MICHAEL PODOBNIK HAS BEEN NAMED FIRST-TEAM
ASSOCIATED PRESS LITTLE ALL-AMERICA SELECTION

        NEW YORK, New York – Arkansas Tech Wonder Boy punter Michael Podobnik continued to collect postseason honors on Thursday as he was named a First-Team Associated Press Little All-America selection.

Thursday’s honor comes on the same day as Podobnik became just the fourth-ever Wonder Boy to be named a Daktronics Division II All-American and one day after being the fourth Wonder Boy to be named an AFCA Division II Coaches’ All-America selection.

Podobnik is the sixth-ever and second consecutive Wonder Boy to be named to the elite AP team. Other Wonder Boys named to the AP Little All-American team are running back Eddie Meador, who was a First-Team selection in 1958, offensive lineman Todd Matthews, who was a First-Team honoree in 1999, defensive end Tommy Edwards, who was a Second-Team selection in 2002 and a First-Team selection in 2003, linebacker Cedric Cursh, a Second-Team selection in 2004 and defensive back Quincy Skinner, a Third-Team selection in 2006.

The AP Little All-America consists of players from the NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA levels.

Podobnik was one of four Gulf South Conference players chosen on the first team and one of seven players chosen overall on one of the three teams.

“What a tremendous and truly deserving honor for Michael Podobnik,” Tech Head Football Coach and Athletic Director Steve Mullins said Wednesday. “Michael had a tremendous season for us kicking the ball and was a weapon on special teams.”

Podobnik, a native of Frankfort, Ill., earns the Little All-America honor after a record-setting season for the Wonder Boys. This past season, Podobnik led the GSC and NCAA Division II in punting with a 45.2 yard average per punt. In 10 games, he punted 43 times for 1,945 yards and had seven touchbacks and downed eight punts inside the 20-yard line. In addition, he had 13 punts over 50 yards, including a season-best 75-yard punt in the fourth quarter of Tech’s season opener at Northeastern State. Podobnik’s 45.2 yard average set a new single-season Tech and GSC mark. The previous Tech mark of 42.0 yards was set in 2003 by Tommy Edwards, while the old GSC mark of 43.5 yards was set in 1982 by Jacksonville State’s Greg Lowery. On the season, Podobnik was named the GSC Special Teams Player of the Week three times and was named the D2Football.com National Special Teams Player of the Week following the Harding game on Nov. 3. Against Harding, Podobnik averaged 52.5 yards on his four punts, which set a new Tech single-game record for punting average (51.0 was the previous record) and placed two punts inside the 20-yard line and boomed a 63-yard punt in the fourth quarter.

So far this postseason, Podobnik has been named a First-Team All-GSC selection as a punter and second-team selection as a kicker and was also named a First-Team Daktronics All-Southeast Region selection, a First-Team Daktronics All-American and an AFCA Division II All-America honoree.

In addition to Podobnik, the other GSC players named on the AP Little All-America First-Team were Harding junior quarterback David Knighton, Delta State senior linebacker Michael Eubanks and West Georgia junior kicker Jared Guberman. In addition to those first team selections, Valdosta State sophomore receiver Cedric Jones and VSU junior defensive back were named Second-Team selections, while North Alabama senior offensive lineman J.D. Whited was a Third-Team selection.

Listed below is the complete 2007 AP Little All-America Teams.

First-Team
         OFFENSE                       Pos.   Yr.     School

          David Knighton               QB     Jr.      Harding

          Xavier Omon                  RB      Sr.     NW Missouri State

          Danny Woodhead           RB      Sr.     Chadron State

          Weston Dressler             WR     Sr.     North Dakota

          Almonzo Banks              WR     Sr.     West Liberty State

          Kolo Kapanui                  TE      Sr.     West Texas A&M

          Ben Hochstein                OL      Sr.     Nebraska-Omaha

          Heath Benedict               OL      Sr.     Newberry [SC]

          Brandon Barnes              OL      Sr.     Grand Valley State

          Mackenzy Bernadeau      OL      Sr.     Bentley

          Tim McCutcheon             OL      Sr.     California [PA]

          Ashton Gronewold          AP      Sr.     Missouri-Rolla

          Jared Guberman             K        Jr.      West Georgia

          DEFENSE                       Pos.   Yr.     School

          Brandon Swain                DL      Jr.      West Texas A&M

          Curtis Johnson                DL      Sr.     Clark Atlanta

          Kurt Kissner                    DL      Sr.     Mesa State

          Bryan Robinson               DL      Sr.     Wesley (D-III)

