Feb. 4, 2008
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Four Georgia Tech players were among the 40 named to the 2007 All-Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Football Team Monday by Commissioner John Swofford.
Senior running back Tashard Choice, senior kicker Travis Bell, senior center Kevin Tuminello and sophomore tight end Colin Peek give Tech its most Academic Team members since 2004. Bell was named to the All-Academic Team for the fourth consecutive year and Tuminello for a third straight year.
Choice, Bell and Tuminello earn a sweep of the league’s postseason awards. All three players were previously named first- or second-team All-ACC. Five players total made both the All-ACC and ACC All-Academic teams as the three Yellow Jackets were joined by Virginia tight end Tom Santi and Maryland guard Andrew Crummey.
To be eligible for consideration, a player must have earned a 3.00 grade point average for the previous semester and maintained a 3.00 cumulative average during his academic career. All 12 ACC schools were represented by at least one selection on the team.
Choice, who led the ACC in rushing for the second straight year with 1,379 yards, graduated in December with a degree in history, technology and society. Bell, who kicked more field goals and at a higher percentage than any player in Tech history, will graduate in the spring with a degree in Management. Tuminello, instrumental in helping Choice lead the league in rushing in 2006 and 2007, graduated in December with a degree in Building Construction.
The four Yellow Jackets were joined on the team by Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner, who completed 72.4 percent of his passes to lead the nation in the NCAA’s Bowl Subdivision, and Clemson placekicker Mark Buchholz, who led the ACC in scoring with 114 points.
Crummey was a second-team All-America selection by The Sporting News, while Bell, Choice and Wake Forest Defensive End Jeremy Thompson were Honorable Mention All-America selections. Boston College offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo, who was chosen a first-team Freshman All-America by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), and Maryland punter Travis Baltz, were selected Honorable Mention Freshmen All-Americas by The Sporting News.
Bell, Virginia Tech’s Jud Dunlevy and NC State’s Stephen Hauschka were all semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award. And four of the top six scorers in the ACC are also featured on the team led by Clemson’s Buchholz, who averaged 8.8 points per game, followed by Bell (3rd), Dunlevy (4th) and Maryland’s Obi Egekeze (6th).
The 2007 All-ACC Academic Football team is as follows:
Player School Class Pos. Major
Steve Aponavicius Boston College Jr. PK Finance
Thomas Austin Clemson Jr. OL Political Science
Patrick Bailey Duke Sr. DL Electrical & Computer Engineering
Travis Baltz Maryland Fr. P Business
Travis Bell Georgia Tech Sr. PK Management
Mark Buchholz Clemson Jr. PK Marketing
Anthony Castonzo BostonCollege Fr. OL Undeclared
Tashard Choice Georgia Tech Sr. RB History, Technology and Society
Phil Costa Maryland So. OL Criminal Justice
Andrew Crummey Maryland Sr. OL Government and Politics/Geography
Ronnie Drummer Duke Sr. RB African-American Studies
Jed Dunlevy Virginia Tech Sr. PK Education, Health & PE
Lowell Dyer North Carolina Jr. OL English
Obi Egekeze Maryland Jr. PK Finance
Louis Frazier WakeForest Sr. OL Biology
Sean Glennon Virginia Tech Jr. QB Finance
Meares Green NC State Jr. OL Biochemistry
Dan Gronkowski Maryland Gr. TE MBA
Stephen Hauschka NC State Gr. PK Sports Management
Mark Herzlich BostonCollege So. LB Undeclared
Staton Jobe Virginia So. WR Undeclared
Nick Larkin BostonCollege Sr. DL Human Development
Luke Lathan NC State Sr. OL Agricultural Business Management
Thaddeus Lewis Duke So. QB Undecided
Jimmy Maners Clemson Sr. P History
Derek Nicholson FloridaState Jr. LB Sports Management
Wesley Oglesby Duke Fr. DL Undecided
Michael Palmer Clemson So. TE Marketing
Alex Pearson Clemson Sr. FB Marketing
Colin Peek Georgia Tech So. TE Management
Myron Rolle Florida State So. DB Exercise Science
Matt Rumsey Duke Sr. OL Political Science
Tom Santi Virginia Sr. TE Sociology
Riley Skinner WakeForest So. QB Business
David Strimple Miami Sr. PK/P/H Finance
Jeremy Thompson Wake Forest Sr. DL Health & Exercise Science
Kevin Tuminello Georgia Tech Sr. OL Building Construction
Carlton Weatherford Virginia Tech Gr FB Education, Health & PE
Edwin Williams Maryland Jr. OL Communications
Ben Wooster WakeForest So. TE Health & Exercise Science
