Monday, December 5, 2005

Six Pioneer Football League Student-Athletes received ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Honors, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors Association.

San Diego was one of seven schools to place two student-athletes on the Academic All-America First Team: senior wide receiver Nick Garton and senior defensive back Philip Bretsch.

The PFL also earned distinction as its student-athletes claimed three of the four first-team defensive line spots: Davidson junior Kyle Kinsell, Austin Peay senior Jordan Richardson and Drake senior Chris Daniels were joined by Wofford's Katon Bethay.

Dayton claimed the PFL's only second team honoree � sophomore defensive back Brandon Cramer.

The six PFL Academic All-America honorees were part of 17 PFL Academic All-District selections, including nine first-team All-District honorees which each qualified for the All-America ballot.

The Academic All-America� Teams program honors 816 male and female student-athletes annually who have succeeded at the highest level on the playing field and in the classroom. Individuals are selected through voting by CoSIDA, the College Sports Information Directors of America; a 2,000-member organization consisted of sports public relations professionals for colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.

To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program�s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.

ESPN The Magazine � winner of the 2003 National Magazine Award for General Excellence � is a provocative and innovative sports publication. Full of insight, analysis, impact and wit, the oversized bi-weekly with a circulation of 1.85 million looks ahead to give fans a unique perspective on the world of sports.

For more information about the Academic All-America Teams program, visit www.cosida.com.