          Michael Eubanks             LB      Sr.     Delta State

          Jerrell Freeman               LB      Sr.     Mary Hardin-Baylor (D-III)

          Anthony Adams              LB      Sr.     Grand Valley State

          Randy Kush                    DB     Jr.      Nebraska-Omaha

          Cary Williams                  DB     Sr.     Washburn

          Kendall Ricketts              DB     Sr.     Central Missouri

          Matt Kostelnik                 DB     Sr.     Mount Union (D-III)

          Michael Podobnik          P       Jr.      Arkansas Tech

          Second-Team
          OFFENSE                       Pos.   Yr.     School

          Mark Nicolet                    QB     Sr.     Hillsdale [MI]        

          Bernard Scott                  RB      Jr.      Abilene Christian

          Justin Beaver                  RB      Sr.     Wisconsin-Whitewater (D-III)

          Scott Peters                    WR     Sr.     Winona State [MN]

          Cedric Jones                   WR     So.     Valdosta State

          Mike Peterson                 TE      Sr.     NW Missouri State

          Brandon Bennett             OL      Sr.     Williamette (D-III)

          Derek Blanchard             OL      Sr.     Mount Union (D-III)

          Tony Burson                   OL      Sr.     Midwestern State

          Vince Cashdollar             OL      Sr.     Ashland [OH]

          Christian Morton             OL      Sr.     South Dakota

De’Audra Dix                   AP      Sr.     Johnson C. Smith

          Tyler Lorenz                   K        So.     California [PA]

          DEFENSE                       Pos.   Yr.     School

          Louis Ellis                        DL      Jr.      Shaw [NC]

          Mike Czerwien                DL      Sr.     Waynesburg [PA] (D-III)

          Jake Visser                     DL      Jr.      Ferris State [MI]

          Dan Skutta                     DL      Jr.      Grand Valley State

          Jared Brock                    LB      Jr.      West Texas A&M

          Lateef Ferguson              LB      Sr.     West Chester [PA]

          Adrian Pynenberg            LB      Sr.     Wabash [IN] (D-III)

          Ranardrick Phillips            DB     Sr.     Tarleton State [TX]

          Brandon Carr                  DB     Sr.     Grand Valley State

          Brandon Carr                  DB     Sr.     Bethel [MN] (D-III)

          Sherard Reynolds            DB     Jr.      Valdosta State

          Alex Groh                        P      So.     Occidental (D-III)

          Third-Team
          OFFENSE                       Pos.   Yr.     School

          Greg Micheli                    QB      Jr.      Mount Union (D-III)

          Nate Kmic                       RB      Jr.      Mount Union (D-III)

          Dervon Wallace               RB      Sr.     Shepherd [WV]

          Elfren Quiles                   WR      Sr.     Kutztown [PA]

          Jake Allen                       WR      Sr.     Mississippi College (D-III)

          Bryan Bergman               TE       Sr.     Carthage [WI] (D-III)

          Caleb Woodall                 OL      Sr.     Mary Hardin-Baylor (D-III)

          Reid Kirby                       OL       Jr.      NW Missouri State

          Patrick Gildea                  OL      Sr.     Southern Connecticut State

          J.D. Whited                     OL      Sr.     North Alabama

          Brennan Fortune             OL      Sr.     St. John Fisher [NY] (D-III)

          Tyler Sherden                 AP       Sr.     Luther College (D-III)

          Jeff Schebler                   K        So.     Wisconsin-Whitewater (D-III)

          DEFENSE                       Pos.   Yr.     School

          Don Miller                       DL       Sr.     Alfred [NY] (D-III)

          Ron Ellington                  DL       Sr.     Catawba [NC]

          Kirby Griffin                    DL       Jr.      California [PA]

          Pat McCullough               DL      Sr.     Mount Union (D-III)

          Will Clewis                      LB       Sr.     Central Oklahoma

          Kyle Follweiler                 LB      Sr.     Wilkes [PA] (D-III)

          Jared Erspamer              LB       Sr.     NW Missouri State

          Nick Weber                     DB     Sr.     Wartburg (D-III)

          Clay Hamblen                 DB      Sr.     Georgetown [KY] (NAIA)

          Broderick Mondy             DB     Sr.     Northeastern State

          Chris Hemphill                 DB     Sr.     Central Washington

          Brandon Larkin               P        Sr.     Clark Atlanta

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