players are required to take a full course load every semester in addition to staying on campus over the summer to take classes and to train.

However, in the end, the hard work has paid off as more and more Hoyas are leaving the Hilltop to go pro with a degree in hand.

Christianson was not the norm and didn't have an easy road to those final credits. But with perseverance, he achieved both of his dreams and is set up for success in the future.