TECH'S MICHAEL PODOBNIK HAS BEEN NAMED D2FOOTBALL.COM'S
NATIONAL SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK

        RUSSELLVILLE, Arkansas – Arkansas Tech’s Michael Podobnik has been named this week’s D2Football.com National Special Teams Player of the Week following his performance in Tech’s 62-55 season finale loss this past Saturday at Harding.

Podobnik, who was named the Gulf South Conference’s Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday, becomes the second Wonder Boy this season to earn National Player of the Week honors from D2Football.com as junior quarterback Cole Barthel (Decatur, Ala.) was named the co-Offensive Player of the Week after the West Georgia game on Sept. 18. In addition to Podobnik, Harding quarterback David Knighton and Southern Connecticut State running back Jerom Freeman were named co-Offensive Players of the Week, while Tusculum linebacker Jarvis Littlejohn and Morehouse linebacker Jeffrey Cargile shared Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Against the Bisons, Podobnik, a junior from Frankfort, Ill., had a standout effort as both a punter and placekicker for the Wonder Boys as he booted four punts for 210 yards and had a 52.5 yard average. He placed two punts inside the 20-yard line and boomed a 63-yarder in the fourth quarter. In addition, he was 5-for-6 on extra point attempts, as his only miss was blocked in second quarter. The 52.5 yard punting average set a new single-game school record for the Wonder Boys, bettering the old mark of 51.0 set in 1991 by former Wonder Boy Greg Ivy against McMurray.

Podobnik, who is currently the top-rated punter in the latest Division II national statistics, finished the 2007 season with 43 punts for 1,945 yards and averaged 45.2 yards per punt, which set a new single-season school record and a new GSC single-season mark. The previous school record was 42.0 set in 2003 by Tommy Edwards, while the previous GSC mark of 43.5 was by Jacksonville State’s Greg Lowery in 1982. In addition to his 45.2 yard punting average, Podobnik had 13 punts over 50 yards this season, including a 75 yarder in the fourth quarter of the Northeastern State and he also downed eight punts inside the 20-yard line and had seven touchbacks. On the season, he was also 23-for-24 on extra points and hit his only field goal attempt, a 21-yard attempt against Ouachita Baptist.

-- Tech Athletics --